Brian Hagberg
WARREN, Pa. – Lady Dragons basketball fans won’t have to travel far to watch Warren’s first round game in the PIAA state tournament.
Warren will take on Oakland Catholic inside the friendly confines of the Joseph A. Massa Gymnasium at Warren Area High School on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“We told the girls it was a possibility for us to host and to take care of business like we did on Saturday and get the chance to host is absolutely amazing,” Warren coach Lisa LaVan said.
The Dragons earned this opportunity following their 46-34 win over Slippery Rock in Saturday’s District 10 Class 5A championship game. The win gave Warren its second straight D10 title and third in four years. All three title wins in that span came over Slippery Rock.
Warren got a taste of what it’s like to host a playoff game as last year’s district playoffs were held at home gyms due to COVID protocols. The Dragons topped the Rockets in a thriller at WAHS last season but in front of a limited number of fans.
This year, they have a chance to make program history by winning their first state playoff game.
“Our seniors are really excited,” LaVan said. “They are all excited.”
The winner of Wednesday’s game will face the winner between McKeesport and Obama Academy on Saturday, March 12. The full PIAA Class 5A girls’ bracket can be found here.
Tickets for Wednesday’s game are $8 (plus fees) and must be purchased online here (as of 1:32 p.m. Sunday, tickets for the Warren game were not yet available). No tickets will be sold at the gate.
The PIAA announced that participating schools will receive a passcode prior for priority ticketing to parents and students before going on sale to the public.
#PIAABasketball All schools involved with Tuesday games have received a passcode today to accommodate their school fans for ticketing. Any remaining tickets will go on sale at 5pm tomorrow without a code. Schools playing Wednesday should expect codes tomorrow morning.
— PIAA (@PIAASports) March 6, 2022
