State basketball finals returning to Hershey

CHAMBERSBURG - Penn State has lost the PIAA basketball championships for the next four years.

By a 29-2 vote, the PIAA board of directors voted Thursday to return the annual state championships to the Giant Center in Hershey.

Penn State, which has hosted the games since 2006, was also applying to the NCAA to host opening-round women's basketball tournament games at the same time as the 2014 and 2015 PIAA championship weekend. That helped sway the PIAA board to award the bid to Hershey, which had hosted the games for years before the move to State College.

The move is effective with next year's championship tournament.

In addition, the Giant Center will continue to host the PIAA wrestling team and individual championships.