What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 7, 2025: Game of the year in big-school boys basketball | Trib HSSN

By: Don Rebel


Monday, January 6, 2025 | 7:43 PM

A week into the new year, it’s safe to say the biggest WPIAL basketball game of 2025 — or perhaps even this season — is set to tip off Tuesday.

The top two teams in Class 6A, who a year ago both won WPIAL boys basketball championships, collide for first place in Section 2-6A when Upper St. Clair hosts Imani Christian at 7 p.m.

Both the Saints and Panthers are tied for first place with 4-0 section records.

USC is 11-1 overall and has won six games in a row since falling to Montour.

The Panthers were a perfect 3-0 at the Gil Reynolds Classic in Burlington, N.C., before the holidays and have outscored their opponents by an average of 62-38.

Imani is 6-3 overall but 5-0 against WPIAL competition and 1-3 against teams from across the east coast.

The Saints defeated Theodore Roosevelt from Washington D.C., then lost to teams from Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio.

Both teams feature one of the top talents in the area with 5-10 senior guard R.J. Sledge of Imani Christian, averaging 26.5 points per game, and 6-foot-10 senior Tyler Robbins of Upper St. Clair, who is scoring 18 points per game.

The Panthers won district Class 6A gold in 2024 while the Saints swept WPIAL and PIAA Class A championships for the second straight year in 2024, thus prompting the school to move all the way up to Class 6A in this current two year cycle.

You can watch the game Tuesday on Trib HSSN.

5 for 1 in 5A and 4A

There are plenty of big early season boys basketball matchups set with a share of first place up for grabs in five sections in both Class 5A and 4A.

• In 5A Section 1, Uniontown (4-0, 9-3) visits Gateway (3-1, 5-5) on Trib HSSN.

• In Section 2-5A, Penn Hills (4-0, 4-6) hosts Plum (2-1, 6-4).

• In Section 3-5A, South Fayette (4-0, 7-3), fresh off a big win over Baldwin, travels to Peters Township (2-1, 8-3).

• In Section 1-4A, three teams are tied for first place with Deer Lakes (4-0, 10-2), Knoch (3-0, 8-3) and North Catholic (3-0, 8-4). The two-time champion Lancers hosts the Knights.

• In Section 2-4A, a first-place tie will be broken when Avonworth (2-0, 8-1) visits Central Valley (2-0, 9-1).

Multiple 5A winners

In the eight year history of WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball, there are three schools that have won more than one title in that classification.

Laurel Highlands won 5A gold in 2020 and 2022, and the other two teams battle Tuesday in a Section 4-5A clash as Mars (6-3) visits Moon (9-2) at 7:30 p.m. in a game you can watch on Trib HSSN.

The Fightin’ Planets won back-to-back 5A crowns in 2018 and 2019 while the Tigers took home 5A gold in 2017 and this past season in 2024.

So far this season under new coach Kobe Phillippi, Mars is 2-0 and tied with Montour for first place. The Fightin’ Planets are on a five-game winning streak.

Defending champion Moon is a close second with a 2-1 section mark. The Tigers have been hot, winning five consecutive contests.

Junior guard Austen Wroblewski had led the Fightin’ Planets. He is seven points shy of 200 for the season and is averaging 21.4 points per game.

The Tigers have leaned on the one-two punch of senior swingmen Carter Tumulty and Michael Santicola, who are averaging 20 and 15.9 points per game respectively.

Tags: Imani Christian, Upper St. Clair