Bill Beckner stories, Page 129
Jeannette alum ‘Showboat’ Robinson again nominated for pro hoops hall of fame
It’s becoming a holiday tradition, Lamont “Showboat” Robinson landing on the pro basketball hall of fame ballot. The question is, is this the year? Robinson, a Jeannette graduate and well-known personality on the comedy basketball circuit, is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame nominee for the fourth straight year....
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Youth no problem for Penn-Trafford
Senior night shouldn’t take very long at Penn-Trafford this year. Guard Maura Suman might feel a little lonely when the spotlight shines on her. She is the team’s only senior. The Warriors feature just three juniors, five sophomores and seven freshmen, an inexperienced but hungry rotation that isn’t backing down...
Derry’s Tiana Moracco attracting attention as she nears school scoring record
Derry knows how to apply and play against box-and-one defenses. The hybrid scheme comes naturally now because the Trojans girls basketball team is seeing more “junk” defenses as opponents try to slow down guard Tiana Moracco. That means they practice them routinely, and Moracco finds ways to shake loose from...
Waynesburg’s Popeck makes 11 3-pointers
Even Stephen Curry might raise an eyebrow at this stat line. Waynesburg’s Matt Popeck was feeling it Thursday night when the Yellow Jackets hosted Stevenson. He felt like he couldn’t miss, and barely did. The junior guard and Washington graduate made a school-record 11 3-pointers on 13 attempts, a ridiculous...
Chartiers Valley finishes stretch of 4 games in 2 tournaments over 3 days with win at Latrobe
Playing four games in three days didn’t seem to bother the Chartiers Valley girls basketball team. Especially their starters. The Colts used more bus drivers this week than they did reserves in Thursday night’s WPIAL semifinal rematch against Latrobe, playing their starting five for most of the game in a...
Top 10 Westmoreland County sports stories of 2021
They lined roads and highways to welcome their championship teams home, the night sky glowing red with the flashing lights of fire trucks. Championship teams in football, wrestling, baseball, softball and other sports brought titles home to Westmoreland County. They lined fairways at Oakmont to watch their local boy chase...
Penn-Trafford boys reach .500 with win vs. Franklin Regional
A heavy dose of Noah Wright early was enough to offset a big helping of Caden Smith late as the Penn-Trafford boys basketball team avenged an earlier loss to Franklin Regional. Wright, a fiery senior guard, scored 13 of his career-high 24 points in the first quarter for Penn-Trafford, which...
Greensburg Salem girls pressure Charleroi, extend winning streak
Suffocating opponents from the tip has become a calling card for the Greensburg Salem girls basketball team. The, ahem, still-unbeaten Greensburg Salem girls basketball team. The Golden Lions’ pace is fast. Their hands are in faces. Teams have little time to react to full-court pressure. “Defense is what makes us,...
Class 2A No. 4 Greensburg C.C. girls take down Franklin Regional
Almost apologetically, Mya Morgan gave a reaction like Michael Jordan did during his “flu game” from the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. Oops, it went in. So did that one. Um, sorry? Morgan, a sophomore shooting guard from Greensburg Central Catholic, put her hands in the air and...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee opens season with victory
There were doubts about Spencer Lee returning to the wrestling mat this season at Iowa after Lee tore his ACL last year but still competed in — and won his third title at — the NCAA Championships. But Lee came back, with a usual label attached to his name —...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Ex-Penn-Trafford kicker Topper gets closure
It has been 24 years since Kevin Topper missed low and left at Three Rivers Stadium. A kicker for Penn-Trafford in 1997, his extra point could have tied the WPIAL Class 4A football championship against Upper St. Clair with 18 seconds remaining. But it wasn’t meant to be. Warriors faithful...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Ligonier Valley’s Beitel learned from late Laurel Valley coach
Ligonier Valley football coach Roger Beitel always admired Jerry Page. The way Page coached, the way he treated people and the way he lived his life. Page, the longtime football coach at Laurel Valley, died Wednesday at the age of 89. Laurel Valley merged with Ligonier Valley in 2010. Beitel...
Marinchak lights out for Ligonier Valley
Lights out, Matthew. Time to go home. Matthew Marinchak doesn’t always heed the warning when he is getting up shots at the Ligonier Valley High School gym or the Ligonier YMCA. The senior guard from Ligonier Valley gets there early, stays late and does it all again the next day...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin flashes potential
Quinton Martin will be one of the most sought-after football recruits in the Class of 2024. But the uber-athletic sophomore from Belle Vernon is showing he is pretty good at basketball, too. The 6-foot-3 forward is fast becoming a scoring threat with consistent double-double potential. Watch him grab a rebound...
Latrobe football coach Jason Marucco resigns
Football coach Jason Marucco would not elaborate on why he wants to leave the sidelines at Latrobe, but he did confirm he turned in a letter of resignation and will not return to coach his alma mater. Marucco guided Latrobe for eight seasons and compiled a record of 20-56 with...
Freshman Pieper leads Penn-Trafford past Hempfield for 1st win of season
Kam Pieper does not have exotic tastes when it comes to her Christmas list. The freshman basketball player from Penn-Trafford is keeping it simple this year. “I don’t know, some Nike socks would be nice,” she said. “All of my other ones have holes in them.” Pieper nearly put holes...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Belle Vernon boasts deep rotation
When it started three different lineups in its first four games, it was evident Belle Vernon’s girls basketball team had depth. With a bench that stretches eight to 10 deep, the Leopards (3-1) have a fresh set of guards ready to take the floor in a constant flow. The rotation...
Dawson, Suman among Westmoreland girls basketball players battling back from injury
Jenna Dawson takes the basketball court with a giant piece of battle armor on her left leg, a constant reminder of a grueling offseason and the toughness she holds within. The junior guard from Belle Vernon missed last season with a torn ACL and MCL and underwent reconstructive surgeries on...
Laurel Valley coaching icon Jerry Page dies at age 89
A local coaching giant is gone but his legacy lives on. Longtime Laurel Valley football and baseball coach Jerry Page died Wednesday morning due to complications from pneumonia, WCCS radio out of Indiana County reported. He was 89. Page coached the Rams, who later merged with Ligonier Valley and kept...
Murrysville’s Jackson makes ace in third round of South Beach Amateur
A hole-in-one can do wonders for a round of golf. Palmer Jackson would know. The Notre Dame junior and former Franklin Regional standout made an ace on the 153-yard third hole at Miami Beach Golf Club Tuesday in the third round of the South Beach International Amateur. The highlight helped...
Belle Vernon boys basketball makes quick work of Yough
There was some discussion over the halftime score Tuesday night at Yough. The scorekeepers and scoreboard operator were two points short of what the media had tabulated at the break. It all stemmed from a basket off a steal by Belle Vernon sophomore forward Quinton Martin. A basket that happened...
Clarion parts ways with football coach Weibel
Following an 0-10 season, there has been a change in command at Clarion. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference school announced it is cutting ties with head football coach Chris Weibel and moving in “a new direction.” Assistant Matt Hanhold was elevated to interim head coach while Clarion conducts a search...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Soccer standout DiFalco believes Duquesne is best fit for him
Some were surprised when Anthony DiFalco signed with Duquesne last week, but the soccer star from Franklin Regional believes he has found the perfect fit. While he had interest from Pitt and Robert Morris, DiFalco went with the Dukes, who finished as the Atlantic 10 runner-up last season. Franklin Regional’s...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Latrobe grad Jake Biss shines in return from injury
Jake Biss is back in the Shippensburg basketball lineup and it didn’t take him long to make an impact. He was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division Athlete of the Week after a couple of 20-point games. In just his third game since returning from an injury, the...
Whitlock scores 39 points as Belle Vernon defeats Hempfield in overtime thriller
Asked if he has another gear when the game is on the line, a clutch gene, Devin Whitlock framed his answer neatly. “I wouldn’t say it’s another gear,” the Belle Vernon senior guard said. “It’s more of a mentality. It’s not wanting to lose.” The Leopards’ leading man took Saturday’s...
