High School category, Page 478

For a second straight year, Buzz Gabos is proud of his team’s accomplishments but also is left wanting more. Gabos, who just completed his 17th season as North Hills’ boys basketball coach, led the Indians to a 20-7 record with appearances in the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA first round. “I’m...

In tennis, “love” is another word for zero. But for Hampton’s No. 1 singles player, adoration for his newfound sport has added up to a lot. Junior Vitaliy Pikalo, a lifelong swimmer who started playing tennis only two years ago, has used his devotion to the courts to claim the...

The Hampton softball team opened the 2023 season with a bizarre at-bat the Talbots won’t soon forget. Junior leadoff hitter Charlotte Lomb smashed a deep first-inning drive at Fox Chapel on March 20 that was called a ground-rule double. But umpires eventually ruled the ball cleared the fence, giving Lomb...

Alina Stiger may feel anxiety about other things, but the Fox Chapel senior welcomes the anxious feeling softball can provide. The Foxes shortstop/center fielder is one of two seniors on the team this season. With a roster breakdown that features 15 freshmen and sophomores and seven upperclassmen, Fox Chapel will...

High schools WPIAL Baseball Friday’s schedule Nonsection Armstrong 5, Freeport 0 Derry 17, West Shamokin 1 Franklin Regional 9, Shaler 3 Gateway 11, Riverview 1 Knoch 8, Valley 6 North Hills 15, Saddle Brook (NJ) 0 Pine-Richland 6, Mars 2 Seneca Valley 6, Bethel Park 3 South Fayette 10, St....

Daniel Luko went 2 for 2 with two doubles and an RBI to lead Franklin Regional to a 9-3 victory over Shaler in nonsection baseball Friday. Cole Brinker had two hits and two RBIs and Anthony Alesi also drove in two runs for the Panthers (4-0). Miguel Hugas drove in...

Olivia Donnelly and Hattie McGraw had an opportunity to settle an old Butler County rivalry Friday night at Highlands. Donnelly, a Mars senior, and McGraw, a Knoch senior, were paired against each other in the finals of the girls hot-shot competition at the Cager Classic, with Donnelly prevailing. Both programs...

PIAA Class 4A girls basketball championship Lansdale Catholic vs. Blackhawk Noon Saturday, at Hershey’s Giant Center On the air: TV: PCN; Radio: WMBA-AM 1460, WBVP-AM 1230, WBVP-FM 99.3 Streaming audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com PIAA titles: Lansdale Catholic 0; Blackhawk 4 (1999, 2000, ‘14, ‘15) Lansdale Catholic (27-2) Coach: Eric Gidney Probable starting...

PIAA Class 3A boys basketball championship West Catholic vs. Deer Lakes 2 p.m. Saturday, Hershey’s Giant Center On the air: TV: PCN PIAA titles: West Catholic 0; Deer Lakes 0 West Catholic (19-10) Coach: Miguel Bocachica Probable starting lineup No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos. 0, Adam Clark, 5-10, sr., G...

PIAA Class 5A girls basketball championship South Fayette vs. Archbishop Wood 6 p.m. Saturday, Giant Center, Hershey On the air: TV: PCN; Radio: WJPA-FM 95.3; Streaming audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com PIAA titles: South Fayette 0, Archbishop Wood 7 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022) South Fayette (28-2) Coach: Bryan Bennett Probable...

Coach Miguel Bocachica says he’s just a guy who opens the gym at West Catholic Preparatory High School. He credits his players’ hard work as the primary reason the Burrs earned their first District 12 boys basketball title earlier this month and are set to play Deer Lakes at 2...

HERSHEY — Trips to the so-called “Sweetest Place on Earth” have become bittersweet for Aliquippa. The Quips lost in the state basketball finals for the second year in a row Friday, this time doomed by a poor shooting night in a 60-44 loss to Lancaster Mennonite in a PIAA Class...

HERSHEY — Union’s girls basketball team was unbeatable for 16 straight games in reaching the PIAA finals, and finished off that winning run with a historic victory on the biggest stage in Pennsylvania. The Scotties captured the program’s first state title with a 46-29 win over Lourdes Regional in the...

High schools WPIAL Baseball Thursday’s schedule Nonsection Indiana 10, DuBois Central Catholic 7 Mt. Pleasant 16, Elkins (WV) 5 Washington 7, Jeannette 3 Shady Side Academy 9, Sewickley Academy 0 Avonworth at Moon, ppd. Beaver Falls at West Allegheny, ppd. Belle Vernon at Connellsville, ppd. Carlynton at McGuffey, ppd. Chartiers...

Michael Shallcross singled and tripled and Kaden Partozoti tripled and drove in a pair to lead Washington to a 7-3 nonsection baseball victory over Jeannette on a rainy Thursday. Caleb Patton also tripled and Braden Dombrowski had two hits for the Little Prexies (2-1). Brayden Luttner singled, tripled and drove...

PIAA Class A girls basketball championship Our Lady of Lourdes Regional vs. Union Noon Friday at Hershey’s Giant Center On the air: TV: PCN. Streaming audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com PIAA titles: Lourdes 1 (1994); Union 0 Lourdes Regional (22-7) Coach: Mike Klembara Probable starting lineup No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos. 0, Masie...

Aliquippa vs. Lancaster Mennonite 2 p.m. Friday, Giant Center, Hershey On the air: TV: PCN. Radio: WBVP-AM 1230, WMBA-AM 1460. Streaming audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com PIAA titles: Aliquippa 5 (1949, 1989, 1994, 1997, 2016), Lancaster Mennonite 0 Aliquippa (24-6) Coach: Nick Lackovich Probable starting lineup No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos. 2, Demarkus...

HERSHEY — With 11 seconds on the clock, Lincoln Park’s Meleek Thomas knew it was time to “boogie.” That’s his word to describe the late-game heroics he can do with the basketball in his hands. The 6-foot-4 sophomore star split two defenders and broke a tie with a high-arcing floater,...

All along the main drag, as usual, business carried on in the village of Russellton. Shoppers headed in and out of the Deer Lakes Plaza, near the Russellton Fields soccer complex. Down the way, a man refueled his car at Trocki’s Service. Beyond there, at Tatoni’s Restaurant and Ale House,...

He wears navy blue and gold now instead of orange and green, but Craig Spisak still looks the part as a baseball coach preparing for a new season. Uniform day was slightly more hectic this year, however. “It’s still baseball,” he said. “It’s just baseball … with a lot more...

Fun in the sun sure beats cold temperatures when it comes to playing baseball. Three local teams headed south to open the WPIAL season. Belle Vernon held its “spring training” in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Leopards played two games at Baseball City, while also attending pro games between the Philadelphia...

WPIAL passing leader Cadin Olsen led Armstrong football to back-to-back quarterfinal playoff appearances. On Saturday, he is hoping for a different kind of repeat. Olsen is one of five finalists for the Willie Thrower Award, given to the top quarterback from the WPIAL and City League. The award winner will...

HERSHEY — One of the smallest high schools in the state won the biggest basketball trophy in Pennsylvania, yet few will call this an underdog story. Imani Christian has a tiny enrollment, but the East Hills private school is big in basketball talent. This was evident when 6-foot-11 sophomore Alier...

The Road to Hershey is complete with 12 teams from across the state headed to the Giant Center this weekend to play for a PIAA championship. Some teams are looking to add to their golden basketball collection while others are hoping to bring their first state basketball title back home....

The PIAA boys basketball championship games are set. Six title games will be played over three days in Hershey. Twelve teams head to Chocolate Town in search of state supremacy and PIAA gold. They are also looking to seal the deal on being No. 1 in the Trib HSSN boys...