Bill Beckner stories, Page 131
High-scoring Hempfield boys hold off Norwin in section opener
On two previous occasions this season, Hempfield scored 77 points — and lost. The Spartans are playing an exciting brand of basketball with kickout 3-pointers, quick passes and transition layups, but they haven’t been getting the results they’ve wanted. They had seen enough Tuesday night in the Section 3-6A opener....
Belle Vernon makes splash in 4A girls basketball, shocks No. 1 Southmoreland
Belle Vernon dunked No. 1 Southmoreland then went for a dip. Leopards girls basketball players told their coach, Kaitlyn Slagus, they would jump into the school swimming pool if they knocked off the visiting Scotties. Moments after the final horn sounded Monday night, the team was off to make good...
Montour grad, UPG assistant coach Alan Heter joins Washington Generals for Globetrotters tour
Someone has been missing from Pitt-Greensburg men’s basketball practices and games lately. Assistant coach Alan Heter suddenly has vanished. Call it a disappearing act by the former Montour and Point Park standout player. But don’t limit Heter to that trick only. He can pull off a few more on the...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Norwin grad Olivia Gribble displays shooting touch at Marietta
Olivia Gribble did a lot of winning on the basketball court at Norwin. That trend is continuing in college. A sophomore guard at Marietta, Gribble has helped power the Pioneers to a 10-1 start. Gribble is the team MVP; at least she was in a Christmas tournament. She had a...
Westmoreland notebook: Latrobe boys basketball jilted after holiday trip to Farrell
The Latrobe boys basketball team never played a holiday tournament game, but it did get called for traveling. In a strange scheduling snafu, the Wildcats were jilted after a long bus ride to the Ohio border. The team drove more than 100 miles to play in the Farrell Tournament on...
Drop to Class 5A could be boost for football teams at Hempfield, Norwin
It was like a release valve was turned for Norwin and Hempfield when enrollment numbers showed the schools would drop to Class 5A for football. That meant leaving the rigors of Class 6A, with a schedule that demands near perfection on a weekly basis just to be able to compete,...
With surgery planned, Spencer Lee is done for the season at Iowa
Three-time NCAA champion wrestler Spencer Lee of Iowa is shutting it down for the rest of the season to finally undergo another knee surgery. The top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds coming into the season, Lee has torn both of his anterior cruciate ligaments since competing for the...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Football players add toughness to Penn-Trafford
Penn-Trafford added some championship toughness to its boys basketball rotation. Football players Tommy Kalkstein and Conlan Greene are back from football season after helping the Warriors win WPIAL and PIAA championships. A pair of juniors, Kalkstein brings athleticism and ball-handling to an already deep backcourt, and Greene helps fill a...
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...
