WPIAL Championship Standout Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The WPIAL Championships concluded on Saturday and teams are beginning to shift their focus towards the PIAA playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But before we put the path to the Pete in the rearview mirror, here are five standout players from last week's title games at Pitt's Petersen Events Center. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["991408"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"No surprise here. [player_tooltip player_id='991408' first='Meleek' last='Thomas'] led Lincoln Park to a repeat and their seventh overall WPIAL championship in a 66-51 win over Hampton. Thomas stuffed the stat sheet with a 21-10-5-4 effort. While Thomas is an extremely gifted scorer, it was his defense and playmaking that stood out most on Thursday night. The junior operated with great poise in the pick-and-roll and got to his spots at will. Thomas registered four assists and showcased great passing chops in both the half court and in transition. On the defensive end, Thomas forced a number of turnovers by playing with active hands and anticipation in passing lanes. Thomas' screen navigation and lateral quickness stood out as he held Lehigh recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1188036' first='Peter' last='Kramer'] - who entered the game averaging 23 points per game - to just six points.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1403792"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"The Neighborhood Academy fell short of winning their first ever title but Yale recruit, [player_tooltip player_id='1403792' first='Courtney' last='Wallace'], had one of the best performances at the WPIAL Championships. Wallace scored a game-high 28 points in an impressive display of shotmaking. Wallace's pull-up jumper is one of the strongest parts of his game - his quick release allows him to get his shot off over longer defenders. While he was on the ball, the ability to score at all three levels was evident. His quickness allows him to attack downhill and he also flashed while playing off the ball, showing great cutting instincts.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1204052"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Upper St. Clair big man, [player_tooltip player_id='1204052' first='Tyler' last='Robbins'], led the Panthers to their second WPIAL title over the last four seasons. The 6-foot-9 forward finished with a 22-12-5 effort in a dominating performance on both ends of the floor. Robbins' post positioning was excellent throughout the night, and he carved out space down low by consistently sealing off defenders. When he received the ball in the low post, he showed great footwork and soft touch around the rim. On the defensive side of the floor, Robbins impact went beyond the box score. He met his season average of five blocks per game and played with great anticipation as a shot blocker, but he impacted nearly every shot that Baldwin attempted throughout the evening. Robbins altered countless shots in the paint and forced Baldwin into a lot of bad shots simply due to his presence down low.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1187944"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1187944' first='Billy' last='Schaeffer'] led Deer Lakes to its second-straight WPIAL title behind a complete 20-7 showing. Schaeffer receives a lot of attention from defenses as the Lancers leading scorer but that didn't matter on Friday night. Schaeffer has a repeatable release which allowed him to knock down multiple threes and the senior was impressive attacking closeouts - doing much of his scoring from the mid-range. He is also a very good rebounder for his size as he finished with seven boards. With the game on the line late in the game, Schaeffer showed poise at the free throw line to put the game out of reach.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Joshua Pratt","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Aliquippa","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Arguably the most impressive performance came from the youngest player on the list. Sophomore guard Joshua Pratt poured in 33 points to lead Aliquippa to a 69-32 victory u002du002d good for a record-tying 14th WPIAL boys basketball championship. Pratt's deep offensive bag was on full display in the biggest game of the season to this point. The sophomore made seven of his nine triples and did it in a variety of ways u002du002d with a compact release on catch-and-shoot, movement, and off the dribble threes. Pratt showed off his shotmaking prowess and ability as a self-creator. The sophomore provided consistent rim pressure and was equally comfortable finishing with his left hand as he was with his dominant hand.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e5d0aaa5d44"} /-->