Bill Beckner stories, Page 22
2025 WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship breakdown: Shady Side Academy vs. Greensburg C.C.
WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship No. 1 Shady Side Academy vs. No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic 7 p.m. Thursday, Petersen Events Center On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network; audio: Trib HSSN WPIAL titles: GCC 6 (2024, ’07, ’06, ’03, 1997, ’91); SSA 1 (2024) Shady Side Academy (24-0)...
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Losses never fazed Norwin
At 15-7, the Norwin girls don’t have a snazzy record. But that has never been the Knights’ objective. “Sure, it would be cool to beat everyone and be undefeated,” senior guard Kendall Berger said. “But you don’t learn from winning constantly. You grow from losing some and it builds character.”...
Return visit to The Pete no less exciting for Greensburg Central Catholic girls
Jayla Peterson did not get the full “Pete” experience last year. The junior guard from Greensburg Central Catholic injured her ankle in the first quarter of the WPIAL Class 2A championship game and never returned, spending the rest of the game on the bench next to a pair of crutches....
Belle Vernon’s Joe Salvino could write storybook ending to coaching career
In a back hallway, just off the court Saturday at AHN Arena in Peters Township, Joe Salvino looked up at a scrum of reporters who wanted his reaction to a riveting one-point semifinal win. The Belle Vernon boys basketball coach was jovial and made the group chuckle with a couple...
Norwin girls fend off Canon-McMillan’s rally, return to WPIAL Class 6A title game
Kendall Berger was doing most of the heavy lifting for No. 1 seed Norwin through three quarters, but she needed some help — especially when Canon-McMillan started to close in. She got it, and Norwin took another step toward a repeat. Fourth-seeded Canon-McMillan made its run in the fourth quarter,...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Jeannette forwards step up in semifinal win
Jeannette challenged its big men this week. Be more aggressive, go to the basket, look to score. The post trio of Xavier Odorisio-Farrow, Lonnie Greene and Noah Sunder responded — Green off the bench — in a 45-25 win over No. 2 seed Sewickley Academy in the WPIAL 2A semifinals...
‘Oh my goodness!’ Dunk propels Jeannette boys past Sewickley in Class 2A semifinals
All the talk about Sewickley Academy’s height was canceled out by Jeannette’s post players in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. Jeannette sent a message with one defining play: Xavier Odorisio-Farrow’s drive and slam over 6-foot-8 Mamadou Kane in the third quarter sent the crowd into a frenzy and helped send...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Norwin familiar with semifinal opponent
Norwin is approaching its next opponent with caution. The Knights (14-7), a win away from a second straight trip to the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball final, will take on Canon-McMillan (14-8) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon. While Norwin cruised in the first Section 2...
Westmoreland County WPIAL girls basketball playoff capsule for Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Semifinals 4-Canon-McMillan (14-8) vs. 1-Norwin (14-7) 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon Winner plays: Winner of 6-Mt. Lebanon (14-9)/2-Upper St. Clair (17-6) 5 p.m. Saturday in championship at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Madison Clair, Canon-McMillan; Bella Furno, Norwin Layup lines: Canon-McMillan defeated...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Latrobe grad Kiley Myers tosses no-hitter at Marist
Kiley Myers was as efficient as she was dominant in her first college softball no-hitter. The Marist grad student and Latrobe graduate blanked Long Island, 9-0, in five innings with precision. She had only two strikeouts but threw just 51 pitches and allowed one baserunner. The fast-throwing right-hander retired 10...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Jeannette relies on playoff experience
Kymon’e Brown served up a pointed answer in an interview after his Jeannette Jayhawks pulled off an improbable rally to squeeze past Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals. It was aimed at doubters. “Don’t count us out,” Brown said after Jeannette’s 55-50 win that...
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsule for Feb. 24, 2025
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 2A Semifinals 3-Jeannette (21-2) vs. 2-Sewickley Academy (20-4) 7:30 p.m. Monday at Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 8-Union (18-6)/4-Neshannock (21-2) at 5 p.m. on Friday in championship at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Adam Ikamba, Sewickley Academy; Markus McGowan, Jeannette Layup lines: Sewickley...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Tyler Caterino to lead Belle Vernon boys soccer
Belle Vernon’s new boys soccer coach is a former Mon Valley standout. Tyler Caterino was hired last week to lead the Leopards. The former Monessen and Westminster standout is just 25. He coached one season in the WPIAL, last year with the California boys, a playoff team. Caterino is a...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls rely on defense, Avery Jones’ scoring to reach WPIAL final
It looks like Greensburg Central Catholic found its third scoring option. And a defensive edge to go along with it. Sophomore Avery Jones helped carry some of the offensive load by scoring a career-high 14 points, and No. 2 seed GCC clamped down defensively to hold No. 3 Our Lady...
Norwin notebook: Knights earn all-section basketball honors
The Big 5/6 Conference, which recognizes accomplishments of the two largest classifications in the WPIAL, announced its all-section basketball teams. Seniors Kendall Berger and Averi Brozeski of Norwin were selected to the first team in Section 2-6A, while their coach, Brian Brozeski, was tabbed coach of the year. Norwin senior...
Bella Furno’s hot shooting leads Norwin girls past North Allegheny in Class 6A quarterfinals
She might have been ill, but Bella Furno didn’t show it. Truth be told, the Norwin senior guard had visiting North Allegheny feeling a little queasy as her 3-pointers — 6 out of 8 — splashed through the nets Friday night in top-seeded Norwin’s 52-30 victory in the WPIAL Class...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Greensburg Central Catholic girls looking for playoff heroes to emerge
Greensburg Central Catholic has a formidable scoring tandem in junior guards Erica Gribble and Jayla Peterson. But the second-seeded Centurions (19-5) know they will likely need a third player – or more — to step into a scoring role as they move ahead in the WPIAL 3A playoffs. “One-hundred percent,”...
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules for Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025
Boys Class 4A Semifinals 4-Avonworth (18-5) vs. 1-Belle Vernon (19-4) 3 p..m. Saturday at Peters Township Winner plays: Winner of 3-Beaver (19-4)/2-North Catholic (18-5) at 9 p.m. Feb. 27 in championship at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Rowan Carmichael, Avonworth; Trevor Kovatch, Belle Vernon Layup lines: Avonworth is through...
Jeannette catches fire, rallies past OLSH in Class 2A quarterfinals
Jeannette fell behind by double figures at halftime and faced a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter. The Jayhawks’ WPIAL playoff run was fading fast, along with their hopes for a championship. But then Jayce Powell and his teammates heard the noise. “The fans fired us up,” Powell said....
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules for Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
Girls Class 6A Quarterfinals 8-North Allegheny (9-12) at 1-Norwin (13-7) 7 p.m. Friday Winner plays: Winner of 5-Butler (11-10)/4-Canon-McMillan (13-8) on Tuesday (time, site TBD) in semifinals Players to watch: Maddie Williams, North Allegheny; Kendall Berger, Norwin Layup lines: North Allegheny gets a rematch with Norwin after falling to the...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Penn-Trafford thrives as gritty underdogs
Penn-Trafford coach Doug Kelly had referred to his team as the “road warriors” several times this season. Kelly does not play up the underdog role but rather looks to unleash the “dog” in his boys basketball teams. Dog and grit are two of his favorite words when talking about the...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: GCC’s Christian Hyland recalls hectic moments of ’24 playoffs
Christian Hyland did an interview after Monday’s first-round playoff win over Laurel with a special guest in his lap, his pint-sized daughter, Nova. Well-behaved and quiet, the 11-month-old sat still as her father, the coach of the Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball team, discussed a 67-42 win that moved the...
Cool, collected Thomas Jefferson knocks off unbeaten Penn-Trafford in Class 5A quarters
A nine-point fourth quarter lead was gone. One of their star players fouled out in the closing minute of regulation. And their undefeated and higher-seeded opponent went on a sudden heater. Essentially, Thomas Jefferson’s check engine light came on as a lively WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinal turned toward...
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules for Thursday, Feb. 19, 2025
Boys Class 2A Quarterfinals 8-Union (17-6) vs. 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (21-2) 6 p.m. Thursday at Shaler Winner plays: Winner of 5-Northgate (14-9)/4-Neshannock (20-2) on Monday (time, site TBA) in semifinals Players to watch: Lucas Stanley, Union; Brady O’Rourke, Greensburg Central Catholic Layup lines: Union, a Class A program for decades...
Noah Felentzer leads Southmoreland boys to 1st playoff win since 2017
Southmoreland’s front man wanted another show, and he got it. “This felt like it was going to be a special night,” high-scoring junior guard Noah Felentzer said. “We wanted to keep the band together.” Now comes the encore. Before fouling out, Felentzer scored a playoff career-high 31 points, including 12...
