The calendar has flipped and we get set to begin the 2024 portion of the high school basketball season this week with some exciting games on tap.
But before we get there, we take a look back at the final week of 2023, which featured a number of holiday tournaments both in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, and included some strong individual performances.
Throughout the season, KDKA Radio will put together a watch list of some of the best boys and girls basketball players in the region.
At the end of the year, the top performer from each WPIAL classification, and one member of the Pittsburgh City League, will receive the prestigious KDKA Super 7 Award.
Here are the top performers from last week:
Bradyn Foster, Highlands
Foster has been a big time player for the Golden Rams for the last couple of years now, but his senior year is shaping up to be something special.
That continued for the 6-foot-8 forward last week, as he scored 29 points and hauled in 15 rebounds in a 64-41 win over Sto-Rox at the Ambridge Tournament Friday. A day later, he and the Golden Rams won the tournament with him going for 26 points against Ambridge in a 71-59 triumph.
Foster is one of the top recruits in the region and is committed to play at Penn next season.
Meghan Murray, Hampton
From Western PA to the West Coast. Hampton picked up a trio of victories in the Golden Crown Tournament in San Diego last week, and Murray shined brightest.
She scored 22 against The Rock Academy (CA) in a 60-13 win Wednesday, a career-high 34 against Olympian (CA) in a 59-49 victory Thursday, and a 17-point, 13-rebound, 12-assist triple-double vs Southwest El Centro (CA) in a 71-14 win Friday.
Murray, a senior, is committed to play at Kent State.
Ryan Ceh, Mars
Many head to Florida in the winter for some rest and relaxation. Not Ryan Ceh.
At the Pensacola Beach Tournament, the senior scored dropped in 30 points in a 75-70 win over McNicholas (OH) on Wednesday. He followed that with 33 points – making five 3-pointers – against Pensacola Catholic (FL) in a 71-34 victory Thursday. Ceh rounded out the tournament with 26 points against Lawrence County (TN) in a 65-62 win Friday.
Ceh, a senior, has Mars at 5-4 on the season.
London Creach, Oakland Catholic
Oakland Catholic is off to a perfect 8-0 start to the season, as the girls basketball power looks to make a run at another title.
The Eagles stepped out of Western Pennsylvania and went to Baltimore for a tournament last week, and Creach proved to be one of the best players on the floor at the Governor's Challenge.
The junior went for 21 points in a 46-39 win over the Sanford School (DE) on Wednesday. She added 23 and six rebounds against Penn Charter in 60-44 triumph the following day. Creach also won the Skills Challenge at the event.
She has received Division I offers from Coppin State, Oakland and Monmouth.
KDKA Radio's high school basketball coverage continues this week. On Tuesday, you can hear Pine-Richland vs North Allegheny on 100.1 FM and 1020 AM KDKA Radio. Follow @KDKARadio on X (Twitter) and Instagram for updates throughout the games.
