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Previewing the PIAA boys' basketball state championship games

ethan morrison, special to the times
·5 min read

Three Beaver County teams will fight for PIAA Gold this upcoming weekend in Hershey with two boys' teams that are fighting for a state championship over the next few days.

Here’s a breakdown of the two boys' basketball teams vying for another shot at a state championship.

Lincoln Park’s Meleek Thomas dunks the ball during Friday’s PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game against North Catholic at Fox Chapel High School.
Lincoln Park’s Meleek Thomas dunks the ball during Friday’s PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game against North Catholic at Fox Chapel High School.

PIAA Class 4A Championship 

Teams: Lincoln Park Vs. Archbishop Carroll (District 12)

Defending Champion: Lincoln Park def. Neumann-Goretti 62-58 in the 2023 4A PIAA Championship game.

Facts & Figures: For the second consecutive season, Lincoln Park is headed back to the PIAA Championship game after a dominant season featuring two of the top talents in the WPIAL and in the state of Pennsylvania.

Throughout the season, the Leopards have been led by senior guard Brandin Cummings and junior guard Meleek Thomas.

Cummings, the University of Pittsburgh commit, has played a key role in the team’s title defense to Hershey as he came up big on multiple occasions for the past two weeks in the state playoffs.

Brandin Cummings (3) takes a shot from beyond the arc during Lincoln Park's second round PIAA Playoff matchup against Uniontown Tuesday night at Canon McMillan High School.
Brandin Cummings (3) takes a shot from beyond the arc during Lincoln Park's second round PIAA Playoff matchup against Uniontown Tuesday night at Canon McMillan High School.

The guard eclipsed 30 points twice in the state playoff rounds including an astounding 34-point effort in his team’s comeback victory over Uniontown in the team’s second-round matchup.

Lincoln Park has yet to play a team outside of District Seven in the PIAA playoffs with all matchups coming against local Pittsburgh area opponents.

The Leopards defeated Montour 73-56 in the first round followed by a tight comeback victory over Uniontown defeating the Red Raiders, 66-62. Following the second-round victory, Lincoln Park defeated North Catholic 89-74 before blowing out Hampton in a WPIAL Championship rematch.

Even though the Leopards have played solely WPIAL teams in the state championships, they do have experience with teams outside of their district.

Lincoln Park opened its season against Devon Prep (Class 3A, District 12) before playing a slew of local games and then traveling out to Portland, Oregon to play in a tournament consisting of west coast schools.

Lincoln Park assistant coach Ryan Noahe (right) celebrates the win with an emotional Brandin Cummings (left) after the Leopards defeated Neumann Goretti 62-58 in the PIAA 4A Championship game Thursday night at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA.
Lincoln Park assistant coach Ryan Noahe (right) celebrates the win with an emotional Brandin Cummings (left) after the Leopards defeated Neumann Goretti 62-58 in the PIAA 4A Championship game Thursday night at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA.

The team also participated in the Burger King Classic up in Erie, Pa. in January facing off against Niagara Falls and the team that it faced in the PIAA Championship last season in Neumann-Goretti.

Lincoln Park will face Archbishop Carroll Thursday night, which comes out of District 12. The Patriots come into this game after defeating Scranton Prep in the PIAA semifinals and are the third-seeded team coming out of a stacked District 12 which features last year’s PIAA runner-up Neumann-Goretti.

The Leopards are making their seventh trip to the state championship game and are in search of their fourth state title on Thursday night.

Brandon Banks (1) passes the ball on the baseline while being guarded by Redbank Valley's Breckin Minich (0) during Aliquippa's PIAA quarterfinal matchup against Redbank Valley Saturday afternoon at Morrow Field House.
Brandon Banks (1) passes the ball on the baseline while being guarded by Redbank Valley's Breckin Minich (0) during Aliquippa's PIAA quarterfinal matchup against Redbank Valley Saturday afternoon at Morrow Field House.

PIAA 2A Championship

Teams: Aliquippa Vs. Holy Cross (District 2)

Defending Champion: Lancaster Mennonite def. Aliquippa 60-44 in the 2023 PIAA Class 2A Championship game.

Facts and Figures: The Quips look to get over the hump in the state championship game this season after falling in each of the last two state championship games in Class 2A along with the Class 3A PIAA Championship back during the 2022 season.

Aliquippa has put together one of the more impressive athletic calendar year's in recent memory as several student-athletes on the team look to capture a state championship in both football and basketball.

Even with no recovery time after the Quips 4A football championship game win over Dallas back in December, Aliquippa played some of the top competition in the WPIAL top classifications in the early part of the season.

Playing against the top competition in the WPIAL and teams across the state helped the team later on in the season.

Aliquippa seniors Brandon Banks, Jayace Williams, Cameron Lindsey, Demarkus Walker and Quentin Goode reenter the game near the end senior night during the Quips game against Shenango. The Quips won the game 71-31.
Aliquippa seniors Brandon Banks, Jayace Williams, Cameron Lindsey, Demarkus Walker and Quentin Goode reenter the game near the end senior night during the Quips game against Shenango. The Quips won the game 71-31.

The Quips have rolled through the state playoffs thus far defeating each of their opponents by double digits as they defeated Otto-Eldred 56-27, Eisenhower 79-47 in the second round, Redbank Valley 68-44 before defeating Fort Cherry this past Tuesday 65-53 in the PIAA semifinals.

Josh Pratt joined the Aliquippa program this past season after playing his freshman year with Lincoln Park.

The sophomore has been a welcomed addition to the rotation as he has been a dominant force from beyond the arc averaging 19 points per game throughout the season.

Along with the play from Pratt, Qa’lil Goode, another sophomore has been a strong defender as a guard during the PIAA playoffs coming up with a multitude of blocks and gusty play on the defensive end.

Aliquippa’s bread and butter is the team’s transition game as its defense is one of the best in district seven and it has disrupted the opposing team’s offenses all season long.

The Aliquippa Quips celebrate their Class 2A WPIAL championship win over Greensburg Central Catholic, Saturday at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.
The Aliquippa Quips celebrate their Class 2A WPIAL championship win over Greensburg Central Catholic, Saturday at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.

Even though the Quips have had a dominant run in the PIAA playoffs, Aliquippa has struggled out of the gates in three of the last four contests as the offense has struggled early to get into rhythm. It will be key for the Quips to get out to a hot start Friday afternoon if they want to capture their first PIAA championship since the 2015-16 season.

Aliquippa faces off against Holy Cross who hails from District Two and has had a similar dominant path to the state title game.

The Crusaders come into Friday’s title game after rolling through their competition in the top half of the Class 2A bracket.

Holy Cross put on defensive masterclasses in each of its games over the past two weeks.

Throughout the PIAA playoffs, Holy Cross has only allowed 44 points per game. It tipped off the first round, the Crusaders defeated Schuylkill Haven 70-35, Claysburg Kimmel 72-24, Dock Mennonite 62-52, before defeating Constitution 78-66.

The Crusaders will look for just their second state championship in school history and first since the 2013-14 season. As for Aliquippa, it will look to capture its eighth state championship in program history.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Previewing the PIAA boys' basketball state championship games