Ever since the high school basketball season started up in Pennsylvania again on Jan. 8, no WPIAL boys team has been able to come close to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. The Chargers have won 10 games since the start of 2021 by an average of 34.6 points.
The No. 2-ranked Class 2A team will take a shot at OLSH Friday.
OLSH, the Post-Gazette’s No. 1 Class 2A team, plays host to No. 2 Springdale on Friday night. The two teams met earlier this season and OLSH won at Springdale, 75-54, on Jan. 12. Since then, Springdale has won six of seven and the only loss was to Highlands, 65-64. Highlands is the No. 4 Class 5A team.
The Springdale vs. OLSH game is one of the top matchups Friday night and will feature a trio of the WPIAL’s top guards. OLSH’s Jake DiMichele is the second-leading scorer in the WPIAL at 31.4 points a game. Teammate Dante Spadafora, a West Liberty recruit, is averaging 18.3. Springdale features Demitri Fritch, who is 17th in the WPIAL in scoring at 21.6 points.
Game time is 7:30 p.m. at OLSH.
Elsewhere in the rankings, there was little change from last week. But Pine-Richland did break into the rankings for the first time at No. 5 in Class 6A. That means that four of the five teams in Class 6A Section 1 have been ranked in the top five at one point this season. The other three are North Allegheny (currently No. 2), Seneca Valley and Butler.
Here are this week’s Post-Gazette WPIAL rankings (City League teams begin play next week):
WPIAL CLASS 6A
1. Upper St. Clair 8-1
2. North Allegheny 9-2
3. Fox Chapel 8-2
4. Hempfield 5-3
5. Pine-Richland 5-4
WPIAL CLASS 5A
1. New Castle 11-0
2. Chartiers Valley 12-1
3. Penn Hills 6-3
4. Highlands 8-1
5. Mars 8-1
WPIAL CLASS 4A
1. Belle Vernon 7-1
2. Lincoln Park 5-4
3. Montour 6-3
4. Quaker Valley 3-1
5. North Catholic 9-3
WPIAL CLASS 3A
1. South Allegheny 6-1
2. Aliquippa 6-2
3. Neshannock 10-0
4. Avonworth 7-1
5. Brentwood 7-2
WPIAL CLASS 2A
1. O.L.S.H. 11-0
2. Springdale 9-3
3. Greensburg C.C. 8-1
4. Sto-Rox 5-4
5. Carlynton 7-2
WPIAL CLASS 1A
1. Bishop Canevin 6-3
2. Union 3-0
3. Eden Christian 8-1
4. Rochester 6-2
5. Imani Christian 5-2
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh
First Published: February 4, 2021, 5:02 p.m.