Bill Beckner stories, Page 160
Southmoreland grad forced out of softball after 3 seasons
Adeline Nicholson had a decision to make, but this wasn’t quite like choosing between taking a rip at a 3-0 pitch or chancing a walk. No, the former Southmoreland softball slugger came to a crossroads in her playing career and made a harsh, yet potentially life-changing choice to step away...
Westmoreland notebook: Belle Vernon boys basketball builds on last season’s success
Think of the pressure. Belle Vernon boys basketball made the WPIAL finals for the first time since 1978 last season and won a PIAA playoff game for the first time since ‘81. This year’s Leopards carried the unenviable burden of following that group into 2020-21, in the shadow of the...
Westmoreland players, teams show support for Norwin’s Ty BilinskyVideo
A lot of local basketball players are wearing the No. 5 these days. Navy blue T-shirts with #TyStrong on the front and a 5 on the back are showing up in gyms across Westmoreland County and beyond as teams show their support for Norwin senior Ty Bilinsky, a basketball player...
Gannon, West Chester top PSAC softball coaches polls
Gannon and West Chester will meet for the next Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference softball title. At least that’s the sentiment of conference coaches, who voted those teams as the division favorites on the eve of a new season. The PSAC will be broken into East and West divisions this year....
Norwin notebook: Big day finally arrives for Giansante
Finally, the day of promise arrived for Anthony Giansante. Signing Day allowed Giansante, the burly senior lineman from Norwin, to finally make his dream of playing Division I football a reality. After his first run through the recruiting process fell through for reasons out of his control, the second was...
Norwin girls seek consistency as postseason nears
Norwin plans to be in the thick of the WPIAL Class 6A chase when the playoffs begin later this month. Based on program tradition, it would be unusual if the Knights were not. But coach Brian Brozeski thinks some fine-tuning needs to be done to get his team ready for...
Penn-Trafford boys hold off Norwin charge
For a several-minute stretch late in the first half, Penn-Trafford looked nearly unstoppable. The Warriors ran off 14 straight points to take a 14-point lead over Norwin. Their guards were slashing to the rim, 3-pointers were falling, and they had established a post presence. But the plot thickened in the...
Norwin girls get past rival Penn-Trafford in defensive struggle
Sometimes, rival teams become so enamored with getting defensive stops, they forget to score. So went the story Thursday night in North Huntingdon when Penn-Trafford and Norwin met for the second time this season in girls basketball Section 1-6A. Nobody said rivalry games have to be pretty, but Norwin will...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Williams emerges as scorer for Greensburg CC
Brevan Williams never has been transfixed on becoming a go-to scorer. It just sort of happened organically as he found his place on the court at Greensburg Central Catholic. Williams, a 6-foot-3 junior swingman for the Centurions, has reached double figures in scoring in 10 of 11 games this season,...
New coaches putting their stamps on Westmoreland County basketball programs
Doug Kelly is as reflective about life as he is basketball. He takes a deep breath and pauses to mull over moments, both small and large in scope, before he moves on to the next challenge. Why did that happen? Who is accountable? Did I do all I could? These...
Franklin Regional tops Greensburg Salem for 1st section win
A few games ago, when Franklin Regional played Latrobe, the Panthers could not make a shot. Inside, outside, layups or putbacks — nothing. There was a lid on the rim. In their game at Greensburg Salem on Wednesday night, they couldn’t miss. Especially from long range. “We know we have...
Franklin Regional grad Summers staying with Villanova football team
Hold the phone, Villanova. Todd Summers is staying. Summers, a tight end who played at Franklin Regional, has decided to finish his college career at Villanova. He had planned to attend Duquesne and play one last season, but Villanova offered him a full scholarship to cover his time in the...
Frontcourt duo gives Latrobe girls a towering presence in paint
It’s picture day at Latrobe. Someone says they should snap a photo of the “twin towers.” The photographer aims the lens upward to capture the Wildcats’ dynamic duo. “It’s pretty cool they call us that,” said Wildcats junior forward Anna Rafferty, one-half of the long post pair that also consists...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Penn-Trafford looks for sweep of Norwin
Penn-Trafford will try to do something it hasn’t done in six years — sweep Norwin — when the teams play for the second time this season Thursday night in North Huntingdon. The rivals reunited in section play after two years apart when Penn-Trafford played up in Class 6A. Penn-Trafford (9-2,...
‘Hempfield way’ produces impressive win against Penn-Trafford
Every time Penn-Trafford picked at Hempfield’s double-digit lead and began to close the gap, the Spartans had an answer. When asked about his team’s ability to fend off the visiting Warriors, senior guard Christian Zilli had an answer. “We talked in the locker room, and we said, ‘If we get...
Saint Vincent’s Shemar Bennett makes national team of the week
One game can carry a lot of clout in the covid-19 era. Just ask Shemar Bennett. The senior forward from Saint Vincent was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, an honor roll released weekly during the season that recognizes strong performances at each position. Saint Vincent has played...
Freshman sparks Latrobe girls to comeback win over Gateway
Latrobe girls basketball gives out “paws” to its players for big performances, a custom akin to helmet stickers in football. At the end of the season, the player with the most paws makes the Wildcats’ “Paw of Fame.” It’s not Canton, but freshman Elle Snyder could be on her way...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill lacrosse loaded with talent
Seton Hill will take the lacrosse field this season with five All-Americans in the lineup. The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/Warrior/New Balance Division II Preseason All-American team features a handful of honorable mention selections from Seton Hills. They are grad student Logan Maloni at attack, senior Zack Estabrooks at midfield,...
New Greensburg Central Catholic football coach Thomas sold on program
While in the process of deciding whether to apply for the football coach opening at Greensburg Central Catholic, Marko Thomas sat down to watch some film. Lots of film. “I watched every one of (GCC’s) games from last year on YouTube and started researching everything I could,” said Thomas, who...
Hempfield alum Bridget Guy hits Olympic standard in pole vault
Bridget Guy works as an assistant track and field coach at Virginia, her alma mater where she literally soared to new heights as an All-American pole vaulter. Don’t let her role fool you. She is far from finished when it comes to competing. In fact, she might just be getting...
Butlers, Gribbles make basketball a family affair in Westmoreland County
For two of Westmoreland County’s most prominent basketball families, the game goes on. Somehow, it goes on. Even in a global pandemic, when hundreds of college programs are shut down and the fortunate programs that are playing are not allowing fans, it’s still hoop season for the Butlers and Gribbles....
Westmoreland high school notebook: Team Bounce AAU team recalled fondly
They were called Team Bounce, and that’s just what they did to teams that took them lightly — bounced ‘em straight out of the gym. A one-hit wonder that swept through the AAU basketball circuit in 2014, locally operated Bounce had a plethora of talent and found cohesion over a...
No. 4 Greensburg CC boys rally to upend No. 5 Jeannette
The Centurions became the Contrarians when Jeannette went ahead by 12 points late in the third quarter Friday night. This game was far from over. “We said to ourselves, if we play hard, we can come back,” Greensburg Central Catholic senior guard Christian McGowan said. “We didn’t want to to...
Hempfield returns from covid-caused layoff, routs Canon-McMillanVideo
Sophomore Brooke McCoy had one of those nights where everything she tossed up seemed to go in. The thing is, like her teammates, the 5-foot-9 guard from Hempfield had not played a game since Jan. 11 as the Lady Spartans sat through a 10-day quarantine because a team member tested...
Westmoreland basketball notebook: Jeannette fights through injuries
Adrian Batts wonders what his Jeannette boys basketball team could look like in a couple of weeks. He tries not to get too used to what it has looked like in recent games — particularly his thin bench. Even still, he bristles when he thinks what the Class 2A No....
