We enter the final week of WPIAL section play with plenty of drama still to unfold. The penultimate week of the regular season, however, was an exciting one itself with teams making their final pushes towards the postseason.
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:
Rebecca Goetz, Avonworth
Avonworth's girls team looks set to defend its Class 3A title from a year ago, currently sitting with a 17-1 overall record, including 11 straight wins.
Goetz powered the Antelopes to a trio of wins last week.
She went for 18 points in a 49-30 win over OLSH on Monday, 21 points in a 65-34 victory over Keystone Oaks on Thursday, and 19 points in a 73-41 win over Beaver Falls Saturday – topping the 1,000-point mark in her career.
Goetz, a senior, has received an offer from Slippery Rock.
Zion Moore, Belle Vernon
Moore powered Belle Vernon to a pair of wins last week, including its biggest victory of the season.
He scored 25 points to lead the Leopards to a 69-65 upset of Uniontown (the Red Raiders' first section loss of the year) on Tuesday, and followed that with a 19-point effort in a 75-56 drubbing of Laurel Highlands Friday. He also scored 34 points and made nine three-pointers in a loss to Gateway Saturday.
The Leopards are now 11-6 and 6-2 in Section 3-4A.
Moore, who went over 1,000 points this season in just his junior year, has an offer from Edinboro.
Lauren Palangio, Norwin
Norwin is once again looking like a championship contender in WPIAL Girls 6A, entering the final week of section play with a 16-3 record and the Section 1 title already secured.
Last week the Knights ran away with a couple of games thanks to the efforts of Palangio.
The 6-foot-2 senior scored 19 points in 64-47 win over Butler Monday, and 14 more points in a 49-31 runaway against rival Hempfield Thursday.
Palangio has received an offer from Division II Holy Family University.
Joe Roth, Ellwood City
One of the most unique athletes in the WPIAL, Roth is making an unconventional blend of basketball and swimming work to perfection.
A year ago, he won four medals in the WPIAL swimming championships and claimed a state title in the 100-yard backstroke. But he’s also one heck of a basketball player.
Last week, he scored 23 points in a 67-25 win over Freedom. He 23 more in a 67-31 victory over New Brighton a day later.
KDKA Radio’s high school basketball coverage continues this week. On Thursday, you can hear Moon vs Mars boys, and on Saturday you can hear Oakland Catholic vs North Catholic girls on 100.1 FM and 1020 AM KDKA Radio. Follow @KDKARadio on X (Twitter) and Instagram for updates throughout the games.