Philadelphia Catholic League basketball squads poised to make a big run at the PIAA state finals

Eight PCL teams are among 12 state finalists; including a pair of head-to-head state final matchups

Rick Woelfel | Mar 26, 2025

Neumann-Goretti's Alassan N'Diaye prepares for a rebound ball during a PIAA boys basketball state championship semifinal in Pottstown, Pa. on Friday, March 21, 2025. Goretti's boys and girls teams are among eight Philadelphia Catholic League programs playing for PIAA state titles this weekend. / Daniella Heminghaus | Bucks County Courier Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) will crown 12 state basketball state champions this weekend. Six boys and six girls teams will take championship trophies home from the Giant Center in Hershey where four title games will be played beginning Thursday afternoon and continuing through Saturday night.

The Philadelphia Catholic League has has always been a basketball hotbed for both and girls. Not just in high-school gyms or venues like the Palestra, where the league's championship games are traditionally played. But also the blacktop playgrounds in Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs where stars of today and tomorrow hone their games.

Which is why it’s not surprising that PCL teams will be such a big part of this weekend’s PIAA state basketball finals, which get underway Thursday afternoon at the Giant Center in Hershey and continue through Saturday night. No fewer than eight Catholic League teams will be part of the 12 championship games on this weekend’s card.

Two of Saturday’s four games feature Catholic League teams squaring off against each other; Lansdale Catholic against Neumann-Goretti in the girls’ Class 4A final Saturday afternoon and Roman Catholic against Father Judge in the boys’ 6A finale Saturday night.

The other four PCL finalists include two defending state champions, Devon Prep in Class 4A, and 5A girls titleholder Archbishop Wood which is looking for its fifth consecutive state championship. The Neumann-Goretti boys (Class 5A) and West Catholic boys will also be on the court this weekend.

The PCL's presence in the PIAA state tournment is of fairly recent vintage. Philadelphia Catholic League schools did not compete for state titles in Pennsylvania until the 2008-09 school year. For many years their the climax to their season was a Philadelphia City Championship Game agaisnt a Philadelphia Public League opponent.

But since their arrival PCL basketball teams have made their presence felt, winning winning 39 state titles, 20 girls and 19 boys.

Published Mar 26, 2025

RICK WOELFEL

Rick Woelfel’s career in print, broadcast, and on-line journalism has spanned more than four decades and featured coverage of athletes from the high-school through the professional/Olympic levels. Based near Philadelphia, he is the owner/editor of the Hockey Happening blog, which covers high-school ice hockey in Eastern Pennsylvania. Rick also writes extensively about golf and the turf industry and is a senior contributor to Golf Course Industry where he also hosts the Wonderful Women of Golf podcast. He also had a long career officiating football, basketball, baseball, and softball. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025.