WPIAL girls basketball playoff capsules

Class AAAA
Top seeds: 1. Oakland Catholic, 2. Mt. Lebanon, 3. Gateway, 4. Penn-Trafford
Defending champion: Shaler
Players to watch: Sarah Grippi (Peters Township), Destiny Brown (Gateway), Alexis Aiken (North Allegheny), Bobbi Baker (Oakland Catholic), Liz Tommasi (Mt. Lebanon), Makenzie Zidek (Kiski Area)
Sleeper: Bethel Park
"Upset" alert: Bethel Park over North Allegheny
Noteworthy: Before a win at Fox Chapel Monday, Peters Township had lost three consecutive and four of five. ... Gateway's Brown is one of the nation's top recruits, and she has signed with No. 1 Baylor. ... Bethel Park is the No. 9 seed, so not much of an "upset" pick over No. 8 North Allegheny. Both teams are capable of giving Oakland Catholic a competitive game in the quarterfinals. ... Aiken is the daughter of former Pitt point guard Curtis Aiken.
Championship: Mt. Lebanon over Penn-Trafford

Class AAA
Top seeds: 1. Hopewell, 2. South Park, 3. Blackhawk, 4. Chartiers Valley
Defending champion: Blackhawk
Players to watch: Erika Ford (South Fayette), Morgan Kurtz (Trinity), Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (Hopewell), Shelby Lindsay (South Park), Ciara Patterson (West Mifflin), Chassidy Omogrosso (Blackhawk)
Sleeper: Mt. Pleasant
"Upset" alert: Kittanning over West Mifflin
Noteworthy: Trinity is in the playoffs for the first time in seven years. The Hillers competed in Class AAA at the time. ... South Fayette is an intriguing team. In Ford, the Lions have one of the top players in the class, and they're becoming postseason regulars for head coach Matt Bacco. ... New Castle, the 11th seed, was on pace to be one of the top two seeds before a season-ending knee injury to Kaylynn Waters, who was averaging 25.4 points per game.
Championship: South Park over Hopewell

Class AA
Top seeds: 1. Seton-La Salle, 2. Bishop Canevin, 3. Jeannette, 4. Deer Lakes
Defending champion: Seton-La Salle
Players to watch: Anna Shashura (Beth-Center), Mya Williams (Washington), Jessica Dorazio (Bentworth), Shannon Flament (Charleroi), Angela Heintz (Seton-La Salle), Naje Gibson (Seton-La Salle), Erin Waskowiak (Bishop Canevin), Ciara Gregory (Jeannette), Lauren Mayernik (Avonworth)
Sleeper: Burrell
"Upset" alert:  Washington over Mohawk
Noteworthy: Seton-La Salle is probably the WPIAL's best team, regardless of classification. The rebels are coached by Dennis Squeglia, former coach at Peters Township ... If Beth-Center beats OLSH, the Bulldogs will draw SLS. Two years ago, B-C drew Jeannette in a preliminary round game and lost in the last minute. Jeannette went on to win the WPIAL. ... Washington struggles offensively against better teams, but the Prexies defense and a difficult non-section schedule could pay off. ... Bentworth has never received a bye before, and it even surprised head coach Stacy Skerbetz. The Bearcats will need a big game from Dorazio to get past Avonworth next week. ... Charleroi is hoping common opponents mean nothing. The Cougars recently lost by 20 points to McGuffey, which lost to Burrell at home earlier this season. Charleroi plays Burrell Friday night.
Championship: Seton-La Salle over Riverside

Class A
Top seeds: 1. North Catholic, 2. Vincentian Academy, 3. Fort Cherry, 4. Monessen
Defending champion: North Catholic
Players to watch: Olivia English (Avella), Cheyenne Miller (West Greene), Morgan Berardi (Carmichaels), Mariah Ward (Monessen), Beka Bellhy (Fort Cherry), Ashley Balzer (Chartiers-Houston), Mary Andrejko (Riverview), Lauren Wolosik (North Catholic), Brenna Wise (Vincentian)
Sleeper: Riverview
"Upset" alert:  Riverview over Quigley Catholic
Noteworthy: Fort Cherry is 21-1 against a rugged schedule, but the Rangers have rarely fielded a healthy lineup. The Rangers are hoping to get forward Rachel Bellhy back for the postseason. Bellhy hasn't played since a loss to North Catholic. ... In Ward and Geena Shrader, Monessen has a dynamic one-two punch when Shrader is assertive offensively. ... Chartiers-Houston and Carmichaels both have plenty to prove. The Bucs are seeded 7th and the Mikes 8th. Both are 17-5 with two losses to Fort Cherry among the setbacks.
Championship: Fort Cherry over North Catholic