Girls Class 5A WPIAL Quarterfinal Preview

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The quarterfinal contestants for the girls’ basketball Class 5A playoff bracket were revealed last Friday, and today it was announced where each of those games will be played.

The final eight teams are extremely familiar with each other. Three of the four quarterfinal games pit section rivals against each other.

The games will take place on Saturday. Below are capsules on each quarterfinal game.

No. 1 Trinity Hillers (20-3) vs. No. 8 Oakland Catholic Eagles (15-8) At West Allegheny, 3 p.m.

This is the lone quarterfinal game that does not matchup section opponents against each other. Trinity and Oakland Catholic will be meeting for the first time this year after both recorded convincing wins in the first round. Trinity defeated Plum, 54, 41. That game was also at West Allegheny, where the Hillers will be returning for this game. Senior Alayna Cappelli and sophomore Riley DeRubbo led the teams with 16 points apiece against Plum. Both members, along with senior Jayme Britton, were announced as first-team all-section this week. Trinity defeated Gateway in the quarterfinals last year, 58-54…Oakland Catholic is coming off of a 63-42 win against South Fayette in the first round. The Eagles had four players in double figures led by junior Jayde Boyd with 16 points. Junior Alexis Sestric added 14 points, and junior Sierra DeAngelo and sophomore Cierra Christian added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Boyd and Sestric were named first-team all-section this week and DeAngelo and Christian were named to the second-team. Oakland Catholic defeated Mars 54-41 in the quarterfinals last year.

No. 2 Thomas Jefferson Jaguars (20-3) vs. No. 7 Gateway Gators (20-3) At Baldwin, 3 p.m.

This rubber match showcases the top two teams in Section 2. Thomas Jefferson squeaked out the section title over Gateway by a game, although the Gators handed the Jaguars their lone loss in the section on Jan. 23, 48-47. Since that loss, Thomas Jefferson has won seven straight games. The Jaguars won the first matchup of the season between the two teams, 37-33 on Dec. 21. Thomas Jefferson took care of Montour in the first round, 84-45. Sophomore Alyssa DeAngelo led the charge with 20 points. She was named to the all-section second-team this week. Senior Marina Petruzzi and junior Jenna Clark each had 16 points. Both of them were named to the first-team all-section this week. This is Thomas Jefferson’s first appearance in the quarterfinals in over 15 years…Gateway stayed hot in the first round with a 39-28 win against Ringgold at Baldwin as well. It was the Gators 12th straight win. Sophomore Lexi Jackson led the team with 18 points. Jackson was named second-team all-section this week. Senior Jordan Edwards, who was named to the first-team, chipped in with 12 points. Gateway lost to Trinity, 58-54, in the quarterfinals last year.

No. 3 West Allegheny Indians (17-6) vs. Chartiers Valley Colts (17-6) At Baldwin, 12 p.m.

This matchup is a lot like the one above where the two teams have identical overall and section records. West Allegheny nudged Chartiers Valley for the section title, and the two teams splits the season series. The Indians won the first matchup on Jan. 4, 52-48 before losing the return match on Jan. 25. 49-39. Each team won on their home court. West Allegheny defeated Woodland Hills, 58-41, in the first round. Junior Hannah Lindemuth erupted for 28 points and fellow junior Grace Faulk added 15 points. Both Lindemuth and Faulk, along with junior Patience Ashaolu, made the first-team all-section team this week. This is West Allegheny’s first quarterfinal appearance since 2008, when they lost to Indiana, 43-37…The defending WPIAL champion moved onto the quarterfinals with a 50-40 win against Armstrong in the first round. Sophomore Megan McConnell led the Colts with 23 points. Earlier this week, her and junior Mackenzie Wagner were named first-team all-section players. Chartiers Valley defeated South Fayette 48-31 in the quarterfinals last year.

No. 4 Mars Planets (18-5) vs. No. 5 Hampton Talbots (19-4) At North Hills, 1:30 p.m.

The two section rivals became Section 4 Co-Champions with identical 11-1 records in the section this tear. Both gave each other their lone losses of the section season. Hampton won the first matchup at Mars on Jan. 15, 54-52. Mars returned the favor at Hampton on Feb. 8, 59-52. Mars won its first round game against Uniontown handedly, 54-33. Senior Lauren Wasylson led the Planets with 18 points. Senior Tai Johnson was right behind her with 17 and sophomore Bella Pelaia had 11. All three were announced this week as first-team all-section selections. Mars lost to Oakland Catholic 54-41 in the quarterfinals last year…Hampton advanced to the quarterfinals with a 51-26 win against Connellsville. Senior Laryn Edwards led the Talbots with 24 points. Fellow senior Ali Collins finished with 16 points in the win. Both Edwards and Collins were selected to the first-team all-section team. Hampton defeated McKeesport, 61-43, in the quarterfinals last year.

For a complete look at the updated bracket, click here.