Bill Beckner stories, Page 125
Norwin notebook: Girls basketball team makes statement with win over North Allegheny
It was a head-turning win if there ever was one. The Norwin girls basketball team dismantled No. 1 North Allegheny, 56-31, on Jan. 27 to move into a first-place tie with the Tigers in Section 1-6A. North Allegheny was undefeated at the time (15-0) and had won 33 straight section...
Franklin Regional notebook: Playoffs around corner for hockey team
The Franklin Regional hockey team was gearing up for its final four games of the season as the Panthers build toward another PIHL Class 2A playoff run. The Panthers were narrowly trailing Armstrong in the East Division. Both teams were 12-2, but Armstrong’s one overtime loss had the River Hawks...
Fox Chapel boys see big lead slip away before holding off Penn-Trafford
Getting defensive stops against Fox Chapel is a task much easier said than done. The Foxes move the ball with crisp passes and keep the offense flowing with cuts and screens. They can play fast or slow and don’t make a ton of mistakes. That’s why they’re a WPIAL title...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Local teams join Hoops For a Cure
Allen Deep, who orchestrates a number of in-season charity showcases and the annual Roundball Classic after the basketball season, has two more events lined up for this weekend. Greensburg Central Catholic’s boys and girls, and the Belle Vernon boys, will participate. Both 10-game events will be Saturday and Sunday and...
Deep roster helps Monessen boys basketball go on late-season tear
A winning streak can be euphoric and demanding, enjoyable and stressful. Teams savor the sensation but crave more. They can’t let up. Monessen’s boys basketball team has won 10 in a row and has moved into the Trib HSSN Top 5 in Class 2A. The fifth-ranked Greyhounds (13-4) aren’t ready...
Ryan Larsen named football coach at Carnegie Mellon
While he has big shoes to fill, Ryan Larsen is excited to begin his quest as the next head football coach at Carnegie Mellon. “I cannot wait to get to work,” said Larsen, who was announced Thursday as the replacement for longtime coach Rich Lackner, who stepped down after 36...
Well-rounded GCC boys too much for Winchester Thurston, win 14th straight
Tyree Turner and Brevan Williams scored inside and out. Anthony Semelka tipped in a miss, and Ryan Appleby swatted a shot into the student section. Dylan Parsons zinged a no-look pass to Franco Alvarez for an easy two. It was that kind of night for No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Monessen motivated by ‘unfinished business’
Monessen has a unique girls basketball roster. Three seniors, no juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen. That’s more like a gym class than a varsity team. But the Greyhounds have turned into a playoff contender as they chase a title in Section 2-A. Seniors Mercedes Majors (21 points per game),...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball leans on top scorers Morgan, Kuhns
Greensburg Central Catholic is charging down the floor on a break. Sophomore guard Mya Morgan pulls the break just long enough for senior forward Bailey Kuhns to cut across the paint and get open. Two points for Kuhns. Assist, Morgan. It’s like they’ve done this a million times. A couple...
Franklin Regional dominates Latrobe in boys basketball rematch
How does a team lose by seven on the road and win by 32 at home against the same opponent? “Our guys worked their butts off defensively,” said Franklin Regional coach Jesse Reed, whose Panthers split their season series with Latrobe in a big way, rolling to a 68-36 victory...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Mark Davis to lead Saint Vincent men’s soccer
Saint Vincent has a new men’s soccer coach. Matt Davis will take over the program in the fall. “With the college’s strong academic reputation and commitment to the full student-athlete experience, I’m excited to get to work to build this program into a winning one that our players, alums and...
Greensburg Central Catholic gets past Winchester Thurston, nears Section 4-2A title
Once Greensburg Central Catholic adjusted to visiting Winchester Thurston’s pressure and sophomore guard Mya Morgan found her shooting touch Monday night, it was the Centurions’ game to lose. No. 5 GCC tempered a stagnant first half with a much better second and took care of the Bears, 45-31, to move...
Penn-Trafford’s Lamison-Myers gets extension at Colgate
With the softball program seeing a spike in success since her entrance in 2017, Colgate wants to keep coach Marissa Lamison-Myers around for a while longer. Lamison-Myers, a Penn-Trafford graduate, had her contract extended through 2026. Colgate went from six conference wins in 2018, to eight in ’19, to a...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill men earn OT victory over Clarion
And you thought McKenna Magic was just a thing for the women’s basketball team at Seton Hill. The men’s team found a little extra to muster a highlight in what has been a dim season Saturday with a dramatic win. Anticipation served the Griffins well in clutch time. Sophomore guard...
Greensburg Central Catholic tunes up for big week by beating Latrobe at Seton Hill
With a potentially tough stretch of games this week, high-scoring Greensburg Central Catholic was hoping for a strong showing Sunday night at the five-game Shootout at Seton Hill basketball event — a tune-up of sorts that could do more for the team than a practice. The Centurions hit 80 points...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Penn-Trafford football team honored in Harrisburg
Penn-Trafford traveled to Hershey to win a state football championship. The Warriors went to Harrisburg to be recognized for it. The WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A champs were honored Tuesday at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Players and coaches were announced in the house and senate before touring the capital...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Monessen girls basketball to finish game with Fort Cherry
Monessen had an unusual time Wednesday when it hosted Fort Cherry for a girls basketball game. The power went out just before tip-off, and the teams played with generator lights and no scoreboard. But then the back-up lights also conked out with just 2 minutes, 7 seconds to play in...
Point Park’s Michelle Burns finds balance, success on and off basketball court
Point Park fifth-year point guard Michelle Burns continues to climb the program’s scoring ranks, which might seem like hard work to some. Not to Burns. Crunching numbers in an office, now that is work to the Hempfield alum. Burns, who recently topped the 1,700-point mark for her career to move...
WPIAL golfers to face true test next fall as championships expand to 2 rounds
Two rounds. Thirty-six holes. Two courses? That is what will await golfers next fall for the WPIAL golf championships. The WPIAL changed its format for the boys and girls individual finals by eliminating the semifinal rounds and turning the championship into a two-round event spread over a week. Qualifiers will...
Tough schedule pays off as Norwin boys down Hempfield
Norwin and Hempfield know something about tough nonsection schedules. Both boys basketball teams have gone against some of the top teams in Class 6A and 5A in the hopes those games would sharpen their lineups for Section 3-6A play. After playing 5A No. 1 Laurel Highlands close and then beating...
Jeannette coach Adrian Batts gets 200th career win
Jeannette boys basketball coach Adrian Batts has never missed the WPIAL playoffs in 12 seasons leading the Jayhawks and he is on pace to reach the postseason again this year. Batts reached a milestone along the way Friday night, posting his 200th win at Jeannette. The Jayhawks won a Section...
Remembering Ben Roethlisberger’s remarkable senior season at Findlay High
Ben Roethlisberger walked off into the sunset Thursday, announcing his retirement from pro football after 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But long before No. 7 dodged Terrell Suggs, extended play after play or won two Super Bowls, he was a terrific high school player in Ohio — at least...
Penn-Trafford’s Maura Suman breaks school steals record
Penn-Trafford senior point guard Maura Suman can handle the ball and score with some of the better backcourt players in Section 1-6A. But Suman is a quietly good defender, and a school record quietly sneaked up on her Thursday night. Suman broke the school’s career record for steals. She had...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Shootout at Seton Hill returns
Basketball showcase events went by the wayside last season as the covid pandemic stretched its long reach over high school and college sports. But a local event returns this weekend, and it features five games at Seton Hill’s McKenna Center. The Shootout at Seton Hill will be played Sunday, beginning...
Norwin girls easily drop No. 1 North Allegheny
Norwin had a “purple out” Thursday night as part of a fundraiser. The girls basketball team was seeing red from the opening tip. Fourth-ranked Norwin started fast and never loosened its grip, leaving a trail of nine 3-pointers in its wake on the way to beating the No. 1 out...
