It’s a new year, and with it comes high school basketball section play in the region. But before the games gain more meaning, we look back on some holiday tournament action from the last week.
This season, we will nominate four players (two boys, two girls) to the KDKA Radio Super 7 Basketball Watch List each week. At the end of the year, KDKA Radio will name one player from each WPIAL boys and girls classification, plus the Pittsburgh City League, as the prestigious KDKA Radio Super 7 Player of the Year Award winner.
Here is a look at the four players who had strong individual performances on the hardwood in Week 3 of our coverage:
Braylon Littlejohn, Butler
Butler participated in the Holiday Bash last week, and ‘bash’ is a perfect description of what Littlejohn did to the competition.
First, the junior scored 26 points in an 85-74 win over Central Florida Christian on on Tuesday. On Friday, he eclipsed that mark, dropping in 27 against Bethel Park in an 81-66 victory.
With the wins, the Golden Tornadoes have started the year 8-1, and jump into section play Tuesday at Seneca Valley.
Also a strong football player, Littlejohn has been getting college interest for his talents on the gridiron.
Oumou Thiero, Quaker Valley
Only a freshman, Thiero is already making major waves in the WPIAL basketball scene.
The younger sister of former Quaker Valley standout and KDKA Radio Super 7 Award winner Adou Thiero — now playing at Kentucky — Oumou Thiero seems to truly be following in her brother’s footsteps.
Over the holidays, she scored 15 points in the Quakers’ 38-21 win over Chartiers-Houston. She then paced Quaker Valley’s effort in their Burgettstown Tournament victory, adding 20 points to take down the host school, 47-46.
Thiero, who is 6-foot-4, had to overcome an early season ankle injury this year, but appears to be rounding into form as section play is set to begin.
Meleek Thomas, Lincoln Park
Thomas is one of the most highly recruited sophomores in the country, and has been putting up massive numbers for the Leopards this season .
On Thursday, Thomas went for 20 points, including a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left, in a 70-66 win over a talented Laurel Highlands team.
A day later, he scored 26 in a win over one of Pennsylvania’s top teams, Archbishop Wood, to cap off a title victory in the Central Valley Roundball Classic.
Thomas is rated by 247Sports as the seventh-best sophomore recruit in the country, and has several Power 6 offers already, including Pitt.
Chloe List, Beaver
List is the younger sister of Peyton List, one of the WPIAL’s top female athletes in the last decade. Chloe, however, has been making a name for herself on the hardwood in the 2022-23 season.
On Wednesday, she scored 17 points to take down Ellwood City, 47-21, in the Shenango Tournament.
She followed that up a day later with a game-high 24 point performance, dropping the host team, 46-35, in the tournament’s championship round.
The Bobcats are off to an 8-1 start, and have the second-best defense in Class 4A.
The high school basketball season continues Friday, when Pine-Richland visits North Allegheny for a boys basketball showdown. You can hear the game on 100.1 FM and 1020 AM KDKA Radio. And be sure to follow KDKA Radio’s social media accounts throughout the night for updates, photos and videos of the action.
For a more in-depth look a the WPIAL girls basketball scene, check out the first episode of One-On-One with North Catholic's Dacia Lewandowski, as she's joined by North Allegheny guard and Pitt recruit Jasmine Timmerson.