WPIAL Class A boys basketball championship

No. 1 Neighborhood Academy vs. No. 6 Serra Catholic

5 p.m. Thursday, at Petersen Events Center

Audio broadcast:Trib HSSN

WPIAL titles: Neighborhood Academy 1 (2025); Serra Catholic 1 (2008)

Neighborhood Academy (20-3)

Coach: Jordan Marks

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

2, D’Andre Green, 6-1, so., G/F

4, Dante Wright, 5-11, so., G

10, Derick Hardeman, 6-4, sr., C

11, Kedron Gilmore, 5-9, jr., G

20, Trey McMurray, 6-3, jr., G

How they got here: Neighborhood Academy defeated No. 8 Summit Academy, 67-27, in the first round and No. 4 Monessen, 50-21, in the semifinals.

Notable: These teams are certainly familiar with one another, as Neighborhood Academy defeated Serra Catholic, 69-46, in last year’s WPIAL championship game behind graduate Courtney Wallace’s 21 points. Neighborhood Academy also swept the Section 2 series against Serra, winning 47-44 on Jan. 9 and 65-55 on Feb. 3. … The top-seeded Bulldogs, who also won a PIAA title last season, are in the finals for the third straight season. They lost to Imani Christian Academy, 78-49, in 2024. … In the semifinal victory over Monessen, Neighborhood Academy was led by Kedron Gilmore’s 17 points and 11 from Dante Wright. … Gilmore is among the top scorers in the WPIAL at 24.4 ppg and surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season. Freshman guard Julius Page averaged 15.8 ppg during the regular season but has missed time with an injury. … The Bulldogs have relied on a stifling defense all season, allowing an average of just 37.3 ppg, which is fourth-best in the WPIAL, behind Sewickley Academy (29.8), Jefferson-Morgan (35.0) and Central Catholic (36.7). TNA’s lone losses came against Kiski Area, Penn Hills and Sewickley Academy. … Coach Jordan Marks earned his 100th win as TNA’s coach last week. … Founded in 2001, Neighborhood Academy is in Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood. The school joined WPIAL basketball in 2020.

Serra Catholic (14-9)

Coach: A.J. Corso

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

0, Mark Johnson, 5-8, jr., G

1, Nate Petty, 5-9, jr., G

15, Jake Jellison, 6-2, jr., F

21, Brayden Graham, 6-1, jr., G

23, Tyler Sapida, 6-4, sr., F

How they got here: No. 6 Serra Catholic beat No. 3 Avella, 74-66, in the first round and No. 2 Nazareth Prep, 71-51, in the semifinals.

Notable: Serra Catholic showed its depth in the quarterfinals when Kris Sharp and Tyler Graham combined for 28 points off the bench to complement Tyler Sapida’s 18 points and Mark Johnson’s 17. In the semifinal victory over Nazareth Prep, Sapida tallied 19 points, followed by Brayden Graham (14), Sharp (13) and Johnson (11). … Brayden Graham led the Eagles in scoring this season at 16.6 ppg. … The Eagles tied for second in Section 2 this season at 6-4. They have rebounded from a three-game losing streak with four straight wins. … Serra averages a WPIAL Class A-leading 67.4 ppg while allowing 53.3. … Johnson had 14 points, Brayden Graham 11 and Sapida six in last season’s WPIAL finals loss to TNA. Three of Serra’s five losses last season came against the Bulldogs. … Corso’s record is 85-59 in six seasons with five playoff appearances. … This is Serra Catholic’s seventh appearance in the WPIAL finals. The team won the title in 2008 in Class A. It also was the Class A runner-up in 1982, 2009 and last season, as well as a Class 2A runner-up in 1991 and 2019.

Next up: The winner will open the PIAA playoffs March 6 against the third-place team from either District 5 or 6. The loser will play the District 6 runner-up.