☛ WPIAL Class 6A

1. Upper St. Clair (20-6) — The Panthers enter the season No. 1 for the second consecutive season and are still looking to end their 15-year championship drought. Upper St. Clair was the runner-up to Mt. Lebanon a year ago and has four returning starters, including two all-section picks in senior guard Mia Brown (13 ppg) and senior forward Kate Robbins (13 ppg). Sophomore Rylee Kalocay is a player to watch.

2. North Allegheny (21-4) — The Tigers will go as far as Pitt recruit Jasmine Timmerson will take them. The first-team all-state guard averaged 14 points. The Tigers also have senior inside threat Eva Prenatt, who just signed with Penn State-Behrend.

3. Norwin (15-7) — Every year, the Knights are on the cusp of winning their first title since taking back-to-back crowns in 2015-16, but they’ve been just short. Norwin has a terrific 1-2 punch with senior guard Savannah Schneck and junior forward Lauren Palangio.

4. Peters Township (13-11) — The Indians dipped a bit after their 2019 WPIAL title, but they might be on the upswing. Peters Township won its first postseason game since 2019 last year when it beat Butler in the opening round of the playoffs.

5. Mt. Lebanon (27-2) — Though the Blue Devils are the defending champions, they will have a tough time replacing Post-Gazette Player of the Year Ashleigh Connor, who is now at Saint Louis. Highly successful coach Dori Oldaker also resigned. Senior guards Anna Streiff and Gina Smith should make the Blue Devils competitive.