Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) set its playoff brackets in six classifications for the 2024 WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Boys’ Basketball Championships on Monday afternoon, with all championship games to be held at Petersen Events center on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh from Feb. 29-March 2.
 
A total of 87 teams from the six classifications qualified for the WPIAL Boys’ Basketball Championships. Postseason play begins on Thursday, Feb. 15 with one first round game in Class 1A, followed by first round contests in Class 1A and Class 3A, and a preliminary round contest in Class 5A on Friday, Feb. 16. Teams qualify for the postseason by finishing inside the top four of their respective sections following the regular season. If multiple teams finish with the same section record and ties cannot be broken, then all tied teams enter the bracket.
 
In Class 6A, Central Catholic (13-8, 8-2) won Section I and Mt. Lebanon (18-3, 9-1) took home Section II. Class 5A had Thomas Jefferson (18-3, 10-0) win Section I, Shaler (20-2, 9-1) bring home Section II, Franklin Regional (19-2, 9-1) capture Section III, and Moon (18-3, 10-0) go unbeaten in Section IV. Class 4A had unbeaten section champions in Hampton (18-3, 10-0) in Section I and Lincoln Park (19-3, 12-0) in Section II, as well as Uniontown (19-3, 9-1) and Montour (18-3, 9-1) winning Section III and Section IV, respectively.
 
Class 3A had two outright section champions and two split, with Mohawk (15-7, 11-1) and Deer Lakes (17-4, 11-1) winning Section I and Section III, respectively, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (17-4, 11-1) and Seton LaSalle (16-5, 11-1) sharing Section II, and Yough (18-4, 11-1) and Washington (14-7, 11-1) splitting Section IV. Three Class 2A section champions went unbeaten with Aliquippa (17-4, 10-0) in Section I, Bishop Canevin (12-9, 8-0) in Section II, and Greensburg Central Catholic (20-2, 12-0) in Section III, while Fort Cherry (16-5, 11-1) topped Section IV. Class 1A saw Rochester (15-5, 9-1) win Section I, Monessen (17-4, 9-1) take home Section II, and Imani Christian Academy (11-9, 10-0) collect Section III.
 
The top three teams in Class 6A, the top five teams in Class 1A, and the top seven teams in Class 2A, Class 3A, Class 4A, and Class 5A qualify for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Boys’ Basketball Championships, which begin with first round games on March 8-9 and end with the championship games from March 21-23 at the GIANT Center in Hershey. Consolation round contests will be held in each classification to determine the WPIAL’s qualifiers outside of the championship games.
 
The reigning WPIAL boys’ basketball champions are Aliquippa (Class 2A), Central Catholic (Class 6A), Deer Lakes (Class 3A), Imani Christian Academy (Class 1A), Lincoln Park (Class 4A), and Penn Hills (Class 5A).
 
CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Feb. 23
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Petersen Events Center (University of Pittsburgh)
Amount of Qualifiers: 8
Top Four Seeds: #1 Mt. Lebanon (18-3, 9-1 Section II), #2 Central Catholic (13-8, 8-2 Section II), #3 Upper St. Clair (16-5, 8-2 Section II), #4 Baldwin (16-5, 7-3 Section II)
Qualifying Teams: Baldwin, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Central Catholic, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Upper St. Clair
2023 Final: Central Catholic 61, New Castle 52

CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Feb. 16 (Preliminary Round); Monday, Feb. 19 (First Round)
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Petersen Events Center (University of Pittsburgh)
Amount of Qualifiers: 17
Top Four Seeds: #1 Moon (18-3, 10-0 Section IV), #2 Franklin Regional (19-2, 9-1 Section III), #3 Shaler (20-2, 9-1 Section II), #4 Thomas Jefferson (18-3, 10-0 Section I)
Qualifying Teams: Bethel Park, Chartiers Valley, Franklin Regional, Fox Chapel, Gateway, Kiski Area, Mars, Moon, North Hills, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Shaler, South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Woodland Hills
2023 Final: Penn Hills 70, Peters Township 65
 
CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Petersen Events Center (University of Pittsburgh)
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Lincoln Park (19-3, 12-0 Section I), #2 Hampton (18-3, 10-0 Section II), #3 Montour (18-3, 9-1 Section IV), #4 Uniontown (19-3, 9-1 Section IV)
Qualifying Teams: Avonworth, Beaver, Belle Vernon, Central Valley, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Hampton, Highlands, Knoch, Lincoln Park, Montour, North Catholic, Quaker Valley, South Allegheny, Southmoreland, Uniontown
2023 Final: Lincoln Park 78, North Catholic 68
 
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Monday, Feb. 19
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Petersen Events Center (University of Pittsburgh)
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Deer Lakes (17-4, 11-1 Section III), #2 Mohawk (15-7, 11-1 Section I), #3 Shady Side Academy (14-7, 10-2 Section III), #4 Neshannock (17-3, 10-2 Section I)
Qualifying Teams: Beaver Falls, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Derry, Ellwood City, McGuffey, Mohawk, Mt. Pleasant, Neshannock, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Seton LaSalle, Shady Side Academy, South Park, Sto-Rox, Washington, Yough
2023 Final: Deer Lakes 61, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 60
 
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Tuesday, Feb. 20
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Petersen Events Center (University of Pittsburgh)
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Aliquippa (17-4, 10-0 Section I), #2 Greensburg Central Catholic (20-2, 12-0 Section III), #3 Northgate (16-4, 8-2 Section I), #4 Fort Cherry (16-5, 11-1 Section IV)
Qualifying Teams: Aliquippa, Bishop Canevin, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, Clairton, Eden Christian Academy, Fort Cherry, Frazier, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Nazareth Prep, Northgate, Serra Catholic, Sewickley Academy, Shenango, Winchester Thurston
2023 Final: Aliquippa 52, Northgate 40
 
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Thursday, Feb. 15 (Union-Hillel Academy first round game); Friday, Feb. 16 (remainder of first round)
Championship Date & Location: TBA at Petersen Events Center (University of Pittsburgh)
Amount of Qualifiers: 14
Top Four Seeds: #1 Imani Christian Academy (11-9, 10-0 Section III), #2 The Neighborhood Academy (16-5, 8-2 Section III), #3 Rochester (15-5, 9-1 Section I), #4 Monessen (17-4, 9-1 Section II)
Qualifying Teams: Aquinas Academy, Avella, California, Carlynton, Hillel Academy, Imani Christian Academy, Jefferson-Morgan, Monessen, The Neighborhood Academy, Rochester, Saint Joseph, The Summit Academy, Union, West Greene
2023 Final: Imani Christian Academy 64, Union 41
 
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