Wednesday PIAA boys basketball rundown: South Allegheny, Aliquippa advance in Class 3A; Upper St. Clair moves on in Class 6A; Five WPIAL teams reach quarterfinals in Class 2A

South Allegheny is in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime ride, and the Gladiators aren’t ready for it to end.

Facing a sizable challenge Wednesday night in the second round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament against District 6 runner-up Bishop Guilfoyle (23-5), the two teams traded blows all night in a back-and-forth battle — but in the end, South Allegheny prevailed after pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 55-47 win at Armstrong.

“That was as good of a team as we’ve played all year, honestly,” said Gladiators coach Tony DiCenzo. “Just credit to our guys. In the fourth quarter, we were able to stack stops, and then execute on the offensive end.”

Just as they have done for South Allegheny all season long, the terrific guard tandem of senior Cameron Epps and junior Drew Cook carried the torch for the Gladiators on Wednesday. Epps scored a team-leading 16 points in the win, followed by 14 from Cook and 12 from senior forward Josh Jackowski.

“It was a collective effort from those three down the stretch,” DiCenzo said. “Every night, someone else seems to step up. They’re just a really good group to coach and compete with.”

Following their first WPIAL championship victory in school history — which came in thrilling fashion after a fourth-quarter comeback against two-time defending champion Aliquippa — DiCenzo knew it would be tough for his team to avoid a letdown in the state tournament. But his players have proven their mettle with back-to-back wins to reach the quarterfinal round, making it clear that they aren’t satisfied with their work just yet.

“We’re going to try to ride this out,” DiCenzo said. “We exhausted a ton of mental, emotional and physical energy to accomplish the WPIAL championship. … It’s hard to recapture that and refocus for the start of a whole new tournament. That’s been our message to the guys, that if we can get back to that level, then we’re going to be a really tough team to beat.

“We didn’t have much of a test in the first game [a 75-37 win over District 9 champion Cranberry], but we certainly did tonight.”

South Allegheny’s Camden Lewis, left, and Cameron Epps try to get the ball away from Bishop Guilfoyle’s Nick Foor in the second round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Armstrong High School. South Allegheny won, 55-47. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Along with clinching a spot in the elite eight, Wednesday’s win added another chapter to the growing tale of Cook’s mission to honor his older brother’s legacy. One of the top two-sport standouts in the WPIAL, Cook paid a visit after South Allegheny’s WPIAL championship victory to the gravesite of his older brother, Tony, who died from cancer in 2021 at the age of 16.

“This group has something different,” DiCenzo said. “We had to go through some tough times to get to these prosperous ones. These guys are just a testament to staying the course and following the plan. They’re playing for one another. They’re really good friends, and that means a lot.”

With South Allegheny three years removed from a heartbreaking defeat against the Quips in the PIAA semifinals in 2022, the Gladiators are now one win away from returning to the Western Region final — and they might just find Aliquippa waiting for them once again.

“We can’t look too far ahead,” DiCenzo said. “The further you advance, the better the competition is going to get. We’ve got a quick turnaround. We’ve got two days to prepare for [District 3 champion] Trinity. We’re going to start with them and focus our attention on them, and if we do what we’re capable of, I like our chances to compete and move on.

“If it ends up being Aliquippa [in the Western Region final], I think everyone would like to see that rematch.”

South Allegheny coach Tony DiCenzo shouts to his team during a 55-47 win against Bishop Guilfoyle in the second round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Armstrong High School. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Other Class 3A

• District 10 champion Mercer (14-12) was no match for Aliquippa‘s might in a one-sided 64-37 win for the Quips (22-5) at Ellwood City. Junior guard Josh Pratt poured in a game-high 30 points to lead the way for the defending state champions, who are now two wins away from becoming the first WPIAL team in nearly 50 years to reach four consecutive PIAA championship games.

• After a back-and-forth game that saw Mohawk take a five-point lead into the second quarter, the Warriors (20-7) simply ran out of gas late in a season-ending 59-45 loss against District 6 champion Forest Hills at Gateway. Bobby Fadden finished with a team-leading 18 points to go with 10 from Drew Wrona, while Dylan Stohon led all scorers with 26 points for Forest Hills (25-2).

Class 6A

• For the third time in the past five seasons, WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair clinched a spot in the elite eight after a 50-38 win against District 3 third-place finisher Governor Mifflin (20-9). Jake Foster led all scorers with 22 points for the Panthers (25-2) to go with 12 from Miami (Ohio) recruit Tyler Robbins.

South Allegheny’s Drew Cook drives toward the basket against Bishop Guilfoyle in the second round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Armstrong High School. Cook finished with 14 points as South Allegheny won, 55-47. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Class 2A

• Liam Gallagher drained six 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 22 points, pacing four players in double figures for Greensburg Central Catholic in a 66-52 win over Neshannock (22-5) at North Allegheny. A.J. Tarpley added 16 for the Centurions (25-3) to go with 12 from Samir Crosby and 10 from Brady O’Rourke, while David Kwiat led a trio of double-digit scorers for the Lancers with 13 points in the loss.

• Markus McGowen led all scorers with 21 points and Noah Sunder chipped in 19 for WPIAL champion Jeannette (25-2), helping the Jayhawks advance to the quarterfinal round with a 70-54 victory against District 6 runner-up Northern Cambria (15-13) at Greater Johnstown High School.

• After a sixth-place finish in the WPIAL tournament, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart kept its season alive with a 41-35 win against WPIAL runner-up Union (20-8) at North Allegheny. The win marked the third victory against the Scotties this season for the Chargers (21-7), who received 13 points from Tiernan McCullough and 10 from Austin Avsec.

• Ty Daniels tallied a game-high 25 points and Kade Kemp contributed 14 for Northgate in a 65-37 win against District 9 runner-up Clarion (20-8). Following a seventh-place finish in the WPIAL tournament, the Flames (17-11) will now move on to face District 4 champion Northwest for a spot in the Eastern Region final.