The new year is in full swing as section play begins to heat up across the high school basketball landscape. Last week, we saw teams – and a few top players – make their first impressions in 2024.
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:
Emma Paul, Armstrong
Armstrong pulled down a couple of big wins last week, and got a dazzling performance from Paul in their second victory.
On Tuesday, she scored 15 points against New Castle in a 67-29 win. But her incredible showing came Thursday, when Paul dropped a school record 45 points – including ten 3-pointers – in a 78-70 victory over Mars.
Paul, who is a standout, all-state softball player committed to Fairmont State, has helped the Riverhawks to four wins in their last five games and a 7-4 record.
Elle Snyder, Latrobe
After a slow start to the season, the wins have picked up for Latrobe with three straight victories.
Last week, Snyder led the way in a non-section and section win. First, she poured in 29 points against Penn Hills in a 54-42 win Tuesday. Snyder followed that with 23 more points against Connellsville in a 55-24 Section 3-5A win Thursday.
Snyder, a senior is committed to Division I Evansville.
Peter Kramer, Hampton
After a pair of losses in mid-December, Hampton has responded with four straight victories and some tremendous defense.
That was the case last week, when Kramer led the Talbots on both ends of the floor. He scored 16 points in a 49-41 win over another top team, Highlands, on Tuesday. He then dropped 28 more points in a 72-31 section win over Indiana Friday.
Kramer, one of the WPIAL’s top recruits in the Class of 2024, is committed to Lehigh.
Brady Mayo, Beaver
It’s three straight wins for Beaver after a 4-5 start to the season, and Mayo has been the perfect ingredient in the Bobcats’ offense.
The junior dropped in 33 points against rival Blackhawk Tuesday in a 75-58 win, and added 23 more against another Beaver County foe, Central Valley, in a 67-55 victory Friday.
Mayo is also an all-conference football player. He is scoring over 25 points per game and has received collegiate interest in both football and basketball.
KDKA Radio’s high school basketball coverage continues this week. On Tuesday, you can hear Avonworth vs Montour on 100.1 FM and 1020 AM KDKA Radio. Follow @KDKARadio on X (Twitter) and Instagram for updates throughout the games.