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Wednesday, December 20, 2023 | 10:30pm
The top-ranked team in Class 5A girls basketball will take on the second-place team in Class 6A in one of the top non-sectional girls basketball games Thursday when McKeesport visits Norwin.
Both teams had strong seasons a year ago and have continued to do well this season.
Norwin lost to North Allegheny in the WPIAL 6A semifinals a year ago and then to Cedar Cliff in the PIAA Final Four.
Last season, McKeesport also lost in the district semifinals and state quarterfinals, both to Oakland Catholic.
The Knights are 6-1 this year and have won four straight since losing to District 3 powerhouse Spring-Ford.
The Tigers have a perfect 5-0 record this season and are coming off their most lopsided win, a 26-point win over Latrobe.
Norwin’s McKeesport tips off at 7:30 p.m.
new rivalry
Five years ago, the Bishop Canevin girls basketball team was on the verge of winning its fourth straight WPIAL championship.
The Crusaders were the top seed in the 2019 Class 2A playoffs, defeating Ellis School by 20 points after a first-round bye.
BC faced No. 4 seed Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the semifinals in Peters Township.
The Crusaders took a 10-1 lead in the first quarter before the Chargers battled back for a surprise 51-45 victory.
It was the first time since 2015 that Bishop Kanevin was eliminated in the district playoffs.
OLSH defeated Brentwood 50-48 in the final, earning the school’s only girls basketball crown.
Two Catholic school basketball powerhouses will meet again in a non-sectional contest on Thursday, with the Chargers taking on the Crusaders.
OLSH is 4-2 overall, with a loss to defending Class A champion Union.
Bishop Canevin struggled early with a 2-5 record and has lost its last three games in a row.
enjoy success
Two WPIAL men’s basketball teams have a chance Thursday to match or exceed their win totals from the grueling 2022-2023 season.
Albert Gallatin, which was a favorite a few years ago, didn’t win a section game last year and finished with an overall record of 3 wins and 15 losses.
The Colonials already have wins over Beth Center, Ringgold and Brentwood this year, and will improve to 4-2 when they host Carrick.
Waynesburg went 3-19 last season. The Raiders have lost five games this season, but have wins against Carmichaels and Beth Center.
They hope to match last year’s win total with a win in California. The Trojans are looking for their first win of the season.