Class 6A
Player of the Year: Natalie Wetzel, Peters Township
At 6-foot-3 tall, Natalie Wetzel from Peters Township stood out among the competition. She averaged 17.3 points, contributing to Peters Township's most successful season since their perfect record wins in 2019. Wetzel led the Indians to win the Section 2-6A title and scored 30 points in a WPIAL quarterfinals match against Pine-Richland. Coach of the Year:
Brian Brozeski, Norwin For many years, North Allegheny dominated the WPIAL girls basketball 6A scene. However, the Knights had a great season, sweeping Section 1 rival North Allegheny in the regular season and convincingly winning the WPIAL girls basketball championship after eight years by beating the Tigers 56-41. Despite losing to Spring-Ford in the state quarterfinals, Brozeski has led Norwin to three WPIAL championships in his 13 years as head coach.
Player of the Year:
Class 5A
London Creach, Oakland Catholic Oakland Catholic experienced the impact of Creach's absence when she got injured during a district quarterfinals victory over North Hills. The Eagles, who were 24-0 at that point, lost three of their final five games. When healthy, Creach, averaging 15 points in the regular season, scored 17 points in a first-round playoff win over Penn Hills.
Coach of the Year:Bryan Bennett, South Fayette
Bryan Bennett just finished his sixth season as head coach of the South Fayette girls basketball program and has secured district gold in half of them. The Lions surprised many by winning the WPIAL Class 5A championship, beating Trinity, McKeesport, and Armstrong in the finals, 70-63. Player of the Year: Alayna Rocco, North Catholic
Rocco scored over 19 points in the regular season and 20.6 points in WPIAL playoff wins over Central Valley, Elizabeth Forward, and Blackhawk in the finals. In addition, she contributed 26 points and three steals as the Trojans repeated as WPIAL champs. Rocco will continue her academic and basketball career at Harvard this fall. Coach of the Year: Greg Huston, Blackhawk
Class 4A
Former Beaver coach Huston stepped down to enjoy watching his children play basketball. However, he pursued the Blackhawk job after Steve Lodovico's resignation, as his daughter joined the Cougars as a freshman. With abundant talent, Blackhawk overcame the loss to North Catholic in the WPIAL title game and won all five games in the PIAA playoffs to clinch elusive gold.
Player of the Year: Mallory Daly, Seton LaSalleMallory Daly, a senior at Seton LaSalle, scored the third highest number of points in the regular season with 500 points and averaged 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
Although she finished 29 points away from reaching 2,000 for her career, the Buffalo recruit became her school's all-time leading scorer.
Coach of the Year: Jonna Burke, Shady Side Academy Under Jonna Burke's leadership, Shady Side Academy ended the season with 26 wins and surprised top-seeded Avonworth in the WPIAL 3A championship game with a score of 52-45. The team made it to the PIAA quarterfinals but lost to eventual state runner-up Westmont-Hilltop, 47-41.Player of the Year: Iyanna Wade, Clairton Iyanna Wade secured her second consecutive WPIAL scoring title by averaging an incredible 40.1 points this season for Clairton. In a game against Steel Valley in late January, she scored 65 points, marking one of the highest scoring nights in district history. Wade also played a significant role in the Bears' victory over 2023 Class 2A runner-up Freedom in the 2024 playoffs, where she dropped 52 points. Coach of the Year: Chris Skatell, Greensburg Central Catholic
Class 3A
Chris Skatell, in his third year as head coach at GCC, guided the Centurions to their first WPIAL title in 17 years this season. GCC was co-champion with Serra Catholic in Section 3-2A last year, but this time they remained undefeated in the section. In the WPIAL finals, the Centurions dominated the Eagles, winning 62-41. The team also reached the state semifinals.
. The section rivals met for a third time in the WPIAL finals at The Pete, and the Centurions crushed the Eagles, 62-41. GCC reached the state semifinals Player of the Year:
Kelly Cleaver, Union
Kelly Cleaver, a senior at Union, led the team with 16 points in a district quarterfinals win over West Greene and 15 points in the semifinals victory over Riverview. In the district Class A finals at The Pete, Cleaver contributed 25 points and had seven rebounds in a 50-43 overtime win over St. Joseph, securing the Scotties their second consecutive WPIAL championship. The Millersville commit averaged 16 points per game this season.
Class 2A
Coach of the Year:
Rob Nogay, Union.
Union barely defeated St. Joseph’s in overtime in the WPIAL title game with a score of 50-43. While the Scotties' dream of winning back-to-back championships fell short, they lost in the state quarters to eventual PIAA champion Bishop Guilfoyle, 60-43.
In only his third year as head coach at GCC, Chris Skatell led the Centurions to a WPIAL title for the first time in 17 years this season. GCC finished as co-champs with Serra Catholic in Section 3-2A last year but this time went undefeated in the section. The section rivals met for a third time in the WPIAL finals at The Pete, and the Centurions crushed the Eagles, 62-41. GCC reached the state semifinals.
Class A
Player of the Year: Kelly Cleaver, Union
The senior had a team-high 16 points in a district quarterfinals win over West Greene and 15 points in the semifinals victory over Riverview. In the district Class A finals at The Pete, Cleaver scored 25 points and had seven rebounds in a 50-43 overtime win over St. Joseph, giving the Scotties their second straight WPIAL championship. The Millersville commit averaged 16 points per game this season.
Coach of the Year: Rob Nogay, Union
Union edged St. Joseph’s in overtime in the WPIAL title game, 50-43. The Scotties’ hopes for back-to-back double gold fell short, though, when they lost in the state quarters to eventual PIAA champion Bishop Guilfoyle, 60-43.
