Last weekend's WPIAL championships did more than crown eight teams as best in Western Pennsylvania. They also gave new life to a handful of others.

Eight area teams are still alive in the PIAA tournament because the team that knocked them out of the WPIAL playoffs in the quarterfinals either advanced to or won the WPIAL title game.

For the boys, McKeesport (AAAA), Trinity (AAA), Montour (AAA) and Neshannock (A) get a second chance in the postseason thanks to the outcome of last week's games. For the girls, it's Fox Chapel (AAAA), Hampton (AAA) Blackhawk (AAA) and Rochester (A). Every quarterfinal team in boys' and girls' AA advanced to the PIAA tournament.

For some coaches, that can create split loyalties in the WPIAL playoffs.

After McKeesport lost to Mt. Lebanon in the quarterfinals, Tigers coach Corey Gadson paid close attention to the rest of the tournament. But when his team's postseason future butted heads with the success of a close friend, Gadson struggled to pick sides.

"I don't know if I was actually rooting" for Mt. Lebanon. Gadson said, even though he needed the Blue Devils to win the title for the Tigers to play again. "[Gateway coach] Mitch [Adams] and I are good friends."

Gadson and Adams even talked about the Blue Devils before the title game. McKeesport and Gateway are section rivals.

Gadson said he and the team believed the Tigers had done as much as they could do to play in the tournament.

"We were at the point where, it is what it is," Gadson said.

But Trinity coach Joe Dunn had no such feelings after his team lost to Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals.

"We became big fans [of the Colts] the second our game ended," he said.

Hillers coaches and several players attended the Colts' semifinal and championship games.

And now that Trinity could play Charters Valley in the PIAA playoffs?

"We're no longer big fans," Dunn said.

The Tigers had light practices last week, filled mostly with shoot-arounds and pickup games.

"We didn't know our fate, so we didn't want to drive them," Gadson said.

Dunn said Trinity's practices were still intense because the team knew the Colts would be favorites to win the AAA title. But without an opponent to prepare for, practices were a little different.

"You focus on fundamentals and you focus on your team's execution," Dunn said. "It's really kind of going back to basketball camp until you find out exactly when and who you're going to play."

Trinity (15-5) will play Bradford (21-2) at Pitt-Bradford Friday.

Teams from the Post-Gazette's South coverage area fared well in the WPIAL playoffs.

The boys' teams were 23-16 in the playoffs. Mt. Lebanon and Chartiers Valley won WPIAL championships, capping a year in which both teams were the top-ranked team in their respective class from start to finish.

Four other teams -- Upper St. Clair in Class AAAA, West Mifflin in Class AAA, South Fayette in Class AA and Serra Catholic in Class A -- advanced to the semifinals.

The girls had a lower winning percentage but still dominated, finishing 22-17 overall. Mt. Lebanon was the only South girls' team to win a title. Seton-LaSalle lost to Jeannette by three points in the WPIAL Class AA title game.

Teams from the South and West won two of the eight titles and a share of a third (both areas send students to Chartiers Valley), tied for the most of any area. Teams from the North won two titles, and teams from the East won one championship.

All in all, it was a good year for WPIAL tournament teams from the south suburbs.

Mt. Lebanon swept the boys' and girls WPIAL championships.

That had only happened twice before in Class AAAA -- the Penn Hills boys' and girls' team won WPIAL titles in 1987, and Upper St. Clair swept the championships in 1996.

"To be No. 1 in both girls and boys and to sustain it through the entire season is not a common feat," said Mt. Lebanon boys' basketball coach Joe David. "I think the girls' program and our program are very similar in that there's discipline, there's a lot of hard work and there are high expectations."

Last year, North Catholic had a sweep of its own -- the boys' team won the WPIAL Class AA title and the Trojanettes won the WPIAL Class A championship. North Catholic had a chance to sweep again this season, but the top-ranked girls' team came up short against Vincentian Academy in Friday's title game.

The Blue Devils have a chance to set a record of their own. No Class AAAA school, WPIAL or otherwise, has won the boys' and girls' PIAA championships in the same year.

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