PIAA Class 3A State Championship Tournament Preview (Kehler On Hoops)
Written by: Andy Herr on March 3, 2026
Article by David Kehler
This is the third in a series of tournament previews. The tourney brackets are posted and updated at piaa.org.
The PIAA state championship tournament begins on Friday and concludes on Saturday, March 21. Champions will be crowned in six classifications which are largely enrollment based. Class 1A includes the smallest schools, and Class 6A the largest. Seeding is not power ranked. Just for fun, and to spark discussion, here are some predictions.
Two Lancaster-Lebanon League teams—Lancaster Mennonite and Lancaster Catholic—qualified for the Class 3A state championship tournament. They are among a field of 32 squads vying for the 3A title. Both of the local entries are in the eastern half of the Class 3A bracket.
In the first round of the tournament, Lancaster Catholic will play defending Class 3A state champion West Catholic in a game at West Philadelphia High School on Saturday afternoon. West Catholic is a member of the top high school basketball loop in the state, the Philadelphia Catholic League. West Catholic is 11-11 overall this season and 5-8 in league games. They have some important wins, including a 63-61 victory over District 1 Class 6A champion Plymouth-Whitemarsh and a 47-40 triumph on a neutral floor over Brooklyn power South Shore. On February 5, they lost by just five points to eventual Philadelphia Catholic League champion Father Judge. However, this year’s edition of West Catholic is significantly changed from last season’s state championship squad. Importantly, they have a new coach this season, and Jayvon Byrd, who was a 1st team All-State selection last season transferred to Cristo Rey, a non-PIAA school located in Philadelphia. Nonetheless, this is a very difficult matchup for Lancaster Catholic, as West Catholic has formidable 6’ 7” Kingston Wheatley, a multi-year starter who was a 2nd team All-State selection last season and is committed to play in college at Florida Gulf Coast.
The view from here is that Lancaster Mennonite will make a deep run in the tournament. Mennonite won the Lancaster-Lebanon League championship, and they played a non-conference schedule designed to prepare the team to contend for the state title. This season, Mennonite defeated two Philadelphia Catholic League teams, Cardinal O’Hara and defending Class 4A state champion Devon Prep. They also beat high octane and pressing Chester at the Clippers’ raucous gym and Unionville, a well-coached team that runs a version of the Princeton offense. By facing teams that have differing styles of play and scheduling challenging road games, well-coached Mennonite is battle tested.
Mennonite’s drive for the state title begins at home on Saturday at 1 pm versus Lansdale Catholic, a member of the Philadelphia Catholic League. Lansdale Catholic is 8-15 this season, but that record is deceptive. They won convincingly at Souderton Area, a Class 6A team that is in the state championship tournament, defeated Devon Prep, and topped York Country Day. They lost by just a point to District 1 Class 4A champion Pope John Paul II and by only four points to Reading. Still, Mennonite should advance to the second round.
In the second round, Mennonite’s likely opponent would be Notre Dame-Green Pond, from Easton, the District 11 champion unbeaten in conference play with 24-3 record. ND-GP has not fared well versus top flight competition, losing by 17 to Pocono Mountain West and by 39 to Pope John Paul II. They do have wins over teams in the state championship tournament: Class 5A Frankford and Class 3A Catasauqua. However, they also lost once to Catasauqua. The view from here is that Mennonite should defeat Notre Dame-Green Pond and advance to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Mennonite would likely play either Dunmore or Warrior Run. District 4 champion Warrior Run is 23-2 and was undefeated in league play. Their only losses were by six points to District 4 Class 4A champion Lewisburg Area and by two points in double overtime on a neutral floor to an excellent Carver Engineering & Science squad from the Philadelphia Public League. Warrior run has a veteran, cohesive team with a balanced attack. Their outstanding player is 6’ 8” senior Aiden McKee, a very good defender and rebounder.
Dunmore is 21-4 and is the only team to defeat Riverside this season, although Riverside won a return match. Dunmore is talented but somewhat inconsistent, having lost by 10 points at Old Forge in mid-February. Either Warrior Run or Dunmore would be stiff opposition for Lancaster Mennonite.
Riverside, also in the eastern bracket, is District 2 champion with a 23-1 record. Riverside has one of the most outstanding players in Pennsylvania in sophomore Nico Antoniacci, who was a 1st team All-State selection last season. He’s already a 1000+ points career scorer and has offers from Marquette, Syracuse, Penn State, and Manhattan.
There are also strong teams in the western bracket. District 3 champion Trinity once again has a terrific team. They are 20-2 and have two wins over Lancaster Mennonite. With a high-octane offense that averages over 71 points per game and sensational coaching, they are a main contender for the 3A state title.
Aliquippa is also in the western bracket. Despite losing last season’s Class 3A player of the year, Josh Pratt, to the transfer portal, Aliquippa has a superb team. They beat South Allegheny 65-54 for the District 7 championship in a game that was not as close as the final score suggests. In earlier rounds of the district tournament, Aliquippa defeated South Park by 22, Seton-LaSalle by 17, and Sto-Rox by 20. Several of the Aliquippa hoopers also play football, so it took some time for the basketball team to coalesce this season, as the football team advanced to the semifinals of the state championship tourney. 6’ senior Qualil Goode, who also plays football, has been sensational down the stretch. Pressing, athletic Aliquippa is likely to meet Trinity in what promises to be an exceptional quarterfinal.
One other team in the western bracket is a notable title threat: District 6 champion and perennial power Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, from Altoona. Guilfoyle, 23-4, defeated Forest Hills, also 23-4, in the district title game after falling to that rival on Valentine’s Day in the league championship game. Bishop Guilfoyle is cohesive and disciplined, and they have multiple outside shooters. Forest Hills has an excellent player in 6’ 5” junior Dylan Stohan, who was a 2nd team All-State selection last season.
Top teams: Lancaster Mennonite, Riverside, Trinity, Aliquippa, Bishop Guilfoyle, Warrior Run, and Dunmore
Dark horse: Forest Hills
Projected final four: Riverside, Lancaster Mennonite, Aliquippa, Bishop Guilfoyle
Projected championship game: Aliquippa over Riverside
On X (formerly Twitter): @david_kehler
LLhoops.com contributor David Kehler chairs the Pennsylvania Sportswriters’ selection of the boys All-State basketball teams.
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
