WPIAL schools who made history

Mars is only the sixth high school from the WPIAL to have its boys and girls basketball teams in the PIAA championship game in the same year. The Mars boys play for a state title Tuesday in Hershey while the Mars girls play for a crown Wednesday.

The only WPIAL schools to win both boys and girls championships were Aliquippa in 1989 and Blackhawk in 1999.

Here’s a look at the schools that preceded Mars:

1989 Aliquippa

Aliquippa was the first school in PIAA history to win both the boys and girls championships. The Aliquippa boys defeat Allentown Central Catholic, 78-75, in a memorable game. Myron Walker had 34 for Aliquippa and the Quips took their first lead of the game on Sean Gilbert’s basket with 1:21 left. … In the girls championship, the one-two punch of Carrie Bordas and Mona Gaffney lead Aliquippa to a 57-47 victory against Camp Hill Trinity. Gaffney had 22 points and 18 rebounds while Bordas had 22 and 11.

1999 Blackhawk

Five Blackhawk boys players scored in double figures as the Cougars defeated Holy Ghost Prep, 66-43, to give legendary coach John Miller his fourth state title. Blackhawk sophomore point guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, who would play at Ohio State, scored nine points. … One night after John Miller won his state title, his daughter, Lisa, had a big game as the Blackhawk girls beat Montoursville, 71-54. Lisa Miller, sister of Sean and Archie, had 15 points, nine steals and eight assists.

2000 Blackhawk

A repeat is not in the cards for the Blackhawk boys team as the Cougars lose to Steelton-Highspire, 68-56. … The girls, under coach Dori Anderson, beat Montoursville in the title game for the second consecutive season, 67-52. Davison, Leah Stroehecker and Amy Brewer each scored 15 for Blackhawk.

2011 Mt. Lebanon

The Mt. Lebanon boys were a big underdog against perennial power Chester, but Mt. Lebanon almost pulled off the upset before losing in overtime, 72-60. Paul Lang, who would go on to play football at Michigan State, had 17 points and eight rebounds for Mt. Lebanon, while Luke Hagy, who would play football at Cornell, added 16. … The Mt. Lebanon girls win their third consecutive PIAA title with a 47-46 victory against Archbishop Carroll. It is the fifth WPIAL title for Dori Oldaker, who also won two at Blackhawk. Mt. Lebanon star Madison Cable, who would go on to play in Final Fours at Notre Dame, was bothered by foul trouble.

2014 Seton-LaSalle

The Seton-LaSalle boys lost a tough one to Constitution, 61-59. Seton-LaSalle’s Levi Masua had a 3-pointer bounce off the back rim just before the final buzzer. … The Seton-LaSalle girls knock off Neumann-Goretti, 5850, to hand the Saints their first loss of the year.