CENTRE COUNTY — The District 6 boys’ basketball playoffs are in full swing and one of our local teams has already won a district championship.
The State College Little Lions took the 2026 D6-6A Championship with a victory over Mifflin County at Mount Aloysius College on Feb. 19.
In Boalsburg, the St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy team advanced to the semifinals in 1A, but the WolfPack were later upended by a very tough Conemaugh Valley team on Feb. 20 at Conemaugh Valley.
Finally, the Penns Valley Rams, ranked No. 7 in 3-A, got past Richland in the first round, but No. 2 Forest Hills ended the Rams’ season on Feb. 19 at Forest Hills.
Here’s a closer look at those games and the upcoming schedules:
State College 53, Mifflin County 45
In what was a close contest all night, the State College Little Lions held off Mifflin County 53-45 to win the D6-6A Boys’ Basketball Championship.
The Lions built an early lead and then doggedly held on through a back-and-forth second half to claim their fifth consecutive 6A title.
Playing at Mount Aloysius College on Feb. 19, SC took a slim, two-point lead after the first quarter which they extended to six points, 28-22, by halftime.
It was more of the same in the second half with the Lions holding on by seven, 39-32, before closing out the win with 14 points down the stretch.
State College was led in the game by Spencer Neilson with 17 points that included making 5-for-6 in the final minutes.
He was followed by Micah James with 16 points and Parker Thurley with 7.
The win was the Lions’ 12th win of the season and set up an appearance in the D6-8-10 regional championship game on Friday, Feb. 27 at either the D8 or D10 home floor.
The winner of the game will advance to the PIAA, 6A Tournament and face the No. 3 seeded team from District 7 in the First Round.
Conemaugh Valley 60, St. Joe’s 30
After taking out Ferndale in the D6-1A first round, the St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy boys’ basketball team drew No. 2 ranked Conemaugh Valley in the tournament’s semifinal.
Playing at Conemaugh on Feb. 20, things began badly for the WolfPack and never improved in what ultimately became a 60-30 loss.
Relying on their relentless defense, the Blue Jays built a 38-15 lead at halftime that they played out through the second half for their 17th win of the season and a spot in the finals against Bishop Carroll.
After a 2-2 start in the game, Conemaugh went on a 14-2 run and from there never looked back.
SJCA, which was held to single digits in every quarter, was led by Zach Cadman and Isaiah Crispin with eight points each and Caleb Foytack who scored six.
The loss for the WolfPack was not the end of their season, however.
The two losing teams from the semifinals will meet in the 3rd-place playoff on Feb. 25, and the winner of that game will face the D5, third-place team for a berth in the PIAA tournament.
That means that SJCA will travel to No. 1 Williamsburg, a 73-47 loser to Carroll in the semifinal, to play for the No. 3 seed.
The winner of that game will play the D5, No. 3 team on Saturday, Feb. 26, at a site to be determined.
Forest Hills 59, Penns Valley 41
The Penns Valley Rams kept within striking distance of No. 2 Forest Hills on Thursday in the D6 -3A Quarterfinal game at Forest Hills, but they ran out of steam down the stretch in a 59-41 loss to the Rangers.
Playing at Forest Hills, PV entered the fourth quarter down by just six points, 42-36, but the Rangers were able to kick it up a gear down the stretch.
FH went on a 17-5 run in the fourth quarter with a combination of hot shooting and a tough defense and escaped the 18-point victory over the hustling Rams.
PV, led as usual by Noah Patel, Fletcher and Carter Ironside and Spencer Althouse, managed just five points in the final eight minutes and saw its season come to an end.
The Rams finished with a final record of 15-9 overall and 10-8 in the LHAC.
