WPIAL boys basketball first round game recaps from Thursday, February 19th 2026:

Seneca Valley 45 Hempfield Area 44

Seneca Valley's Andrew Omasits was fouled with 1.8 seconds remaining and connected on both free throws to lift the Raiders to a 45-44 victory over Hempfield Area in a WPIAL 6A quarterfinal battle. The fifth-seeded Spartans led the majority of the game but the Raiders hit key three-pointers down the stretch to remain close. With Hempfield Area up by one point, Danny Husenits missed a pair of free throws with 6.7 seconds left in regulation setting the stage for Omasits' heroics. Husenits scored 17 points to pace the Spartans (15-8) with Lucas Simmons adding 15. Omasits ended with a team-high 13 points for No. 4 Seneca Valley (14-9) who will face top-seed Upper St. Clair in the semifinals on Monday.

Jeannette 52 Eden Christian 36

No. 1 Jeannette shrugged off a slow start finding its stride in the second quarter, beating No. 9 Eden Christian 52-36 in WPIAL 2A quarterfinals action at Fox Chapel. The Jayhawks were down 12-5 early but by the time halftime rolled around they were up on the Warriors 24-15. Jeannette closed out the game in the second half holding a 28-21 scoring advantage over the final two quarters. Jayce Powell put up 17 points for the Jayhawks while Markus McGowan added 15, including three 3-pointers. Jeannette (21-1) faces section rival Clairton, the fifth seed, on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Norwin High School. Samuel D'Ippolito and River Bartram each scored nine points to lead Eden Christian (16-7).

WPIAL boys basketball first round game recaps from Wednesday, February 18th 2026:

Quaker Valley 72 Belle Vernon 41 (4A)

No. 8 Belle Vernon fell behind 25-9 early and lost to top-seeded Quaker Valley 72-41 in a WPIAL 4A quarterfinal clash. Elijah Majors went for 12 points for the Leopards (14-10) while Zach Washington's game-high 18 points lead the Quakers (19-3). Quaker Valley will square off with No. 13 Deer Lakes in the semifinals on Saturday.

WPIAL boys basketball first round game recaps from Tuesday, February 17th 2026:

Shaler Area 65 Franklin Regional 50 (5A)   WATCH BROADCAST

No. 8 Franklin Regional lead going into the fourth quarter but went cold in the final frame, losing to the ninth-seeded Shaler Area 65-50 in a WPIAL Class 5A first round contest in Murrysville. The Panthers were ahead 45-41 through three but were outscored 24-5 in the fourth. Webber Rankin's 23 points powered Franklin Regional (13-9) while Alec Masten chipped in with 11. Jordan Epps tallied 24 points for the Titans (14-9) who advance to play No. 1 Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Thomas Jefferson 86 Greater Latrobe 79 (5A)

No. 14 Greater Latrobe gave No. 3 Thomas Jefferson a scare but ultimately the Jaguars prevailed 86-79 in a WPIAL 5A first round match up. Five players finished in double figures for the Wildcats as Sawyer Butina's 18 points lead the way. Robert Young (15), Dom Scarton (14), Andy Tatsch (12) and Ian DeCerb (11) joined Butina on the scoresheet for Greater Latrobe (10-13). Nick Trjlja racked up a game-high 27 points for Thomas Jefferson (21-2) which will play No. 6 Penn Hills on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Moon Area 45 Penn-Trafford 30 (5A)

No. 13 Penn-Trafford couldn't muster much offensively, losing at No. 4 Moon Area 45-30 in a WPIAL 5A first round clash. The Warriors trailed just 15-13 at halftime but were outscored 16-2 in the third quarter. Ethan McDonald's six points were a team-high for Penn-Trafford (11-11) while Jackson Bauman notched 20 points for the Tigers (19-3) who will face Gateway in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Southmoreland 63 Washington 58 (3A)

No. 5 Southmoreland used a big fourth quarter to pull away from No. 12 Washington and secure a 64-58 victory over the Little Prexies in a WPIAL 3A first round contest. Noah Felentzer exploded for 27 points for the Scotties who held a 22-15 scoring edge in the fourth quarter. Ty Whoric added 16 points and Brock Pritts came in with 12 for Southmoreland (15-8) which will face off against No. 13 Shady Side Academy on Friday in the quarterfinals. Tristan Reed netted 17 points for Washington (12-11).

Ligonier Valley 47 Keystone Oaks 44 (3A)

No. 11 Ligonier Valley pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the WPIAL postseason as the Rams topped No. 6 Keystone Oaks 47-44 in the first round of the WPIAL 3A playoffs. Michael Wisniewski led the way for the Rams as he produced 12 points. Greyson Daughtery tossed in 10 points. Joseph Colton finished with 14 points for the Golden Eagles (17-5). Ligonier Valley (13-10) plays No. 3 South Park in the quarterfinals on Friday.

WPIAL boys basketball first round game recaps from Monday, February 16th 2026:

Fox Chapel 52 Norwin 49 (6A)   WATCH BROADCAST

A potential game-tying three pointer by Alex Graney clanged off the back of the rim just before the buzzer and Norwin dropped a back-and-forth game to Fox Chapel 52-49 in the first round of the WPIAL 6A playoffs. The Knights began the fourth quarter on a 10-4 run, taking a 44-43 lead on a three-pointer from Nico Keteles. But the Foxes outscored Norwin 9-5 over the games final four minutes and secured the win. King Carver finished with 16 points to lead the Knights (11-12) while Mario Csukas and Alex Graney both netted 10 points. Joe McGivney collected 20 points to lead Fox Chapel (14-9) which will square off against top-seeded Upper St. Clair on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Jeannette 70 Brentwood 49 (2A)

Top-seeded Jeannette began its WPIAL title defense with a 70-49 Class 2A first round victory against No. 16 Brentwood. Four players reached double figures for the Jayhawks with Jayce Powell's 21 points leading the way for Jeannette (20-1). Also in double figures were Markuks McGowan (19), Kymon'e Brown (12) and Xavier Odorisio-Farrow (11). Xh'avier Nunez came in with a game-high 26 points for the Spartans (13-11). The Jayhawks will go up against No. 9 Eden Christian on Thursday in the quarterfinals at a site and time TBD.

Sewickley Academy 77 Greensburg Central Catholic 17 (2A)

No. 2 Sewickley Academy flexed its muscles, hammering No. 15 Greensburg Central Catholic 77-17 in a WPIAL 2A first round clash. Lucas Grimsley produced 20 points for the Panthers who will play Winchester Thurston in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Centurions finish with a 7-17 overall record.

WPIAL boys basketball first round game recaps from Friday, February 13th 2026:

Deer Lakes 57 Derry Area 46 (4A)   WATCH BROADCAST

After No. 4 Derry Area held a 27-24 advantage late in the second quarter, No. 13 Deer Lakes countered with an 8-0 run to take the lead it would never relinquish as the Lancers upset the Trojans 57-46 in a WPIAL 4A first round match up. Derry Area stayed within striking distance in the second half but trailed 43-36 through three. The Trojans were unable to overcome the deficit in the fourth quarter as Deer Lakes put the game on ice at the foul line. Stanley Rajkovich produced 23 points for Derry Area while Brayden Robinson added 13. Evan Moore's 22 points topped the Lancers who will play No. 5 Hopewell in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Belle Vernon 60 Burrell 45 (4A)   LISTEN BROADCAST

No. 8 Belle Vernon held a 20-9 scoring edge in the first quarter and went on to secure a 60-45 WPIAL 4A first round victory over ninth-seeded Burrell. A.J. Watson produced 12 points to pace the Leopards (14-9) while Cam Jenko and Luca Ghilani each put in 10 points. Ryan Wass also finished with 12 points to lead the Bucs (10-13) with Sam Conte adding 10. Belle Vernon will face top-seeded Quaker Valley on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

Hopewell 74 Greensburg Salem 49

No. 12 Greensburg Salem trailed by just seven points at halftime but was outscored 22-11 in the third quarter in a 74-49 loss at No. 5 Hopewell in the first round of the WPIAL 4A postseason. Solomon Cain tallied 13 points to power the Golden Lions (10-12) while Brody Burkholder and Ty Harkcom had 12 and 11 points respectively. Brody Rock poured in 21 points for the Vikings (15-8) who will square off with Deer Lakes in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

WPIAL boys basketball preliminary round game recaps from Thursday, February 12th 2026:

Greater Latrobe 57 Mars 46 (5A)

Ian DeCerb scored all of his 15 points in the second half to help lead Greater Latrobe to a 57-46 victory over Mars in a WPIAL Class 5A preliminary round game. The Wildcats held a slim 17-16 advantage at halftime but held a 22-12 scoring edge in the third quarter to take control of the game. Greater Latrobe connected on key free throws down the stretch as DeCerb went 6-for-8 from the foul line. Robert Young contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the 14th seeded Wildcats (10-12) who will play at No. 3 Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the first round. Nicholas Santoro put up nine points to lead the Fighting Planets (9-14).

Greensburg Central Catholic 43 Union 41 (2A)

J.T. Stawovy's steal and breakaway layup with under a minute to play lifted Greensburg Central Catholic to a 43-41 win at Union in a WPIAL Class 2A preliminary round contest and a rematch of last year's quarterfinal game in which Union upset GCC. The Centurions trailed 20-13 at halftime but outscored the Scotties 30-21 in the second half. Luke Semelka collected 14 points to pace Greensburg Central Catholic (7-16) which will take on No. 2 seed Sewickley Academy in the first round on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Landon Eckert scored a game-high 20 points for Union (9-14).