The Ellwood City boys basketball team returns to the WPIAL Playoffs as a 9-seed while the Riverside Panthers boys basketball team earned a 14-seed in the 2026 WPIAL Class 3A Championships.
Ellwood City and Riverside split their two rivalry contests during the regular season and will now each eye non-section opponents in the WPIAL Playoff opening round.
#9 Ellwood City (12-10 Overall) will travel to face #8 South Allegheny (13-8) on Tuesday, February 17th at 7 p.m. [BUY TICKETS]
South Allegheny features Trib HSSN Preseason Player of the Year, senior guard Drew Cook while Ellwood City features junior guard Kaleb Servick (18.1 PPG). The Wolverines fell in the quarterfinals of the 2025 WPIAL Class 3A playoffs to eventual champion Gladiators who are no strangers as the two collided in the 2021 WPIAL Class 3A Championship game with Ellwood City earning its first ever WPIAL Championship.
#14 Riverside (15-6) will travel to face #3 South Park (18-3) on Tuesday, February 17th at 7 p.m. [BUY TICKETS]
South Park (18-3) is led by 6’8″ center Luke Scarff and 6’4″ Cooper Hochendoner. The Wolverines knocked off South Park last year in the opening round in a game where Hochendoner finished with a game-high 18 points.
Top overall seed Mohawk (21-1) is riding a 20-game winning streak after opening the season with a 62-58 loss to Central Catholic. The Warriors are looking for their first title since 1970 and would face Ellwood City if both teams collect opening round victories.
South Allegheny is the returning Class 3A champion who earned its victory with a 37-35 victory over Aliquippa last February.
For the Lady Panthers, an impressive regular season behind a pair of Emmas earned the team another berth in the WPIAL Playoffs and a 9-seed in Class 3A.
#9 Seed Riverside (14-7 Overall) will travel to play #8 Seed Avonworth (11-11) on February 13th at Avonworth. [BUY TICKETS]
The winner will advance to play top overall seed Shady Side Academy in the quarterfinals on February 18th at a site TBA. Fellow MAC Conference foe Beaver Falls earned a #2 seed in the Class 3A Playoffs.
The Lady Panthers earned an opening round victory over Deer Lakes last year before bowing out to Shady Side Academy in the quarterfinals.
[VIEW FULL CLASS 3A GIRLS BRACKET]
The championship games will be held February 26-February 28 at the Petersen Events Center on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
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