Girls
Class 4A
First round
13-Lincoln Park (10-12) at 4-Belle Vernon (19-3)
7 p.m. Monday
Winner plays: Winner of 12-Hopewell (6-14)/5-Elizabeth Forward (16-6) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Patty Wesolowski, Lincoln Park; Isis Almyty, Belle Vernon
Layup lines: It is the battle of Leopards in the opening round. … Lincoln Park tied Hopewell for fourth place in Section 2. The Leopards have dropped four of five going into the tournament. Lincoln Park took one-loss Beaver Falls (3A) to overtime. Wesolowski averages 11.1 points and 6.9 rebounds, and Ashtyn Michael leads Lincoln Park with a 13-point scoring average. … Belle Vernon’s 19 wins are the most for the program since the 1998-99 team went 20-8. The Leopards captured their first section title since that season this year, taking Section 3 by a game over Elizabeth Forward, a team it could see for a third time in the quarterfinals. Aubrey Brown is a 6-foot-2 sophomore with a Kent State offer. The Leopards rely on their guards, including freshman Lyla McConnell, junior Abby Russell and senior Emerson LaCarte. Almyty is a 6-1 freshman.
11-Mt. Pleasant (10-11) at 6-Beaver (14-8)
7 p.m. Monday
Winner plays: Winner of 14-Laurel Highlands (8-14)/3-North Catholic (17-5) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Ryleigh Drzal, Mt. Pleasant; Annsley Baker, Beaver
Layup lines: Mt. Pleasant came in fourth in a top-heavy Section 3 behind Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward and South Park. The Vikings average just 33.3 points a game but limit opponents to 37.9. Some of the top players are known for other sports: Drzal (tennis), Morgan Gesinski (soccer) and Danica Trainer (softball). Grace Arrigo is a 6-foot forward. … Beaver finished second in Section 2 behind top-seeded and undefeated Blackhawk. The Bobcats average 48 points and allow 41.1. Baker, a 5-7 all-state guard, averages 17.5 points. She went over 1,000 career points late in the regular season. Baker also plays on the golf and volleyball teams and is a cheerleader. Senior Ava Wright is another key backcourt player. Beaver lost to Elizabeth Forward in last year’s quarterfinals, 63-52.
Class A
10-Monessen (7-14) at 7-Sewickley Academy (13-9)
6 p.m. Monday
Winner plays: 2-Serra Catholic (15-6) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Madison Johnson, Monessen; Nina Caputo, Sewickley Academy
Layup lines: Monessen tied for fourth to squeeze into the playoffs out of Section 2. The Greyhounds feature Madison Johnson, a 1,000-point scorer and four-year starter. Monessen has lost five in a row. It averages just 33.9 points a game. The Greyhounds did not make the playoffs last year. … Sewickley Academy took third place in Section 1 behind Aquinas Academy and Union. The Panthers are giving up 34.6 points per game and have won four of their last five games. They lost in the first round last year.
Boys
Class 6A
First round
9-Norwin (11-11) at 8-Fox Chapel (13-9)
7 p.m. Monday
Winner plays: 1-Upper St. Clair (21-2) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Alex Graney, Norwin; Grant Fenton, Fox Chapel
Layup lines: Norwin tied with Imani Christian for fifth in Section 2. The Knights are 2-4 in their last six games but beat Imani Christian, 66-49. Norwin dropped both games to Upper St. Clair, the team it will see if it wins. A number of players have contributed big minutes throughout the season, including Nate Kuch, King Carver, Chris McKnight and Mario Csukas. Graney will play Monday despite suffering a bad cut above his eye in the Section 2 finale at Hempfield. … Fox Chapel lost its playoff opener last year as the No. 4 seed, falling 51-45 to Central Catholic. The Foxes, who won a WPIAL title in 2022, lost to Hempfield this season 44-41. They have won five of six. John Rehak leads the team in scoring (11.4 ppg), followed by Joey McGivney (10.5) and Fenton (9.4).
Class 2A
First round
16-Brentwood (13-10) at 1-Jeannette (19-1)
7 p.m. Monday
Winner plays: Winner of 9-Eden Christian (15-6)/8-Laurel (14-8) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Deng Mu, Brentwood; Markus McGowan, Jeannette
Layup lines: Brentwood drew a first-round rematch with the Jayhawks with a 58-41 victory over Beth-Center in the preliminary round. The Spartans took a 31-16 lead into halftime. Deng Mu had a game-high 23 points, and Xh’avier Nunez added 18. Mu, a senior center, is imposing at 6-foot-8. The Trenton, N.J., transfer, who was born in Africa, averages 17 points and 17 rebounds. His sister, Athing Mu, won two gold medals for the U.S. in track at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. … Jeannette is the defending WPIAL champion after raising the trophy for the first time since 2008. All five starters are back for the Jayhawks, whose only loss is to a team from Kentucky coached by former Pitt player Jaron Brown. The Jayhawks beat Brentwood in the first round last year 91-42. Jayhawks’ point guard Kymon’e Brown is a Robert Morris football commit. McGowan (18 ppg) and Brown are career 1,000-point scorers.
18-Greensburg Central Catholic (7-16) at 2-Sewickley Academy (21-1)
7:30 p.m. Monday
Winner plays: Winner of 10-Winchester Thurston (15-7)/7-Chartiers-Houston (18-4) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Tommy Dlugos, GCC; Mamadou Kane, Sewickley Academy
Layup lines: Greensburg Central Catholic is playing with house money in a rebuilding season that many didn’t expect to stretch into the playoffs. The Centurions advanced with a 43-41 preliminary-round victory over Union, the WPIAL runner-up last year. The Centurions trailed by double figures in the second half. Luke Semelka scored a team-high 14 points, and JT Stawovy made the go-ahead basket with 90 seconds remaining. It was the first playoff game for the majority of the Centurions’ roster. … Sewickley Academy, which beat a much different GCC team in last year’s PIAA semifinals, won 21 straight before falling to New Jersey power Roselle Catholic, 54-53 in overtime, to close the regular season. The Panthers coasted to the Section 2 title, averaging 70.5 points. The Panthers, coached by former NBA guard Mike Iuzzolino, has a long frontcourt with junior Adam Ikamba (6-8), sophomore Mamadou Kane (6-8) and freshman Ibrahim Kante (6-5). Seniors Lucas Grimsley and Caiden Battles bring playoff experience.