Photo by Mark Evans Warren senior Braylon Barnes celebrates with the Flannel Panel student section on Friday at Edinboro University.

“Standing room only.”

That’s what Warren boys basketball coach Jeff Berdine is expecting when the Dragons host a PIAA 4A first-round playoff game against North Catholic at 7 p.m. Friday at Joseph A. Massa Gymnasium.

The Warren boys improved to 20-5 by winning the school’s fourth-ever D10 title and first in 41 years (1983). The Dragons beat Corry (72-52), Grove City (59-46), and Hickory (71-52) in the 4A championship game on Friday at Edinboro University.

With more than 1,300 career points, senior Max Hurray scored 24 points to lead WPIAL’s fifth-seeded Trojans (16-9) — a private school in a northern suburb of Pittsburgh — past No. 7 South Allegheny, 74-61, a week ago in the District 7 4A fifth-place game.

“I am expecting it to be standing room only Friday night,” said Coach Berdine, who has surpassed 300 career head coaching victories at Warren over 22 seasons.

Tickets may be purchased at PIAA.org or https://piaa.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/4087?es=eonvbqkv90vbu4bmikuejen0rt

Eighteen hours later, Warren’s girls basketball team will host a PIAA 4A playoff game against Elizabeth Forward at 1 p.m. Saturday at Warren Area High School.

Despite the program’s first District 10 championship game loss in five trips since 2016, the Lady Dragons advanced to states for the sixth straight year. Warren’s girls are 20-5 after having their 15 game winning streak snapped on Saturday in a 28-26 loss to back-to-back D10 champion Fairview at Cathedral Prep’s Hagerty Family Events Center. The Dragons whipped General McLane (46-16) and edged Harbor Creek (32-31) to advance to the D10 final.

Elizabeth Forward (22-3) had won 17 straight before falling to North Catholic, which went on to win its third straight WPIAL title. Junior Chloe Zombek scored 20 points as the No. 3-seeded Warriors won the District 7 4A third-place game, 58-45, over Laurel Highlands.

“We are truly blessed to be hosting a game on Saturday and we are going to take advantage of it,” said Warren coach Lisa LaVan, whose Dragons hosted a D10 title game in 2021.

“I am so excited and proud of our boys team and their first District 10 title in 41 years,” said LaVan, who has more than 250 head coaching wins herself in 16 seasons at Warren. “There are some young men on that team that are absolutely phenomenal human beings, and they have always been our biggest fans. I saw a number of them in the stands on Saturday.”

Tickets are available at PIAA.org or https://piaa.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/3901?es=sohidgg320c620kqs0b4l2seeq