Bill Beckner stories, Page 187
Westmoreland campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad earns preseason player of year nod
Lydia DeFazio took the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference by storm last softball season. After her breakthrough year, Mt. Aloysius can’t hide its secret weapon any more. DeFazio, a junior who has played first base and catcher at the college level, was tabbed the AMCC Preseason Player of the Year, and...
Waynesburg lacrosse snaps losing streak that spanned 3 seasons
Waynesburg had been waiting a long time to experience the thrill of victory again. The women’s lacrosse team finally broke through and did so Sunday when it scored a 7-5 victory at Thomas More to snap a 45-game losing streak that dated to 2016. Not a bad way to open...
Jeannette boys, Norwin girls hold out hope for PIAA playoff berths
The list might be short, but there are some Westmoreland basketball teams still in the hunt for spots in the PIAA playoffs. Despite a rough start to the district postseason that saw area teams combine for a 4-13 record over the first round and quarterfinals, five teams could end up...
Southmoreland girls basketball spearheads Scotties’ sports turnaround
One observer of Southmoreland athletics put it bluntly. For years, the Scotties carried a demeaning moniker with them whenever they showed up on opponents’ schedules. “Lovable losers.” Ouch. The mild-mannered Scotties — even their actual nickname seems to fit, with a wagging tail — would go through the motions, the...
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsule: Game of Feb. 24, 2020
Today’s game Girls Class 4A semifinals No. 2 Southmoreland (23-0) vs. No. 3 Central Valley (18-6) 8 p.m. at Peters Township Winner plays: No. 1 North Catholic (21-1) or No. 4 Blackhawk (20-3) Coaches: Brian Pritts, Southmoreland; Chris Raso, Central Valley Points scored/allowed: Southmoreland 57.5 ppg/30.8; Central Valley 60.5/44.7 Players...
Free agent Terrelle Pryor healthy after stabbing, confident he can still play in NFLVideo
No matter where his football career goes from here, two words will always follow Terrelle Pryor. What if. What if he had gone somewhere other than Ohio State? What if he had not switched positions and stayed a quarterback in the NFL? What if he had signed a multi-year deal...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Rich Garland lands at Mt. Pleasant
When Rich Garland left Franklin Regional, he knew his days of coaching girls soccer in the WPIAL were not over. He was looking for a fresh start. It didn’t take him long to land with a new program. Garland, who guided Franklin Regional for 19 years and win 211 games,...
Shenango mans up, knocks off Jeannette in boys Class 2A quarters
Shenango had planned to come out in a 3-2 zone defense against Jeannette in the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball quarterfinals, but coach Bob McQuiston had an 11th hour change of heart. “I was laying on bed (Thursday night) thinking about it, and I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s just...
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules: Games of Feb. 22, 2020
WPIAL basketball playoff preview Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals No. 6 Belle Vernon (17-6) vs. No. 3 Quaker Valley (17-5) 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Plum Winner plays: No. 2 Knoch (19-3) or No. 7 New Castle (16-7) Wednesday in semifinals Coaches: Joe Salvino, Belle Vernon; Mike Mastroianni, Quaker Valley Points scored/allowed:...
Undefeated Southmoreland girls survive stern test from FreeportVideo
Southmoreland made history and continued its perfect season, but the Scotties had to earn every bit of it. With its gang-busting defense saddled with its toughest test of the season, and Freeport answering each punch with an even better counter-punch, Southmoreland had to find a way to get to 23-0....
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Friday, Feb. 21, 2020
Today’s WPIAL games Boys Class 2A Quarterfinals No. 3 Jeannette (15-7) vs. No. 6 Shenango (18-5) 6:30 p.m. at Norwin Winner plays: No. 2 Sto-Rox (16-7) or No. 10 Brentwood (18-5) on Tuesday in semifinals Coaches: Adrian Batts, Jeannette; Bob McQuiston, Shenango Points scored/allowed: Jeannette 57.4 ppg/47.9; Shenango 61.1/50.3 Players...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Franklin Regional looking toward future
Franklin Regional coach Steve Scorpion was frustrated after his team lost in the final seconds to South Fayette on Monday night in the WPIAL Class 5A first round at Peters Township. The Lions’ Kade St. Ledger made a layup with 4.8 seconds left to clip the Panthers, 48-46, giving Scorpion...
Belle Vernon freshman gives talk, meets with NBA’s best at All-Star weekend
Viva Kreis is becoming a regular around the pro basketball scene. Just a freshman at Belle Vernon, Kreis spent a few days in Chicago for NBA All-Star Weekend, rubbing elbows with the elite of pro basketball and even interviewing some players for the Jr. NBA. Last summer, Kreis hung around...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Another strong PAC meet for Saint Vincent’s Baum
Saint Vincent junior Zach Baum (Derry) capped another stellar conference season in the pool with the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year award. Baum won the 100-yard butterfly for the third consecutive year, with a time of 48.92 seconds, at the PAC championships at Grove City. The time set...
Freedom girls shut down Derry, earn first playoff win since 2015
For nearly 13 minutes, Derry struggled to make shots — or even get shots — against a physical, face-guarding Freedom team that prides itself on defense and soccer-like toughness. During that span, 11th-seeded Freedom scored 24 consecutive points and seized control of its first playoff win in girls basketball since...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Freeport at full strength for rematch with Southmoreland
Coach Fred Soilis hopes playing at full strength will give his Freeport team a much better chance against unbeaten Southmoreland — and maybe even produce a different result. Soilis, who will lead 10th-seeded Freeport (17-6) against No. 2 Southmoreland (22-0) on Thursday night at Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL Class 4A...
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsule: Games of Feb. 20, 2020
Thursday’s game Girls Class 4A quarterfinals No. 2 Southmoreland (22-0) vs. No. 7 Freeport (17-6) 8 p.m. at Penn-Trafford Winner plays: No. 3 Central Valley (17-3) or No. 6 Knoch (17-6) on Monday in semifinals Coaches: Brian Pritts, Southmoreland; Fred Soilis, Freeport Points scored/allowed: Southmoreland 57.7 ppg/29.9; Freeport 55.3/44.1 Players...
Pitt-Greensburg to face first-place La Roche without leading scorer Johnson
Pitt-Greensburg will play its most meaningful game of the men’s college basketball season so far without its top scorer. The Bobcats (20-4, 16-3) will host La Roche (17-6, 17-1) at 6 tonight in a showdown of the top two teams in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference standings. But they’ll do...
Penn-Trafford alum Lydia DeFazio named AMCC softball preseason player of year
Lydia DeFazio took the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference by storm last softball season. After her breakthrough year, Mt. Aloysius can’t hide its secret weapon any more. DeFazio, a junior who has played first base and catcher at the college level, was tabbed the AMCC Preseason Player of the Year, and...
Gateway girls stage furious rally to run past Penn-Trafford
Facing a 13-point deficit that felt more like 30, Gateway had to remind itself this was the playoffs and there was no next game. “Late in that game, we decided it was time to play,” Gators coach Curtiss Williams said. “Our girls believed they still had a chance.” Sixth-seeded Gateway...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Latrobe’s Biss hits 1,000 points at Shippensburg
Junior point guard Jake Biss became the 34th player in Shippensburg men’s basketball history to reach 1,000 career points. The former Latrobe standout played a brow-raising 50 minutes in Saturday’s 104-103 double-overtime loss to Lock Haven. He added four rebounds and two assists for the Raiders (20-5, 16-3 PSAC). In...
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules: Games of Feb. 19, 2020
Wednesday’s games Boys Class 4A First round No. 11 Derry (7-14) vs. No. 6 Belle Vernon (16-6) 8 p.m. at Fox Chapel Winner plays: No. 3 Quaker Valley (17-5) Saturday in quarterfinals Coaches: Tom Esposito, Derry; Joe Salvino, Belle Vernon Points scored/allowed: Derry 56.0/65.2; Belle Vernon 70.6/62.5 Players to watch:...
St. Ledger’s last-second layup lifts South Fayette over Franklin Regional
As South Fayette brought the basketball up the floor in the closing seconds, its season on the line and elimination perhaps one unlucky bounce away, the Lions had an air of calmness about them. It was like they had been here before. That’s because they have. Close finishes are nothing...
Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules: Games for Feb. 18, 2020
Boys Class 6A First round No. 8 Hempfield (12-10) vs. No. 9 Peters Township (13-9) 8 p.m. Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon Winner plays: No. 1 Butler (17-4) Saturday in quarterfinals Coaches: Bill Swan, Hempfield; Gary Goga, Peters Township Points scored/allowed: Hempfield 58.1 ppg/55.2; Peters Township 57.7/57.7 Players to watch: Marcus...
Pitt-Greensburg names coaches for women’s bowling, men’s golf programs
Playing experience stood out on the resumes of two new coaching hires at Pitt-Greensburg. Amanda Balas was named coach of the new women’s bowling team, which will play an independent schedule in 2020-21 and plans to join the AMCC the following year. Balas was an accomplished bowler at Division-I St....
