Bill Beckner stories, Page 157
Westmoreland campus clippings: Josh Spiegel impresses in Penn State debut
Josh Spiegel transferred to Penn State from Oklahoma State in the offseason as the redshirt freshman sought a better opportunity to see the field and make an impact. It sure looks like the Penn-Trafford grad made the right decision. He went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in his Nittany...
Southmoreland leans on big-game experience as it readies for Quaker Valley
The WPIAL girls basketball semifinals can be daunting for newcomers. The pressure in the “final four” is different, heavier, as a trip to the championship lies in the balance. And this year, with no follow-the-winner format for PIAA playoff qualification, a loss means it’s time to turn in uniforms. But...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsule: Game for Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Here’s a look at Tuesday’s WPIAL basketball playoff game involving a Westmoreland County team: Girls Class 4A Semifinals 3-Southmoreland (16-4) at 2-Quaker Valley (14-4) 6 p.m. Tuesday Coaches: Amber Cernuto, Southmoreland; Tom Demko, Quaker Valley Winner plays: Winner of 4-Knoch (10-1) at 1-Beaver (18-0) in WPIAL championship, 5 p.m. Friday...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Caddying leads to Penn State scholarship for Norwin’s Marissa Boyer
Marissa Boyer envisioned a different path to college, one that even involved a different sport. The Norwin senior thought soccer would be her ticket to the next level, but carrying a golf bag at a country club, well, that works, too. Boyer, a caddie at Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Monday, March 8, 2021
Here’s a look at Monday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals 8-South Park (9-5) at 1-Belle Vernon (12-1) 6 p.m. Monday Coaches: Jason Dolak, South Park; Joe Salvino, Belle Vernon Winner plays: Winner of 5-North Catholic (16-4) at 4-Quaker Valley (13-4), 6 p.m. Thursday...
Franklin Regional team manager Ben Kimmich is ‘life of the team’Video
Ben Kimmich smiles as the basketball comes to him in the Franklin Regional lay-up line. He takes the ball, dribbles a couple of times, hop-steps and banks in a two-handed shot that he shoves into the air with a grunt, before jogging back to the end of the line. Varsity...
Big 2nd half allows Norwin girls to pull away from Butler
Halftime speeches and the adjustments that accompany them have helped many a WPIAL basketball team advance in the postseason. After a sluggish first half Saturday afternoon against Butler, Norwin had a heart-to-heart at the break and reversed course for another trip to the semifinals. In a flurry, the third-seeded Knights...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys advance to WPIAL semifinalsVideo
With some film to watch and more time to prepare, Greensburg Central Catholic installed a new defense for Sewickley Academy, a team that beat the Centurions in the last game of the regular season, for the rematch in the WPIAL playoffs. Maybe the result would be different, GCC figured, if...
Norwin notebook: Bilinsky to be selected for Roundball Classic
The Roundball Classic is returning in full force this spring. Organizer Allen Deep said the all-star basketball event will be played May 13-15 at Geneva. Rosters are far from finished, but Deep knows one player he will invite to the event. He said Norwin senior guard Ty Bilinsky will be...
Pine-Richland conquers nerves, Hempfield in advancing to WPIAL Class 6A semifinals
Pine-Richland boys basketball coach Bob Petcash admitted to being nervous about Friday night’s WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinal game at Hempfield. “I was on edge,” Petcash said. “We hadn’t seen them and hadn’t played them in years.” The sixth-seeded Rams didn’t let any nerves show, especially in the fourth quarter, as...
Westmoreland basketball notebook: Area teams set for rematches in quarterfinals
Rematches will be the order of the day for three Westmoreland County teams as they take to the WPIAL basketball quarterfinals Saturday afternoon. In boys Class 2A, No. 5 seed Jeannette (14-4) will take on No. 13 Winchester Thurston (9-4), a Section 3 opponent that dealt the Jayhawks a 65-60...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Saturday, March 6, 2021
Boys Quarterfinals Class 5A 10-Latrobe (8-6) at 2-New Castle (18-2) Noon Saturday Coaches: Brad Wetzel, Latrobe; Ralph Blundo, New Castle Winner plays: Winner of 6-Penn Hills (13-4) at 3-Laurel Highlands (13-3), 6 p.m. Wednesday in semifinals About Latrobe: Senior Ryan Sickenberger converted a three-point play with 43 seconds left to...
Westmoreland basketball notebook: Mt. Pleasant girls get another shot at Southmoreland
The Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team did not play its best in two section games against Southmoreland, but the Vikings will get another shot against the Scotties. The Section 3 opponents will meet at 6 p.m. Friday at Southmoreland in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals. Mt. Pleasant (11-7), the No....
Latrobe girls eke out 1st-round win over South Fayette
Latrobe has been working on situational plays in practice to get ready for the potentially tight fourth quarters it might see in the playoffs. Inbounds plays and careful possessions are a sidecar to mentally handling the pressure that comes with late leads. On Thursday night, the Wildcats girls got to...
Hempfield boys basketball surprises, exceeds expectations
As Hempfield boys basketball coach Bill Swan and his staff prepared for this season, masks on and attitudes upbeat, they pondered what might happen in the coming months. Would covid-19 take a swing at the Spartans? Would there even be a season, let alone playoffs? The questions piled up, yet...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Friday, March 5, 2021
Here’s a look at Friday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Boys Class 6A Quarterfinals 6-Pine-Richland (12-5) at 3-Hempfield (12-5) 6 p.m. Friday Coaches: Bob Petcash, Pine-Richland; Bill Swan, Hempfield Winner plays: Winner of 7-North Allegheny (16-6) at 2-Fox Chapel (19-2), 6 p.m. Tuesday in semifinals About Pine-Richland:...
Senior forward’s big night boosts Baldwin past Penn-Trafford
Baldwin girls basketball coach Jamal Woodson sounded like he was at the podium at an awards show when senior forward Meghan Dryburgh’s name came up in a postgame interview. He went all Golden Globes after he and his team celebrated with a small group of fans Wednesday night. And the...
Austin Butler leaving Holy Cross, enters transfer portal
Austin Butler plans to play another year of college basketball, but it won’t be at Holy Cross. The senior guard from Latrobe who saw this season end prematurely when Holy Cross had to pull out of the Patriot League playoffs due to a positive covid test on the team has...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Thursday, March 4, 2021
Here’s a look at Thursday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Girls First round Class 5A 11-South Fayette (14-5) at 6-Latrobe (12-2) 6 p.m. Thursday Coaches: Bryan Bennett, South Fayette; Mark Burkhardt, Latrobe Winner plays: Winner of 14-Moon (7-11) at 3-Hampton (14-5), 6 p.m. Monday About South Fayette:...
Latrobe to rely on late-game composure in WPIAL playoffs
There was a time when Latrobe girls basketball players felt a certain kind of way about fourth-quarter leads. The ball became slippery, the heat of the moment unsavory, as time crawled by and became their enemy. But this year’s edition of the Wildcats seems to appreciate the challenge that comes...
American Basketball Hall of Fame’s ‘greatest unsung players’ list includes local standouts
The American Basketball Hall of Fame out of Detroit prides itself on recognizing basketball stars of note who reached the doorstep but did not get into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It is a tweeners’ delight. The new hall, which sprouted in 2019 due in large part to...
Hempfield boys hold off Baldwin in Class 6A first round
Stepping foot into what is considered a wide-open WPIAL Class 6A playoff field, while exciting, can also be like a mine field. Leads, no matter how large, can be unstable in a year like this as teams look for bracket-busting upsets. Need proof? Look at Hempfield. Need proof of a...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Hempfield’s Orie sisters continue dominance
Shattering throwing records are nothing new to Hempfield’s Orie sisters. They’ve had spots on the Spartans’ big leaderboard. Now they’re breaking marks together at the collegiate level. DePaul sophomore Mackenna Orie broke a school record in the shot put in the program’s first competition since March at the Big East...
Westmoreland basketball notebook: Franklin Regional, Mars set for another playoff meeting
Rivalry is a strong word. Franklin Regional and Mars have a history, yes. But it’s more of a friendly get-together when they play than a mean-spirited rivalry. You could argue Franklin Regional had more of a competitive spark with Highlands before the Golden Rams went to Class 4A. (They’re back...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Girls First round Class 6A 9-Baldwin (8-7) at 8-Penn-Trafford (10-6) 6 p.m. Wednesday Coaches: Jamal Woodson, Baldwin; John Giannikas, Penn-Trafford Winner plays: At 1-North Allegheny (19-1), noon Saturday About Baldwin: After a rash of early-season postponements, the...
