Beside:
Sunday, January 15, 2023 | 21:54
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Blackhawk’s Andrea Kinger drives past Quaker Valley’s Oumou Thiero during the game Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Leetsdale.
One of the best rivalries in WPIAL girls basketball marks the start of another busy high school week in District 7.
Beaver visits Blackhawk in a midseason battle for first place in Section 2-4A. The two powers are a combined 21-3 through mid-January.
The undefeated Blackhawk (12-0) are atop the division with a 4-0 record. Beaver (10-3) is 3-1 in the sectional and has won two straight since suffering its only sectional loss to Quaker Valley on Jan. 5.
The game features two of the district’s top scoring juniors: the Bobcats’ Chloe List, who averages 15.7 points per game, and the Cougars’ Alena Fsett, who averages 16.1 points per game.
It’s also a showdown between the last two WPIAL Class 4A champions. Beaver won it all in 2021 and Blackhawk earned gold in 2022.
Not only is it up for first place in Sections 2-4A, but there will also be similar showdowns in Sections 1 and 3 of Class 4A on Monday.
In Section 1, North Catholic (10-3) heads to Saxonburg to take on Knoch (8-4). The Trojans are 5-0 and have a one-game lead over the Knights (4-1). Highlands share second place with Knoch at 4-1.
It’s also a meeting between the two WPIAL championship finalists from last year. North Catholic beat Freedom 48-43 to win the 3A championship and Knoch lost to Blackhawk 55-35 in the 4A final.
In 52 years of WPIAL girls basketball, the Trojans have won 21 district titles.
In Section 3-4A, Elizabeth Forward (10-4) is closing in on the midpoint of the section with a half-game lead over Belle Vernon and a one-game lead over West Mifflin (6-6).
The top-ranked Warriors host the Titans on Monday.
EF is alone in first place at 5-0 and West Mifflin is 4-1.
They are the top two scoring teams in the subsection.
Two more girls basketball sectionals are at stake on Monday, with the sole possession or share of first place.
In Section 3-2A, Greensburg Central Catholic (12-2) hosts Winchester Thurston (6-5). The Centurions are in first place with a 5-0 record and the Bears are 3-1 in section play. Serra Catholic sits between the two with a 4-1 division mark.
