Bill Beckner stories, Page 3
Sewickley Academy overpowers frustrated Jeannette to win WPIAL Class 2A title
Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said the taller basketball team isn’t always the best team. But on this occassion, it was. This WPIAL Class 2A championship game was played at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center, but it was more Victory Heights for these Panthers. Second-seeded Sewickley Academy used its size, casting a...
2026 WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship breakdown: Norwin vs. Canon-McMillan
WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship No. 2 Norwin vs. No. 1 Canon-McMillan 5 p.m. Saturday, Petersen Events Center WPIAL titles: Norwin 3 (2024, ’16, ’15); Canon-McMillan 0 Norwin (19-4) Coach: Brian Brozeski, Norwin Projected starting lineup No., Name, Height, Class, Position 12, Kylie Rodkey, 5-8, sr., G 15, Anna...
Norwin, Canon-McMillan ready to grind it out in WPIAL championship game
When Norwin played Canon-McMillan in early January, the Knights scored 22 points in the fourth quarter and won 56-52. When the teams met for a second time earlier this month, Norwin sputtered and managed only two points in the third quarter in a 44-37 loss. The Knights put up 17...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls turn focus to states after WPIAL title-game loss
Jayla Peterson had an ice wrap on her shoulder after Greensburg Central Catholic fell to Shady Side Academy, 57-40, on Thursday night in the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship game at Petersen Events Center. The Centurions senior guard, though, isn’t ready to wrap up her final prep season. “I...
In championship rematch, Shady Side Academy drops Greensburg Central Catholic for Class 3A title
Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke called Karis Thomas, her senior point guard, “the epitome of calm” after the Bulldogs became WPIAL girls basketball champions for a second time. “I mean, nothing gets to her,” Burke said. “She never ceases to amaze me.” Once a wide-eyed 9-year-old who appeared on...
Jeannette meets formidable foe in Sewickley Academy as it seeks to repeat as WPIAL Class 2A boys champion
Kymon’e Brown values last year’s WPIAL championship and holds it close to his heart. But for the past year, the Jeannette point guard has been laser-focused on winning another one. “It’s more meaningful to defend something,” Brown said. “Our goal all along has been to win a state championship. Winning...
2026 WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship breakdown: Sewickley Academy vs. Jeannette
WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship No. 2 Sewickley Academy vs. No. 1 Jeannette 5 p.m. Friday, Petersen Events Center Audio broadcast: Trib HSSN WPIAL titles: Jeannette 2 (2025, ‘08); Sewickley Academy 5 (2018, ‘17, ‘10, ‘09, ‘04) Sewickley Academy (24-1) Coach: Mike Iuzzolino Projected starting lineup No., Name, Ht.,...
Expect Shady Side Academy, Greensburg Central Catholic to put on show in WPIAL finals
Greensburg Central Catholic and Shady Side Academy meeting again for a WPIAL championship is a basketball fan’s delight. There are several similarities between the teams, making it one of the better matchups this weekend at Petersen Events Center. No. 3 seed GCC (19-6), the defending champion, will take on No....
2026 WPIAL Class 3A girls championship breakdown: Shady Side Academy vs. Greensburg Central Catholic
WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship No. 3 Greensburg Central Catholic vs. No. 1 Shady Side Academy 7 p.m. Thursday at Petersen Events Center Audio broadcast: Trib HSSN WPIAL titles: GCC 7 (2025, ‘24, ‘07, ‘06, ‘03, 1997, ‘91); SSA 1 (2024) Greensburg Central Catholic (19-6) Coach: Chris Skatell Projected...
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: ‘Pete’ won’t look familiar to most Norwin girls
If Brian Brozeski asks his Norwin girls basketball players to raise their hand if they have played at the “Pete,” he might hear crickets. Despite this being the team’s third straight finals appearance, only three current players have appeared in title games: seniors Ava Christopher and Anna Fraser and junior...
Senior Ava Christopher leads Norwin girls to 3rd straight trip to WPIAL finalsVideo
They say it is difficult to beat a team three times in a season. It is even harder to get to the WPIAL finals three straight times. Many WPIAL basketball players get to go to the “Pete” only when they buy a ticket. But Norwin senior guard Ava Christopher is...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 25, 2026
Boys Class 3A Seventh-place game 11-Ligonier Valley (13-12) at 5-Southmoreland (15-10) 7 p.m. Wednesday Players to watch: Michael Wisniewski, Ligonier Valley; Ty Whoric, Southmoreland Layup lines: The winner advances to the PIAA playoffs as the No. 7 seed from the WPIAL. The loser is eliminated from state contention. … Ligonier...
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Jeannette senior thrives with vote of confidence
Jeannette senior Noah Sunder received a text message before the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball semifinal against Clairton. It was from coach Adrian Batts. “I want you to smile today,” it read. “I believe in you. … You should believe in yourself.” The message resonated with Sunder, who made several...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Hempfield grad stars in pool for Saint Vincent at PAC meet
Saint Vincent senior Jacob Dzurica left an indelible mark on his final appearance at the PAC Championships. The Hempfield graduate won the 50-yard freestyle, setting a conference record in prelims with a time of 19.72 seconds. He won the event in 20.08 seconds. Dzurica didn’t stop there as he also...
Jeannette boys grind out semifinal win over rival Clairton, reach WPIAL Class 2A title game
Top-seeded Jeannette didn’t necessarily want to play halfcourt basketball with No. 5 Clairton, but the game leaned that way for the better part of 32 minutes. It was an adjustment for both teams. Despite a boatload of athleticism all over the court, neither managed much in transition and the pace...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 24, 2026
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Semifinals 3-Upper St. Clair (12-11) vs. 2-Norwin (18-4) 7 p.m. Tuesday at Keystone Oaks Winner plays: Winner of 5-Seneca Valley (14-6)/1-Canon-McMillan (19-4) in championship, 5 p.m. Saturday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Ekaterina Polstyanko, Upper St. Clair; Liz Yarosik, Norwin Layup...
Hempfield’s Jasmine Jones credits Air Force, bobsled pilot for helping her reach Olympic dreams
Lake Placid, N.Y., is where Jasmine Jones calls home these days since she trains there with the Air Force World Class Athlete program. On Saturday night in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, Jones became an Olympic bronze medalist alongside her friend and teammate, Kaillie Armbruster Humphries, in the two-woman bobsled competition. The...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Norwin, Hempfield athletes shine at TSTCA indoor championships
Norwin and Hempfield went back and forth at the Tri-State Track and Field Coaches Association indoor championship Saturday at Edinboro’s Mike Zafirovski Sports and Recreation Dome. Norwin won the girls championship by 2.5 points over Hempfield, and the Hempfield boys also took second. Hempfield coach Dave Murray said his athletes...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Ava Christopher’s return bolsters Norwin lineup
Even at Norwin, where rotations run deep and the bench is long, the absence of one player can make a big difference. Senior Ava Christopher missed 10 games this season with a knee injury, and the Knights had to wait for her to return. The crafty guard is back, and...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 23, 2026
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 2A Semifinals 5-Clairton (18-3) vs. 1-Jeannette (21-1) 7:30 p.m. Monday at Norwin Winner plays: Winner of 3-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (20-4)/2-Sewickley Academy (23-1) in championship at 5 p.m. Friday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Brandon Murphy, Clairton; Jayce Powell, Jeannette...
Norwin notebook: Knights runners shine at TSTCA meet
Competing in the “Boro Bubble,” Norwin stuck a pin in a school record. The indoor distance medley relay squad ran to a time of 12 minutes, 26.58 seconds, beating the previous mark by 30 seconds. Ransom Gaydos won the 3,200-meter run in 9:19.59 at TSTCA Meet No. 4, while Tyler...
‘It’s all about advancing’: Jeannette faces rival Clairton with WPIAL finals berth on the line
Jeannette is being cautious as it moves ahead in the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball bracket. The Jayhawks don’t want to step in a bear trap. Jeannette (21-1) will take on Clairton (18-3) for a third time this season when the teams meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the semifinals...
Westmoreland County high school sports notebook: College offers adding up for Southmoreland sophomore
Southmoreland sophomore Jackson Mickens grabbed his fourth NCAA Division I scholarship offer. The big-play running back and defensive end added Middle Tennessee State to his list, which also includes offers from Akron, Sacramento State and Miami (Ohio). This season, the 6-foot, 215-pounder was an all-Class 3A Interstate Conference first teamer...
Thomas Jefferson rolls past Penn-Trafford to reach WPIAL finals for 1st time since 2019Video
Thomas Jefferson called a timeout about a minute into the game after Penn-Trafford scored the first five points. “Settle, relax,” Jaguars coach Matt Gould told his girls. “You haven’t done anything wrong or right yet.” The second-seeded Jaguars called another timeout late in the fourth. This time, they really could...
Hempfield’s Jasmine Jones earns Olympic bronze medal in 2-woman bobsled
Their arms raised and an American flag draped across their backs, Jasmine Jones and Kaillie Armbruster Humphries flashed smiles, held hands and leaned against one another on a cold night on an Italian mountain range. The bobsled duo knew they had earned a spot on the Olympic podium. “When we...
