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BOYS BASKETBALL

PIAA 6A SECOND ROUND

7-2 New Castle (23-3) vs. 1-4 Downingtown West (20-7) – at Bald Eagle HS – 5:30 pm – Lawrence County SportsNet

How they got here: New Castle were the champions of Section 1-6A. They were the top seed in the WPIAL playoffs. They got to the WPIAL Championship before falling to Central Catholic. New Castle defeated Erie, 60-50 in the PIAA First Round.

Downingtown West were the Ches-Mont – National section champions. They were the No. 5 seed in the District 1 playoffs. They got to the District 1 Semifinals before losing to Spring-Ford. They then fell to Lower Merion in the District 1 Third-Place Game to be the fourth-place team out of District 1. Downingtown West beat Waynesboro, 64-60 in the PIAA First Round.

Common Opponents: No common opponents.

Players to Watch: New Castle is led by Jonathan Anderson (18 pts in 1st RD) and Isaiah Boice (19 pts in 1st RD). Both were named Big 56 first-team all-section players. Downingtown West is led by Dylan Blair (Army commit).

Where to Listen: There will be an audio stream brought to you by Lawrence County SportsNet. You can find the broadcast link on the broadcast schedule under Multimedia.

7-1 Central Catholic (17-9) vs. 6-1 State College (24-2) – Central Cambria HS – 6 pm

How they got here: Central Catholic finished in second place in Section 1-6A. They were the No. 3 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. Central Catholic rattled off three straight wins to be WPIAL Champions. Central Catholic beat Wilson, 50-28 in the PIAA First Round.

State College were Mid-Penn – Commonwealth section champions. They were the top seed in the District 6 playoffs. They won the District 6 Championship and then won the District 6/8/10 Sub-Regional Championship. State College defeated Upper St. Clair, 72-42 in the PIAA First Round.

Common Opponents: Upper St. Clair is a common opponent for both teams. Central Catholic beat Upper St. Clair, 65-41, in the WPIAL Semifinals. State College defeated Upper St. Clair, 72-42 in the PIAA First Round.

Players to Watch: Central Catholic is led by Dante DePante (10 pts in 1st RD) and Debaba Tshibwe. Both were Big 56 first-team all-section selections. State College is led by Braden Shressberry (20 pts in 1st RD).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

PIAA 5A SECOND ROUND

7-1 South Fayette (25-2) vs. 3-3 Mechanicsburg (20-7) – at Altoona HS – 5:30 pm

How they got here: South Fayette was the Section 4-5A Champions running the table in section play. They were the top seed in the WPIAL playoffs. They rolled through District 7 with the closest margin of victory being 15 points en route to a WPIAL Championship. South Fayette defeated West York, 73-33, in the PIAA First Round.

Mechanicsburg came in second in the Mid-Penn – Keystone section. They were the No. 4 seed in the District 3 playoffs. They fell in the District 3 Semifinals but bounced back to win the District 3 Third-Place Game to get the No. 3 seed in the district. Mechanicsburg beat Woodland Hills, 47-44 in overtime in the PIAA First Round.

Common Opponents: Woodland Hills is a common opponent for both teams. South Fayette handled Woodland Hills 68-25 in the WPIAL Semifinals. Mechanicsburg beat Woodland Hills 47-44 in overtime in the PIAA First Round.

Players to Watch: South Fayette is led by Erica Hall (20 pts in 1st RD), Maddie Webber (21 pts in 1st RD), Lainey Yater and Ava Leroux (13 pts in 1st RD). All four players were named Big 56 first team all-section. Mechanicsburg is led by Lauren Lebo (14 pts in 1st RD), Gracen Nutt (12 pts in 1st RD) and Alaina Sweet (10 pts in 1st RD).

7-7 Penn-Trafford (18-9) vs. 7-3 McKeesport (22-5) – at Norwin – 7:30 pm – Westmoreland Sports Network

How they got here: Penn-Trafford finished in third place in Section 3-5A. They were the No. 8 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. They were bounced in the WPIAL Quarterfinals, lost in the WPIAL Consolation Semifinals but came back to win the WPIAL Seventh-Place Game to get into the PIAA tournament. Penn-Trafford upset Greencastle-Antrim in the PIAA First Round, 40-39.

McKeesport was the second-place finisher in the Section 3-5A. They were the No. 3 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. They got to the WPIAL Semifinals before falling to Oakland Catholic. They would bounce back to win the WPIAL Third-Place Game. McKeesport beat Northern, 54-40, in the PIAA First Round.

Previous Meetings: This will be the third matchup between Penn-Trafford and McKeesport.

The first meeting on January 13 went to McKeesport 59-35. Malina Boord had 20 points for McKeesport while Rachael Manfredo added 15 points. Olivia Pepple had 15 points for Penn-Trafford.

McKeesport also won the second meeting 47-32 on February 7. Manfredo had 14 points for McKeesport. Lilly Palladino led Penn-Trafford with 11 points.

Players to Watch: Penn-Trafford is led by Olivia Pepple (16.8 ppg) and Lauren Marton (10.0 ppg; 11 pts in 1st RD). McKeesport is led by Rachael Manfredo (15.6 ppg; 19 pts in 1st RD). 

This game will be broadcast on the Westmoreland Sports Network. You can find the broadcast link on the broadcast schedule under Multimedia.

7-2 Oakland Catholic (23-4) vs. 6-1 Hollidaysburg (24-0) – at Armstrong – 7:30 pm

How they got here: Oakland Catholic ran the table in Section 3-5A to become section champions. They were the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. They got to the WPIAL Championship Game where they fell to South Fayette. Oakland Catholic defeated Manheim Central, 65-39, in the PIAA First Round

Hollidaysburg also went undefeated in section play and won the Mountain section championship. They were the top seed in the District 6 playoffs and rolled to a district championship. Hollidaysburg is the last remaining undefeated team in Pennsylvania 5A girls basketball. They beat Lower Dauphin, 64-44 in the PIAA First Round.

Common Opponents: No common opponents but both teams won against District 3 opponents in the PIAA First Round. Oakland Catholic defeated Manheim Central who was the No. 3 seed in the District 3 tournament. Hollidaysburg beat Lower Dauphin who was the No. 5 seed in the District 3 tournament.

Players to Watch: Oakland Catholic is led by Alexa Washington and Halena Hill (20 pts in 1st RD). Both players were named Big 56 first team all-section. Hollidaysburg is led by Sydney Lear (24 pts in 1st RD) and Bella Vent (18 pts in 1st RD).

7-6 Mars (18-8) vs. 10-1 Cathedral Prep (22-1) – at Sharon HS – 7:30 pm

How they got here: Mars finished in second-place in Section 2-5A. They were the No. 7 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. Mars was knocked out of championship contention by Oakland Catholic in the WPIAL Quarterfinals but bounced back to win in the WPIAL Consolation Semifinals before falling in the WPIAL Fifth-Place Game. Mars upset York Suburban, 49-40 in the PIAA First Round.

Cathedral Prep ran the table in District 10 Region 7 to win that section championship. They are the only 5A girls team in District 10 so they went straight to the District 8/9/10 Sub-Regional where they won the championship. Cathedral Prep defeated Trinity, 48-30 in the PIAA First Round.

Common Opponent: Trinity is a common opponent of both teams. Mars fell to Trinity 46-42 in the WPIAL Fifth-Place Game. Cathedral Prep defeated Trinity, 48-30, in the PIAA First Round.

Players to Watch: Mars is led by Olivia Donnelly and Vita Vargo (13 pts in 1st RD). Donnelly was named to the Big 56 first team all-section team. Annalyn Isaacs was also a first team all-section player for Mars but is ineligible due to PIAA transfer rules. Cathedral Prep is led by Jayden McBride (16 pts in 1st RD), Lena Walz (16 pts in 1st RD) and Addie Biel (10 pts in 1st RD).