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Summary
District 7 (Western PA) finals at Pitt's home arena. The path to PIAA states starts here for everyone west of Altoona. Belle Vernon (4A), Chartiers Valley (5A) and Jeannette won 2025 boys titles. Allderdice has rolled the parallel City League four straight years — they don't enter WPIAL.
What makes this tournament distinct
Petersen Events Center venue gives it the feel of a college tournament. The split between WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League means Western PA crowns two separate boys champions before states.
Who it fits
Best for: WPIAL section winners across 6 classes.
Tradeoffs: Pittsburgh City League schools (Allderdice, Obama Academy) play their own championship and don't appear here. KDKA radio is the only consistent broadcast for some classes.
Pennsylvania Independent Schools state-tournament for prep schools that don't compete in PIAA — Hill, Westtown, Perkiomen, Phelps, Episcopal Academy, Penn Charter. Perkiomen beat Westtown in the 2024 boys final 71-64. Westtown girls have a 5-year title streak.
League bracket among the Philadelphia archdiocesan schools, finals at The Palestra. Roman Catholic, Neumann-Goretti, Father Judge, Archbishop Wood and Carroll have rotated the trophy in recent years. Roman ran a three-peat into 2024-25; St. Joe's Prep was top seed in 2025 looking for first title since 2004. The PCL champion typically rolls to the PIAA 6A title soon after.
Pittsburgh Public Schools play their own championship instead of WPIAL. Allderdice has won five straight (2021-2025), most recently beating Obama Academy 59-53 in February 2025. Champions go straight to PIAA states. Smaller field but consistently produces a state-quality team in 5A or 6A.
Birmingham, Alabama — all seven classifications, boys and girls, play semifinals and finals at Legacy Arena at the BJCC over a single week (February 24 through March 1 in 2025). Alabama was the first state to consolidate the championship into one venue this way. Hoover went 35-0 to take its third straight 7A title.
Indiana's girls' state series. Four classes, single-elimination through Sectionals, Regionals, and Semi-States to State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Runs about a week ahead of the boys' bracket each season.
Maine's three-venue model: Northern regionals at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Southern regionals at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, then state finals at the Augusta Civic Center. The Augusta Civic Center is part of Maine's basketball identity — 'Tourney Time' is one of the better-attended state tournaments in the country relative to population.
Clinton, Mississippi — the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (formerly MAIS / MPSA) crowns its overall basketball champions at Mississippi College. The 2025 tournament ran February 17-18 and 24-26. Jackson Prep took the boys overall over Jackson Academy 53-51; Parklane Academy beat MRA for the girls title 45-42.
Mississippi public-school state finals at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Seven classifications played over multiple days — Germantown took 7A boys 69-52 over Madison Central in 2025; Coffeeville won 1A; Booneville and Canton claimed 3A and 5A respectively. Brackets seed off region tournaments.
Nevada's largest classification (5A) is functionally Bishop Gorman versus the rest of Las Vegas. Gorman beat Mojave 71-59 for the 2025 title. Lower classifications — 4A through 1A — play their finals separately. Title weekend rotates between Las Vegas-area venues.
National Prep Tournament in Fort Walton Beach, Florida takes both high school and post-grad programs. Applications stay open through October 31. If you want a competitive early-March slot without invitation-only barriers, this is the one to apply for.