Kehler On Hoops: PIAA-3A Boys’ Tournament Preview
Written by: Andy Herr on March 4, 2025
David Kehler, All-State voter and contributor to LLHoops.com, checks in to give us his preview of the upcoming 3A bracket which begins this weekend and will end with 3A’s state championship game, slated for a 2pm tip at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday, March 29th. Enjoy
PIAA State Championship Tournament Preview
This is the third in a series of six articles on this website previewing this season’s PIAA state championship tournament. The first two articles previewed Class 1A and Class 2A and can be found elsewhere in the Kehler on Hoops section of this website. For an overview of the entire tournament, please see the first article in this series.
CLASS 3A
Lancaster Mennonite is the only Lancaster-Lebanon League team to qualify for the Class 3A state championship tournament, and Mennonite is a live contender for the state title. Mennonite plays, by far, the strongest non-conference schedule of L-L League teams, and this season they defeated three District 1 Class 6A teams—traditional power Chester, Haverford, and West Chester Henderson. They also had narrow non-conference losses to Dock Mennonite and to Linville Hill Christian, both of whom are in other classes in the state championship tournament. Mennonite lost to Trinity in the District 3 title game. Mennonite’s first round opponent is Lansdale Catholic, a team with a losing record, but a member of the top high school basketball loop in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Catholic League. Assuming that Mennonite defeats Lansdale Catholic, the second-round opponent would likely be District 11 champion Catasauqua, which has a 16-10 record. Mennonite would be the favorite in that matchup. So, it’s reasonable to project that Mennonite will advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Holy Cross or Mahanoy Area could be the opponent at that point.
Lancaster Mennonite is in the eastern bracket, as is another leading contender, West Catholic. West Catholic has a 9-14 record, but that is deceiving. They are a member of the Philadelphia Catholic League, which means that they play one of the most challenging schedules in Pennsylvania. Quick and aggressive, West Catholic has wins over Reading, Archbishop Carroll, Archbishop Ryan, Cardinal O’Hara, and a good Baltimore City College team. They were defeated twice by Neumann-Goretti by identical 77-73 scores.
Other leading teams in the eastern bracket are Riverside and Holy Cross, both from District 2. Riverside and Holy Cross have played each other four times this season, with each team winning twice. Riverside is 23-2 and the District 2 champ. Holy Cross has solid wins over Scranton Prep, Old Forge, and District 1 Class 5A runner-up Holy Ghost Prep. Holy Cross is 22-4. Rivals Minersville and Mahanoy Area, from District 11, are also in the eastern bracket. Mahanoy Area, which has two outstanding outside shooters, won their first 17 games before falling to Minersville, whom they had previously defeated. Mahanoy Area has slumped a bit down the stretch, losing three of their last four, including twice to Pottsville Area. Minersville has won nine of their last 11 games.
District 3 champion Trinity is in the western bracket. Very well coached and with a favorable draw, they are a main championship contender. Their 66-54 win over Mennonite in the District 3 title game was convincing. Trinity is the Mid-Penn Capital Division champion and has impressive wins over Shamokin Area, Big Spring, and York Suburban. They have won eight of their last 10 games.
Aliquippa is also in the western bracket. Last season, Aliquippa defeated Holy Cross in the Class 2A state championship game, and both of them have been reclassified to 3A in 2024-25. Aliquippa was 20-5 this season. Perennially, one of the top high school sports powers in Pennsylvania, Aliquippa has won 14 District 7 basketball championships over the years. This season, however, they were defeated in the last seconds of the District 7 title game by South Allegheny. Aliquippa’s other losses were to Class 6A New Castle, at Class 4A Cathedral Prep, and to two Ohio teams. Aliquippa is averaging 71 points per game this season, while holding opponents to an average of just 39 points per game. South Allegheny is 23-3 and averaging 68 points per game while surrendering an average of 47 points per game. They have major wins over District 7 Class 4A champ Belle Vernon Area and over Avonworth, which finished third in the District 7 Class 4A tournament.
Bishop Guilfoyle, from Altoona, is also in the western bracket. After three consecutive losses in late December, Guilfoyle won 17 games in a row until losing to Forest Hills in the District 6 championship game. Guilfoyle defeated visiting Trinity 66-63 and they are the only team to beat superb Class 5A Greater Johnstown this season. The way that the brackets are structured, Guilfoyle and Trinity are likely to meet again in the state tournament quarterfinals. Forest Hills, the District 6 champion, is 23-2 and has won 11 of their last 12.
Top teams: Lancaster Mennonite, West Catholic, Riverside, Holy Cross, Minersville, Trinity, Bishop Guilfoyle, South Allegheny, Aliquippa, and Forest Hills.
Dark horse: Mahanoy Area.
Projected final four: West Catholic, Lancaster Mennonite, Trinity, and Aliquippa.
Projected championship game: West Catholic over Aliquippa.
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