In the past, several U.S. presidents had to deal with north vs. south issues in a growing country.
On this Presidents’ Day, there is a north-south issue that will be settled on the basketball floor as first round action continues, this time for Class 6A boys, 2A boys, 4A girls and Class A girls.
There are only three opening round boys 6A contests Monday with great anticipation for No. 10 Pine-Richland at No. 7 Mt. Lebanon at 7:30 p.m.
The Rams are 11-11 and, thanks to a late four-game winning streak, were in line to finish in second place in Section 1-6A behind New Castle.
However, losses at North Hills and against visiting Seneca Valley on the final two days of section play dropped Pine-Richland into a tie for fourth place. A possible No. 4 seed turned into a No. 10 seed.
The Blue Devils are 14-8 and finished in fourth place in Section 2-6A behind Upper St. Clair, Central Catholic and Hempfield.
Mt. Lebanon is coming off a nonsection victory over Peters Township and won four of its last six games.
The two did not play in the regular season, but they last squared off in the postseason in the 2024 quarterfinals with the Blue Devils eliminating the Rams, 51-40.
In the last 10 years, Pine-Richland has two district boys hoops titles, winning back-to-back in 2016 and 2017, while Mt. Lebanon captured 6A gold in 2019.
The winner heads north to play at No. 2 New Castle (21-1) on Thursday.
Upper St. Clair, New Castle, Central Catholic, Seneca Valley and Hempfield all received first round byes as the top five seeds, so here are the other two opening round 6A contests Monday:
• No. 8 Fox Chapel (13-9), the 2022 WPIAL champion, will be home to play No. 9 Norwin (11-11) at 7 p.m. The Foxes ended up in a tie for fourth place in Section 2 while the Knights tied for fifth in Section 2. The winner advances to play top-seeded Upper St. Clair on Thursday.
• No. 11 Imani Christian (6-16) visits No. 6 North Hills (15-7) at 8 p.m. This could be the final 6A game for the Saints, who are moving back to Class A after finishing tied for fifth in Section 2-6A. A strong finish lifted the Indians into a tie for second place in Section 1. The winner plays No. 3 Central Catholic at Fox Chapel on Thursday,
Gold anniversaries
The Clairton boys basketball program has won six WPIAL championships.
The Bears’ first title came in 1978, and their most recent crown was 20 years ago when they defeated rival Duquesne in overtime to win the Class A title, 59-54.
Shenango has only one district boys basketball championship to its name.
It was 30 years ago when the Wildcats knocked off Shady Side Academy to win the 1996 WPIAL Class 2A crown, 57-49.
Now the two square off in a Class 2A first round game as No. 5 Clairton hosts No. 12 Shenango at 7 p.m.
The Bears won their first eight games this season, had another six-game winning streak and finished in second place behind Jeanette in Section 1-2A with an overall record of 16-3.
The Wildcats won 11 of their first 14 games, but finished by splitting their final eight games. They are 15-7 and finished in fourth place in Section 4-2A.
With the three preliminary round results from last week, the 16-team bracket is now set. Here are the other seven Class 2A Round 1 games Monday:
• Top seed and defending champion Jeannette (19-1) is a heavy favorite at home against No. 16 Brentwood (13-10) at 7 p.m. The Jayhawks won the Section 1-2A crown by two games while the Spartans defeated Beth-Center in the preliminary round, 58-41.
• No. 8 Laurel (14-8) welcomes No. 9 Eden Christian Academy (15-6) at 7 p.m. The Spartans finished in third place in Section 4-2A while the Warriors were runners-up to Sewickley Academy in Section 2.
• A district semifinalist from a year ago, No. 4 Neshannock (17-4) enjoys home court advantage against No. 13 Fort Cherry (13-8) at 7 p.m. The Lancers were co-champions with OLSH in Section 4, and the Rangers were the third-place team in Section 3.
• No. 2 Sewickley Academy (21-1) hosts No. 15 Greensburg Central Catholic (7-16) at 7 p.m. The Panthers won the Section 2 title by three games while the Centurions are coming off a win at Union in a preliminary round game last week, 43-41.
• No. 10 Winchester Thurston (15-7) visits No. 7 Chartiers-Houston (18-4) at 7 p.m. The Bears were the third-place finisher in Section 2, and the Buccaneers were co-champs in Section 3 with Jefferson-Morgan.
• No. 3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (18-4) has home cooking as it welcomes No. 14 Bentworth (15-6) at 7 p.m. The Chargers shared the Section 4 crown with Neshannock, while the Bearcats are coming off a preliminary round conquest of West Greene, 61-44.
• The battle of black and orange takes place when No. 11 Springdale (12-9) travels to No. 6 Jefferson-Morgan (21-1) at 7 p.m. The Dynamos ended up as the fourth-place team in Section 1, while the Rockets enjoyed one of their best regular seasons in program history in tying Chartiers-Houston for the Section 3 title.
One is the loneliest number
Monday marks the start of the Class 6A girls basketball playoffs with one lone first round game.
While Canon-McMillan, Norwin, Upper St. Clair, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, North Allegheny and Hempfield all received byes into the quarterfinals, two teams will fight for the bracket’s final second round spot.
No. 9 North Hills visits No. 8 Mt. Lebanon at 6 p.m.
The Indians are 7-14 after finishing in fourth place in Section 1-6A. They have lost six of their last seven games.
The Blue Devils are 6-15 and tied Hempfield for fourth place in Section 2. Mt. Lebanon had a seven-game losing streak in January, but split its final four games.
This is the second meeting of the season between the two. North Hills defeated visiting Mt. Lebanon, 42-33, on Jan. 19.
The winner will travel to play top-seeded Canon-McMillan (18-4) on Thursday.
Opening round rematch
It was 14 years ago when top-seeded Hopewell squared off against Elizabeth Forward in a WPIAL girls basketball quarterfinal. The Vikings won by 11 and went on to win the 2012 Class 3A championship.
Fast forward to the 2025 Class 4A district playoffs where the two teams were scheduled to meet again, this time in a first round contest. Mia Sosteric scored 17 points as the Warriors prevailed and advanced, 69-42.
Now for a second straight year, the two meet in the opening round of the 4A girls hoops postseason as No. 5 Elizabeth Forward once again hosts No. 12 Hopewell at 7 p.m.
The Warriors are 16-6 after finishing in second place behind Belle Vernon in Section 3-4A.
EF had won nine of its last 10 games before falling to 5A Baldwin in the regular season finale.
The Vikings are 6-14 and ended up tied with Lincoln Park for fourth place in Section 2-4A.
They did, however, win their last three games against section foes Lincoln Park, Central Valley and Ambridge to earn a playoff berth.
Blackhawk and Oakland Catholic have first-round byes, so here are the other five first round 4A contestsMonday:
• No. 8 Hampton (15-7) is home to No. 9 Burrell (15-7) at 7 p.m. The Talbots finished third in Section 2, and the Buccaneers were third in Section 1. The winner advances to play top-seeded Blackhawk on Thursday.
• No. 4 Belle Vernon (19-3) entertains No. 13 Lincoln Park (10-12) at 7 p.m. The BV Leopards finished in first place in Section 3 for their first section title since 1999, while the LP Leopards ended up tied for fourth place in Section 2.
• No. 7 South Park (14-8) is home to No. 10 Freeport (13-9) at 7 p.m. The Eagles finished in third place in Section 3, and the Yellowjackets were the fourth-place team out of Section 1. The winner will visit No. 2 Oakland Catholic on Thursday.
• No. 14 Laurel Highlands (8-14) makes the long trip north to Cranberry to battle No. 3 North Catholic (17-5) at 7 p.m. The Mustangs finished fifth in Section 3, and the Trojans were the runner-up to Oakland Catholic in Section 1.
• No. 6 Beaver (14-8) hosts No. 11 Mt. Pleasant (10-11) at 7 p.m. The Bobcats ended up in second place behind Blackhawk in Section 2, and the Vikings were fourth in Section 3.
Always the bridesmaid
For four years between 2018-21, the West Greene girls basketball program was elite, reaching the WPIAL Class A championship game four years in a row.
However, during that incredible run, they stocked up on silver, losing once to Winchester Thurston and three times to Rochester.
The Pioneers have yet to win a district championship in girls basketball.
Clairton is familiar.
Iyanna Wade concluded her amazing career by helping the black and orange reach the 2025 Class A finals, where they lost to three-time champion Union.
However, the Bears have been to the top of the girls hoops mountain twice after winning back-to-back championships in 2001 and ‘02.
On Monday, the two collide when No. 6 West Greene welcomes No. 11 Clairton for a first round girls Class A playoff contest at 7 p.m.
The Pioneers are 16-6 and finished in third place in Section 2-A, They have won three in a row and five of their last six games.
The Bears are 8-10 and finished tied with Monessen for fifth place in the same Section 2-A. They needed to beat Monessen and win three of their last five section games just to qualify.
West Greene defeated Clairton twice this season, winning on the road, 53-17, and then rolling again at home in late January, 46-27.
The winner heads north to play at No. 3 Union on Thursday.
Aquinas Academy, Serra Catholic, Union, Geibel Catholic and St. Joseph all received first-round byes as the top five seeds, so here are the other two opening round Class A contests Monday:
• No. 8 Bishop Canevin (9-11), the 2022 WPIAL Class A champion, will be home to play No. 9 Eden Christian Academy (10-9) at 7 p.m. The Crusaders ended up in fourth place in Section 2, while the Warriors were the fifth-place team in Section 1. The winner advances to play at top-seeded Aquinas Academy on Thursday.
• No. 10 Monessen (7-14) visits No. 7 Sewickley Academy (13-9) at 6 p.m. The Greyhounds finished tied for fifth place in Section 1, and the Panthers were tied for third in Section 1. The winner will play at No. 2 Serra Catholic Thursday.
Monday on Trib HSSN
There are seven broadcasts and three podcasts you can listen to at TribHSSN.TribLive.com on the 16th day of February.
Video Stream: Rebel Yell Podcast featuring WPIAL basketball Team of the Week on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
Video Stream: Rebel Yell Podcast featuring WPIAL girls basketball Player of the Week on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
Video Stream: Rebel Yell Podcast featuring WPIAL boys basketball Player of the Week on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 6A First Round: Pine-Richland at Mt. Lebanon at 7:30 p.m. on Trib HSSN at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs Video Stream – Class 6A First Round: Norwin at Fox Chapel at 7 p.m. on Westmoreland Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs Video Stream – Class 2A First Round: Eden Christian Academy at Laurel at 7 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Fort Cherry at Neshannock at 7 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Shenango at Clairton at 7 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Bentworth at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at 7 p.m. on WJPA at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Winchester Thurston at Chartiers-Houston at 7 p.m. on WJPA-AM 1450 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com