Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Aliquippa's Jonathan Baldwin stretches out to put up a shot against Jeannette's Terrelle Pryor in the Quips' WPIAL Class AA championship win at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Click photo for larger image. More tournament coverage: WPIAL Boys' Class AAAA: Bethel Park's Tim Picard's late run tops Albert Gallatin WPIAL Girls' Class AAAA: New Castle catches up for victory WPIAL Girls' Class AAA: Hopewell's defense puts clamps on Montour, 44-26 WPIAL Girls' Class AA: Centurions drive past Ford City PIAA BASKETBALL PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS PIAA BASKETBALL PAIRINGS

Aliquippa coach Marvin Emerson bought a bright, gold suit for the WPIAL Class AA championship. How appropriate because gold is the most popular color in Aliquippa basketball these days.

Emerson and his players had medals to match the suit yesterday after the Quips defeated Jeannette, 73-69, in a classic championship game in front of a packed house at Duquesne University's Palumbo Center.

It's the fourth time in the past five years Aliquippa has walked away from the title game with gold medals. The only time the Quips were not champs was two years ago when they lost to Beaver Falls in triple overtime. That game is considered one of the best championship games because it had a fantastic finish, with Beaver Falls' Lance Jeter making a half-court shot at the end of the third overtime.

You could put the game yesterday into the classic category because it was tremendous for four quarters -- and had an exciting finish. Jeannette took a 69-68 lead with 1:30 remaining, but Aliquippa (26-2) came up with two big defensive plays and scored the final five points to win the 10th title in school history. Only Farrell (13) and Duquesne (12) have won more championships.

"Games like this make you age 40 years. Good God almighty," Emerson said.

This gives an indication how good the game was: Hopewell was playing in the girls' Class AAA title game immediately following. But Hopewell coach Chris Raso did not go to the locker room to address his team before the game because he could not pull himself away from the Aliquippa-Jeannette contest.

Aliquippa star Herb Pope said, "That was a great game to play in."

Great to watch, too. It was a fast-paced contest between two high-level teams. Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette's standout 6-foot-6 junior guard, had some highlight-reel dunks, including a hard, one-handed jam in the face of the 6-9 Pope. But Pope had a few hard dunks himself, including one after he stripped the ball from Pryor at half court. Other players made impressive plays, and the intensity level was high the entire game.

Pope, a New Mexico State recruit, finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Pryor had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. He made 14 of 25 shots from the field.

"Pryor is an athletic man," said Aliquippa junior forward Jonathan Baldwin. "But, in the end, we came up with the win, and that's what counts."

Baldwin, a 6-6 junior, played a huge role. He averages 21 points a game, but was quiet the first three quarters. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jeannette, which refused to back down from the much bigger Quips, had come back from a seven-point deficit after three quarters to take the lead in the fourth.

"He was taking some wild shots, and I had a hand in his face," Pryor said of Baldwin. "But he was still knocking them down."

Pope said, "It was just a matter of time before [Baldwin] started hitting shots. ... In the first half, people rode my coattails. In the second half, I rode their coattails."

Senior forward Brandon Lindsey, a Pitt football recruit, also hit two key baskets for Aliquippa in the fourth quarter and finished with 11 points. Jeannette (21-4) had a chance to extend its one-point lead with 1:11 left, but Pryor missed the front end of a one-and-one. At the other end, Baldwin rebounded a missed shot, powered his way to the basket and converted a free throw for a three-point play to put Aliquippa ahead, 71-69, with 1:03 remaining.

Then, the Quips got defensive. Antonio Reddic, who finished with 12 points, came from behind Pryor and stole the ball. Aliquippa's Patrick Pettis missed a free throw with 34 seconds remaining, but Aliquippa forced another turnover, and Reddic found Pettis for a layup to put the Quips ahead by four.

Jeannette's Davonte Shannon, who scored 13 points, missed a one-and-one with 7.6 seconds left.