PIAA basketball playoffs 2026: Breaking down Karns City, North Catholic and Slippery Rock girls’ Round 2 matchups
Karns City’s defense, North Catholic’s resilience and Slippery Rock’s explosiveness have paved the way to the second round of the PIAA girls basketball tournaments.
Here’s what to know about each of their matchups and what it’ll take for all three Butler County teams to make it to the quarterfinals:
Livestream: Many games will be livestreamed on the NFHS Network ($13.99 for a monthly subscription), but some will be broadcast by local or regional media outlets. This will be updated as streaming information for each game is made available.
Tickets: According to the PIAA, tickets can be purchased for $9 in advance on hometownticketing.com and for $10 at the door
Brackets: See the latest PIAA tournament brackets for all classifications here
Site/time: Sharon HS, 6 p.m. Wednesday
Up next: Winner of 7-2 Blackhawk vs. 7-5 Belle Vernon
Trojanettes’ key player: Junior guard Lauren Reitz helped get things going in North Catholic’s first-round win. She finished with 11 points in that one, following Brady Wehner’s lead of 16.
Huskies’ key player: Senior guard Arianna Denning leads Harbor Creek with 18.0 per game. She’s the team’s engine, but the Huskies also have a trio of players that are solid from deep.
North Catholic wins if ... it gets off to a faster start than it did against Forest Hills. The Trojanettes missed on some open corner 3-points and couldn’t convert second and even third chances early on. The deeper a team goes into the state tournament, the less it can rely on correcting early errors with a surge.
Site/time: North Allegheny HS, 6 p.m., Wednesday
Up next: Winner of 3-2 Delone Catholic vs. 6-1 Penn Cambria
Rockets’ key player: Senior guard Madison Romanovich. She leads the team with 22 points per game and has added 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. The Rockets have leaned on her for much of the season, and if they are to give themselves a chance against the Eagles, they need a big game from the fifth-leading scorer in program history.
Eagles’ key player: Senior forward Josie Fontana. The 6-feet-3 University of Richmond recruit is averaging 17.5 points per game, despite playing just three quarters per game this season due to Oakland Catholic emptying its bench nearly every game in lopsided victories.
Slippery Rock wins if ... it can limit turnovers and consistently get stops with its halfcourt defense, which the Rockets have been focusing on since late in the regular season.
Site/time: Plum HS, 6 p.m. Tuesday
Up next: Winner of 7-3 Beaver Falls vs. 7-1 Shady Side Academy
Gremlins' key players: Guards Hanna Dailey and Hannah Summerville. Both scored nine points, including a combined four treys, in Friday's win over Seton LaSalle. They need to produce to take some pressure and attention away from the team's top scorer, Naomi Venesky.
Red Devils' key player: Forward Katie George. The 5-feet-10 junior is a double-double threat every time she takes the court and tallied 22 points and 16 rebounds in a District 6 semifinal win against Penns Valley. In last year's PIAA second-round win over Karns City, George scored 19 points.
KC coach Steve Andreassi lauded George's ability to not only score in the paint, but also make shots from the perimeter.
Karns City wins if ... it limits Central Cambria in transition. Part of that will be holding its own on the boards. George can take over a game, and the Gremlins can't afford to allow many second-chance points to the Red Devils.
