For the first time since early in the season, Belle Vernon is in the Post-Gazette boys basketball rankings.
Belle Vernon was unranked for a number of weeks, but the Leopards have won 10 in a row and went from being being out of the top five to the No. 2 spot this week in WPIAL Class 4A. What helped Belle Vernon’s resume was a victory Saturday against Knoch, which was the No. 1-ranked Class 4A team at the start of the season. Knoch dropped out of the rankings. Belle Vernon features senior guard Zion Moore, one of the leading scorers in the WPIAL, as well as senior guard Trevor Kovatch.
Class 4A No. 1 Avonworth was upset by Quaker Valley on Tuesday, but Avonworth hung on to its No. 1 spot.
Elsewhere, WPIAL Class 6A was topsy-turvy again last week and Fox Chapel took advantage to move up to the No. 2 spot this week.
Fox Chapel was No. 4 last week, but No. 2 Seneca Valley lost twice in the past week while No. 5 New Castle also lost. One of Seneca Valley’s losses was to Fox Chapel on Tuesday, and that game enabled Fox Chapel to leapfrog No. 3 Central Catholic and move into the No. 2 spot.
Fox Chapel has three Section 1 games remaining against North Hills, New Castle and Butler. The Foxes have a one-game lead on both New Castle and Seneca Valley.
Elsewhere in the rankings, Seneca Valley dropped from No. 2 to 5 in Class 6A. The rankings remained the same in Class 5A, 3A, 2A, 1A and City League. Here are the completed WPIAL and City League rankings.
WPIAL CLASS 6A
1. Upper St. Clair 18-1
2. Fox Chapel 14-4
3. Central Catholic 11-6
4. New Castle 14-3
5. Seneca Valley 11-8
WPIAL CLASS 5A
1. Montour 16-1
2. Baldwin 17-1
3. Uniontown 16-3
4. Chartiers Valley 16-2
5. Moon 15-4
WPIAL CLASS 4A
1. Avonworth 14-3
2. Belle Vernon 16-4
3. Deer Lakes 16-3
4. North Catholic 13-5
5. Central Valley 15-3
WPIAL CLASS 3A
1. Aliquippa 13-3
2. South Allegheny 14-2
3. Mohawk 14-4
4. Southmoreland 14-4
5. Bishop Canevin 9-8
WPIAL CLASS 2A
1. Greensburg C.C. 15-2
2. Jeannette 14-1
3. Sewickley Academy 14-2
4. OLSH 15-4
5. Neshannock 14-2
WPIAL CLASS 1A
1. Neighborhood Academy 18-1
2. Serra 15-2
3. Nazareth Prep 12-4
4. Aquinas Academy 15-3
5. Monessen 9-6
CITY LEAGUE
1. Allderdice 9-9
2. Obama 6-6
3. Carrick 7-8
First Published: January 29, 2025, 11:10 a.m.