Matt Freed, Post-Gazette photos Bethel Park's Michael Papp and Nathan Rayburn celebrate after the Black Hawks held off Albert Gallatin in the WPIAL Class AAAA final last night at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Click photo for larger image. More WPIAL Coverage: WPIAL Girls' Class AAA: Hopewell's defense puts clamps on Montour, 44-26 WPIAL Boys' Class AA: Aliquippa fend off Jeannette for 73-69 win WPIAL Girls' Class AA: Centurions drive past Ford City PIAA BASKETBALL PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS PIAA BASKETBALL PAIRINGS

When Bethel Park was selected the Post-Gazette's No. 1 WPIAL Class AAAA team at the start of the season, coach Mike Mastroianni shrugged his shoulders and said it was pretty much meaningless to his team.

Three months later, Bethel Park got the No. 1 it wanted.

Bethel Park won the WPIAL Class AAAA championship for the second time with a 68-63 victory against Albert Gallatin last night at Duquesne University's Palumbo Center.

The game was a fitting conclusion to the championship weekend. The four boys' title games were decided by a total of 14 points. Bethel Park and Albert Gallatin were tied with 2:30 left, but Bethel Park outscored Albert Gallatin, 6-1, down the stretch.

Bethel Park (25-3) came into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, but ended up No. 1 behind the strength of senior forwards Alex Wojdowski and Andy Vukela, and senior guard Tim Picard.

Wojdowski and Vukela, who both stand 6 feet 3, gave away size to a bigger Albert Gallatin team. But Wojdowski and Vukela muscled their way to 33 points and 18 rebounds. Vukela had 17 points and nine rebounds while Wojdowski added 16 points and also nine rebounds. Wojdowski was 8 of 13 from the field.

But it was Picard who came through when the Black Hawks needed it most. He was missing in action in the first half, missing four shots and scoring no points. But he came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of his team-high 18 points.

"It has been Tim Picard for two years leading this team," Mastroianni said. "We told him he needed to take over. You saw it. That's exactly what he did."

Picard was 7 of 10 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and made some nice driving shots.

"He was the man," Albert Gallatin coach Dan Andria said of Picard. "We knew he could penetrate, but we didn't know he'd hit shots like he did. At the end of the game, he wanted it and came through. He's a tremendous talent."

Bethel Park's victory overshadowed a fine performance by Albert Gallatin's Jawaan Alston. A 6-8 senior forward, Alston had 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Senior forward Nate Turner added 14, Mark Marshall 12 and Aaron Cromwell 10.

For Bethel Park, senior guard Mike Papp also was in double figures with 10 points.

Bethel Park's Tim Picard scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter. Click photo for larger image.

Turner's 3-pointer tied the score at 62-62 with 2:40 left. Picard made two free throws with 2:11 remaining and Alston one at the 1:25 mark to make it 64-63. Picard made one free throw two seconds later, and Bethel Park's 5-10 Joe Vehec stole the rebound. Picard then hit two free throws with 1:06 left to put Bethel Park ahead, 67-63. Albert Gallatin (21-7) had a turnover and two missed 3-pointers on its final three possessions.

It looked like Albert Gallatin might be a little too much for Bethel Park in the early going. Albert Gallatin had a hot hand through the first 11 minutes of the game. The Colonials shot 59 percent (13 of 22) from the field during that time and 66 percent (4 of 6) from 3-point range. Marshall and Cromwell both had two 3-pointers, and Cromwell's second gave Albert Gallatin a 30-21 lead with 5:06 left in the half.

But Bethel Park clawed back, mainly on the strength of Vukela and Wojdowski. Vukela had nine points in the second quarter and 12 in the first half. Wojdowski had 11 in the first half.

What also helped Bethel Park get back into the game was when Albert Gallatin forward Turner picked up his third foul with 2:30 left in the half. Without him, Bethel Park pulled within 37-33 at halftime.

Albert Gallatin's shooting cooled in the third quarter as the Colonials made only 20 percent (3 of 15) from the field. Wojdowski got inside Albert Gallatin's 2-3 zone for three more baskets, and Picard hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left in the quarter to give Bethel Park a 48-47 advantage, its first lead since the 4:46 mark of the first quarter.

It was a sign of things to come for Picard.

For Mastroianni, it is his second WPIAL title. His other came as Quaker Valley's coach.