Blackhawk didn’t want to be in this position.
As far as the Cougars were concerned, they wanted to win the WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball championship for the first time since 2022 and head into the state playoffs on a high note.
Instead, they had to settle for silver medals around their necks for the third consecutive year and a hope of redemption in the PIAA Class 4A tournament.
“It’s not fun to lose, and it’s certainly no fun to lose in heartbreaking fashion,” Blackhawk coach Greg Huston said. “That does make it a little worse.”
Blackhawk, though, has shown a propensity for excelling precisely in this situation.
In 2023, the Cougars lost to North Catholic, 51-35, in the WPIAL championship game at Petersen Events Center, but they went on a tear through the state playoffs. They got their revenge on the Trojanettes with a 45-40 victory in the state semifinals and gave Lansdale Catholic everything it could handle before losing 53-45 in the state championship game at Giant Center.
It was an even harder pill to swallow in 2024 when Alayna Rocco almost singlehandedly willed North Catholic to the win with 17 of her team’s final 19 points in a 40-37 overtime thriller. Nonplussed, Blackhawk once again picked itself up by the bootstraps, dug in its heels and made a run through the state bracket, this time knocking off District 2 champion Scranton Prep, 56-44, to bring home the state championship.
Aubree Hupp had 21 points and nine rebounds despite being in foul trouble throughout that win against Scranton Prep.
Hupp, a junior forward, also fouled out with less than 25 seconds left in a tie game against Oakland Catholic on a controversial charge.
But all that does is, once again, focus Blackhawk on the task at hand — a return trip to Giant Center to defend its state title. The Cougars (23-3) will once again begin their trek through the bracket at home, this time hosting District 10 third-place qualifier Franklin (16-9) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
“I don’t think anybody in this group’s going to quit. Nobody’s going to hang their head,” Huston said. “Last year we took a day off, came back on Monday watched film and said, ‘Hey. Let’s go win a state.’ And that will certainly be the goal this year.”
Lancers readying for potential Layke-effect
Neshannock coach Luann Grybowski has been through enough of these tournaments to know what’s coming.
So she knew full well the ramifications of losing to Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game. It meant that barring Fort Cherry pulling off an upset of epic proportions — and, of course, her team beating District 5 runner-up Everett (16-8) in the opening round on Friday — her Lancers would have a second-round date with two-time defending state champion Kennedy Catholic on Tuesday.
“I don’t know if anybody in District 7 or anywhere else is good enough to beat Kennedy. I’ll say that flat-out,” Grybowski said. “They have the complete package. They have a post player who is fantastic, they have guards that can shoot it, that can attack the basket and defend.”
Kennedy Catholic is led by senior power forward Layke Fields, a Robert Morris recruit who is 26 points shy of 2,000 in her career and already has more than 1,000 rebounds, who will be a nightmare matchup down low for Neshannock if the two lock horns. The Lancers would have to use a combination of 5-foot-10 Ainsley Allison and 5-8 Payton Newman underneath to slow her down.
She is averaging 22.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game and is shooting a whopping 70% from the floor.
There is a small silver lining. Kennedy Catholic is 0-3 against the WPIAL this year, with losses to Blackhawk, Norwin and Elizabeth Forward.
“I would be sincerely surprised if they’re not in the state final,” Grybowski said. “I’ll come up with a game plan if it comes time to play. If we get the chance, we’ll give it our best shot. But I haven’t seen anybody — and I’ve watched a lot of games and scouted a lot of teams — as good as Kennedy is this year.”
It’s not easy being 3A
Since the PIAA split basketball beginning in the 2016-17 season, the WPIAL has won state championships in every classification.
All except one.
No team in Class 3A has won a state championship since Blackhawk in 2015, two years prior to the expansion.
In the eight years since moving to six classes, there have been four schools that have made it into state finals. Bishop Canevin lost to District 12 Neumann-Goretti in both 2017 and 2018, Mohawk lost to District 12 West Catholic in 2021, and Freedom lost to Neumann-Goretti in 2022.
No WPIAL team even made it to the semifinals in 2024.
And the award goes to…
For longest drive in the first round … Distance: Class 5A Mars at West York — 235 miles and 3 hours, 48 minutes. Time: Class 1A Geibel at Otto Eldred, 181 miles but 3 hours, 49 minutes; possibly longer, considering part of their travel will be during rush hour.
For shortest drive in the first round … Class 6A Canon-McMillan at Allderdice…27 miles, Friday at 7 p.m.
Most intriguing matchup (records only) … Class 5A WPIAL fifth-place finisher Penn-Trafford (25-1) at District 3 runner-up Middletown (22-3) Saturday at 1 p.m.
Most lopsided matchup (records only) … WPIAL fifth-place qualifier Rochester (12-13) at District 9 champion Redbank Valley (20-6) Friday at 7 p.m.
Only all-WPIAL matchup …Class 2A No. 7 Chartiers-Houston (20-6) at Aliquippa (21-4) Friday at 7 p.m.
No golden guarantees
Since the PIAA first expanded to four classifications in 1984, there have been eight occasions in which no WPIAL school has won a state title. The last time it happened was in 2017, the first year with six classifications, when North Allegheny (Class 6A), Trinity (Class 5A) and Bishop Canevin (Class 3A) all lost in the championship game.
So far, the longest string of consecutive years with a WPIAL title is nine seasons from 1999-2007. The current streak, taking out the 2020 finals that were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is six years.
First Published: March 5, 2025, 3:35 p.m.
Updated: March 6, 2025, 12:30 a.m.
