Section rematches began this week throughout Western Pennsylvania, as playoff races kicked into full gear with just a couple of weeks of regular season action remaining.
This season, KDKA Radio will again nominate players each week to join the KDKA Radio Super 7 Awards watch list. Every Monday, a new crop of players will be unveiled based on their efforts that previous week. At the end of the year, KDKA Radio will announce the winners of the award for each WPIAL boys and girls classification, as well as the Pittsburgh City League.
Here are the top performances from Week 7:
Kai Cox, New Castle
New Castle had an unblemished week, continuing its unbeaten season through its first 14 games.
Kai Cox has been a massive driving force.
The sophomore posted games with 17, 21 and 24 points, grabbing wins over North Allegheny, North Hills and Lincoln Park.
Cox, who broke onto the scene as a freshman last year, is also a strong football player already receiving Division I interest and offers.
Erica Gribble, Greensburg Central Catholic
Erica Gribble has been the mark of scoring consistency during her four years in high school.
Last week, Gribble was once again consistent, scoring 27 points in wins over Deer Lakes and Steel Valley.
Against Deer Lakes, the dynamic scorer went over the 2,000-point mark in her career.
Gribble, whose sisters Alayna and Olivia both played Division I basketball, is committed to Richmond.
Stanley Rajkovich, Derry
Following a narrow loss to Deer Lakes on January 9, Derry was in need of a bounce back week.
They got it last week, beating Elizabeth Forward, 72-66, and East Allegheny, 53-35.
Rajkovich produced a pair of 24-point efforts in the wins to move the Trojans to 10-6 this season.
The 6-foot-7 junior combo guard/wing is receiving Division I college interest.
Riley Stephans, Plum
Plum closed out its week on a five-game winning streak, with Stephan dominating on the court in consecutive games.
The senior went for 26 and 29 points in section wins over Fox Chapel (64-49) and rival Franklin Regional (63-45).
Stephans is scoring over 18 points per game this year for the Mustangs, who are now 11-3 overall and 6-1 in Section 1-5A.
KDKA Radio’s coverage of high school basketball continues this Friday as Seton LaSalle visits South Park. Listen to the game on 100.1 FM, AM-1020 or the Audacy app.