2023 WPIAL boys basketball playoff forecast

Class 6A

Leading scorers: Braylon Littlejohn, Butler (21.1); Adam Bilinsky, Norwin (21.0); James Wesling, Baldwin (18.0); Isiah Boice, New Castle (17.6).

Top seeds: 1. New Castle. 2. Upper St. Clair. 3. Central Catholic. 4. Mt. Lebanon.

Winner will be: New Castle. Coach Ralph Blundo has seven WPIAL titles. This team doesn’t compare to some of those championship teams, but Class 6A is not overly strong this season and New Castle has proven to be the best team when healthy (leading scorer Isiah Boice missed some time with a broken foot). The Red Hurricanes don’t have much size and guard play will be paramount to their success. Jonathan Anderson (17.4 ppg) is one of the best point guards in the WPIAL.

The scoop: This is the smallest playoff field with eight teams. That’s because this classification has only 12 teams in it. Due to the small number of teams, all playoff qualifiers go right to the quarterfinals. That means some of the teams in this classification will wait two weeks between the regular-season finale and the first playoff game. … No. 2 seed Upper St. Clair vs. Seneca Valley is an excellent first-round game. Upper St. Clair’s fortunes will depend on their 3-point efficiency. … Actually, all of the matchups in the first round (quarterfinals) have some intrigue, especially Baldwin vs. Central Catholic. Baldwin is the No. 6 seed, but don’t sleep on the Highlanders. They have three losses one point, four by two and one by three.

Class 5A

Leading scorers: Royce Parham, North Hills (29.2); Tasso Sfanos, Mars (26.0); Evan Berger, Thomas Jefferson (22.5); Elijah Hill, South Fayette (21.5); Traverse Rowe, McKeesport (20.4); Jack Dunbar, Peters Township (18.8).

Top seeds: 1. Peters Township. 2. Penn Hills. 3. North Hills. 4. Gateway.

Winner will be: Penn Hills. Many coaches in Class 5A felt Penn Hills should’ve undoubtedly been the No. 1 seed, but the WPIAL gave it to Peters Township. Penn Hills has a number of things on its side – some size, athleticism and talent. Daemar Kelly is a 6-5 guard and a Quinnipiac recruit, but point guard Noah Barren could be a big key for the Indians.

The scoop: Peters Township got the No. 1 seed after winning a section for the first time since 2009. Peters Township has won 11 in a row and is averaging 73 points a game. Look for teams to try and control the pace against the Indians. … North Hills finished first in tough Section 4, which had four teams seeded in the top eight for the playoffs. North Hills features Royce Parham, a 6-9 junior who averages 29.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3 blocks while shooting 68% from the field. … South Fayette vs. Shaler is an excellent first-round game. South Fayette lost a number of close games this season, but is riding a four-game winning streak and is a team to watch. Shaler, however, is 16-6 and allows only 46 points a game.

Class 4A

Leading scorers: Brandin Cummings, Lincoln Park (23.9); Zion Moore, Belle Vernon (23.4); Bryce Epps, South Allegheny (23.3); Meleek Thomas, Lincoln Park (23.2); Keondre DeShields, Laurel Highlands (22.8); Rowan Carmichael, Avonworth (22.5); Max Hurray, North Catholic (22.2); Rodney Gallagher, Laurel Highlands (21.0); Bradyn Foster, Highlands (20.7).

Top seeds: 1. Lincoln Park. 2. Laurel Highlands. 3. Uniontown. 4. Hampton.

Winner will be: Lincoln Park. The Leopards are 21-1, have played a tough schedule and guards Meleek Thomas and Brandin Cummings make for one of the best one-two punches in Western Pa. Cummings has committed to Pitt and Thomas is ranked the No. 7 sophomore in the country by Rivals.com.

The scoop: While Lincoln Park deserves to be the favorite, this classification and 5A are the best in the WPIAL, as far as depth of quality teams. Laurel Highlands won two of the past three WPIAL Class 5A titles before dropping to 4A. As far as potent one-two punches, Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher and Keondre DeShields are on about the same level as Cummings and Thomas. … Highlands is a sleeper team. The Rams are 19-3, with two losses to Hampton. … Quaker Valley and South Allegheny tied for a section championship, but were seeded No. 7 and 8, respectively. … Guard play makes North Catholic a team to watch. The Trojans defeated Central Catholic, 66-45, on Saturday.

Class 3A

Leading scorers: Makhai Valentine, Steel Valley (36.6); Joseph Roth, Ellwood City (29.7); Connor Spratt, Seton LaSalle (27.1); Brady Mayo, Beaver (26.4); Terek Crosby, Yough (21.7); Macky Bennis, Burrell (20.9).

Top seeds: 1. Steel Valley. 2. Neshannock. 3. Shady Side Academy. 4. Mohawk.

Winner will be: Steel Valley. The Ironmen are 12-9, but are deserving of the No. 1 seed. Leading scorer Makhai Valentine missed a few games early in the season because of football and a few other players missed more games while recovering from a long football season. But Steel Valley be without its coach for the playoffs. The school suspended Dale Chapman for the remainder of the season because of a concussion issue with Valentine during a game Feb. 2.

The scoop: Neshannock and Mohawk tied for a section championship. Although Neshannock is 15-5 and Mohawk 19-2, the WPIAL gave Neshannock the higher seed. Both could make noise in the playoffs. … Shady Side Academy tied Deer Lakes for a section title. Shady Side has been playing for a few weeks without second-leading scorer Ethan Salvia, who is out with a knee injury. … Our Lady of the Sacred Heart has won four championships in a row and is trying to become only the second team in WPIAL history to win five in a row. … Watch for Seton LaSalle, which is 9-2 since Connor Spratt returned from an injured wrist.

Class 2A

Leading scorers: Shea Champine, Bishop Canevin (30.4); Lando Urcho, Bentworth (24.9); Owen Norman, Fort Cherry (24.3); Tyree Turner, Greensburg Central Catholic (21.7); Benjamin Mayhew, Propel Braddock Hills (19.7); Brody McQuiston, Shenango (19.6); Josh Williams, Northgate (19.5); Steve Goetz, Northgate (19.1).

Top seeds: 1. Aliquippa. 2. Bishop Canevin. 3. Fort Cherry. 4. Greensburg Central Catholic.

Winner will be: Aliquippa. Most of Aliquippa’s players are back from last year’s team that lost in the PIAA final. Outside shooting could be key.

The scoop: Can first-year Bishop Canevin coach Tim McConnell win a title with a third different team? He won six with the Chartiers Valley boys and three with the Chartiers Valley girls before coming to Bishop Canevin. Bishop Canevin needs big efforts from Champine, but a key might be how the “others” perform.… Fort Cherry was a WPIAL finalist a year ago and is good enough to get back to the final. The Rangers won a section title for the second consecutive year for the first time since they won four in a row from 1960-63.

Class 1A

Leading scorers: Vinnie Cugini, Aquinas Academy (43.3); Jaydis Kennedy, Geibel (26.7); Levi Gray, Western Beaver (24.3); Lorenzo Gardner, Monessen (21.8); Landan Stevenson, Mapletown (19.1); John Wilkins, Neighborhood Academy (19.1).

Top seeds: 1. Imani Christian. 2. Union. 3. Carlynton. 4. Geibel.

Winner will be: Imani Christian. The Saints are loaded with talent and size, including 6-8 Virgil Hall and 6-10 Alier Maluk. But guard play always is important come playoff time and will be key if Imani is to win it all. Many thought Imani had a chance to win it all last year, but lost in the semifinals to Union. Many of the top players returned for Imani and they added few top players who transferred.

The scoop: After knocking off Imani last year in the semifinals, Union lost in the title game to Bishop Canevin. All starters return from that Union team, but the Scotties have been without one of those starters all season. Mark Stanley, son of coach Mark Stanley, had knee surgery before the season and has not played. But he might be back for the playoffs. He has two brothers, Luke and Matt, on the team. Matt averages 17 points a game. ... Carlynton is a team to watch. The Cougars have six losses, but four are to teams in higher classifications and two others to Union (by two and three points). ... Aquinas Academy got the No. 7 seed. Aquinas has the WPIAL’s all-time leading scorer in Vinnie Cugini, who has more than 3,000 points.