Bill Beckner stories, Page 7
No surprise as Greensburg CC, Shady Side girls basketball teams cross paths again, this time in state semis
After the WPIAL championship, there seemed to be less “if” and more “when” as to Greensburg Central Catholic and Shady Side Academy meeting again in the girls basketball postseason. GCC (22-7) did its best to keep the Bulldogs (26-2), who spoiled their WPIAL three-peat, on the backburner through three rounds...
Franklin Regional baseball eager for fresh start of new season
Franklin Regional lost its final six games of last baseball season, including an 11-1 setback atgainst Bethel Park in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, but that negative juju is not getting in the way of a new season. Spring, after all, signifies renewal. The Panthers are...
Former Hempfield ace ‘building a complete team’ at Franklin Regional
Maddie Uschock made visits to the pitching circle during games last season as an assistant softball coach at Franklin Regional. The former WPIAL and PIAA championship-winning ace at Hempfield, who played at Shippensburg, brought calmness to ailing pitchers. She helped them reset. As she begins her first season as head...
Seton Hill women’s basketball advances in playoffs with double-OT win
The Seton Hill women’s basketball team moved on in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Griffins advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional with an 88-85 victory in double overtime over Fayetteville State on Friday night at IUP’s Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. Hallie Cowan had...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff preview capsule for March 14, 2026
Boys Class 2A Quarterfinals Jeannette (24-2) vs. Mercyhurst Prep (21-6) 2 p.m. Saturday at Sharon District seeds: Jeannette 7-2; Mercyhurst Prep 10-1 Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Sewickley Academy (27-1)/5-1 McConnellsburg (27-1) Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Kymon’e Brown, Jeannette; Trent Bengel, Mercyhurst Prep Layup lines:...
Markus McGowan drives motivated Jeannette boys through state playoffs
Oftentimes he is the tallest player on the basketball court, but Markus McGowan is not a traditional post player for Jeannette. Far from it, in fact. He is more of a natural guard than a stretch forward. Sure, the 6-foot-3 McGowan will post up occasionally, but usually he is running...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff preview capsule for March 13, 2026
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 3A Quarterfinals Greensburg Central Catholic (21-7) vs. Trinity (23-2) 5 p.m. Friday at Altoona District seeds: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-2; Trinity 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Shady Side Academy (25-2)/6-1 Central Cambria (22-6) on Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Jayla...
Jeannette slams Jefferson-Morgan to move into PIAA Class 2A quarterfinalsVideo
Kymon’e Brown believes he can fly. “I felt like something special was going to happen tonight,” the Jeannette point guard said. On the last play of the second quarter, something did. Brown showed his vertical athleticism when he dashed down the lane, elevated like he was on a forklift and...
South Fayette in championship form in PIAA Class 5A 2nd-round win over Penn-TraffordVideo
If South Fayette was one thing, it was as advertised. The WPIAL-champion Lions, with their five Division I prospects, length and postseason experience, overcame a slow start to sprint past Penn-Trafford, 58-38, in the second round of the PIAA Class 5A girls basketball playoffs on Wednesday night at Peters Township’s...
Westmoreland County softball preview: Plenty of new faces at Penn-Trafford but the standard remains high
Sometimes, sentimentality gets the best of Denny Little. A confirmed baseball romanticist who still collects and trades bubble-gum cards, the Penn-Trafford softball coach allows himself to daydream, if only for a few seconds. He gets whisked away to one of his program’s proudest days. The setting is Penn State’s Nittany...
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Greensburg CC’s next opponent has NBA face on bench
Greensburg Central Catholic coach Chris Skatell has matched wits with former college stars before. Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke, for instance, starred at Pitt. But GCC (21-7) will go against a two-time NBA champion Friday night in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals. The game is at 5 p.m. at...
Seton Hill women march into NCAA Tournament with ‘full head of steam’
An at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament is an invitation. There is nothing automatic about it, and it is not promised to any team. That is why Seton Hill coach Maeve Gallagher wants her players to know they did indeed earn a spot in the national...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball preview capsules for March 11, 2026
Girls Class 4A Second round Belle Vernon (23-4) vs. Blackhawk (23-1) 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at North Allegheny District seeds: Belle Vernon 7-5; Blackhawk 7-2 Winner plays: Winner of 7-3 North Catholic (21-6)/10-1 Harbor Creek (22-4) in quarterfinals Saturday (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Saylor Lee, Belle Vernon; Aubree Hupp,...
Westmoreland County campus clips: 1st-year Saint Vincent coach earns conference honors
Kam Gissendanner was the AMCC women’s basketball coach of the year five times in 12 years when she led LaRoche. She’s 1 for 1 at Saint Vincent. The first-year leader of the Bearcat women was named PAC coach of the year after guiding Saint Vincent to a conference runner-up season....
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff preview capsule for March 10, 2026
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 3A Second round Greensburg Central Catholic (20-7) vs. Northwestern (22-3) 6 p.m. Tuesday at Sharon District seeds: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-2; Northwestern 10-1 Winner plays: Winner of 4-3 Troy Area (24-4)/3-1 Trinity (22-2) Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Erica Gribble, GCC;...
Westmoreland high school basketball notebook: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Gribble meets familiar face
When Greensburg Central Catholic point guard Erica Gribble attended a showcase last summer at IMG Academy in Florida, she roomed with another Pennsylvania star. Gribble and Makayla Presser-Palmer of Northwestern were roommates at the Elite 40 event. Who knew the Division I players would meet in the state playoffs? Gribble...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Hempfield’s Brandon Rapp honored by athletic directors association
Hempfield’s Brandon Rapp said the award he will soon receive is more about his profession — and colleagues who know the behind-the-scenes grind of managing high school athletics — than it is about himself. Rapp will be named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association Region IV Athletic Director of the...
Norwin sports notebook: Knights girls wrestlers advance to state tournament
Three Norwin girls qualified for the PIAA girls wrestling championships March 5-7 at the Giant Center in Hershey. Josephine Dollman, a 142-pounder, advanced with a second-place finish at the West Regional tournament at Mt. Lebanon. Dollman lost to Kiski Area’s Ava Golding, 2-0, as Goulding scored a third-period reversal. Two...
Franklin Regional’s Ceana Copeland makes college decision
Franklin Regional junior Ceana “CC” Copeland committed to play Division II college softball at IUP of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Copeland is a third baseman and utility player for the Panthers. She also had an offer from Seton Hill. “I picked IUP because it really felt like home, and...
McGowan paces Jeannette to opening PIAA victory
One play after another, Markus McGowan welcomed Jeannette back to the basketball court. First, he turned a couple of steals into layups. Then, he made a smooth fadeaway jumper from just off the low block. By the time he delivered consecutive assists to Noah Sunder and Noah Clary — the...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls take out frustrations from WPIAL loss, roll in PIAA opener
And Greensburg Central Catholic thought section play was over. In 14 WPIAL section games this season, GCC had a winning margin of 44 points. Running clocks were a regular occurrence. The Centurions’ PIAA opener had the feel of one of those games as they coasted into the second round with...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff preview capsules for March 7, 2026
Girls Class 5A First round West York (16-10) at Penn-Trafford (20-6) 1 p.m. Saturday District/place: West York 3-6; Penn-Trafford 7-3 Winner plays: Winner of 3-8 Milton Hershey (17-9)/7-1 South Fayette (25-1) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Cam Forsythe, West York; Hanna Weishaar, Penn-Trafford Layup lines:...
Two tabbed PIHL players of the month for February
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League announced its players of the month for February. Hempfield junior forward Colby Herron was the recipient in Class 2A. Herron, who has helped the Spartans reach the Penguins Cup semifinals, had four goals and four assists in three games last month. He plays a key...
Seton Hill men’s basketball team overcomes spate of injuries to reach PSAC semis
The math doesn’t add up on how this conundrum of a college basketball team made the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference semifinals for the first time in program history. How a rash of injuries and corresponding tailspin dumped off Seton Hill in Afterthought City, only for the Griffins to hitchhike their...
Mt. Pleasant hires Katarski as athletic director; will remain as boys basketball coach
Mark Katarski already reunited with his high school alma mater when he became the boys basketball at Mt. Pleasant. Now, he will oversee all of the sports there. Katarski was hired Wednesday night by a 9-0 vote to be the Vikings’ athletic director. He replaces JJ Eckels, who left to...
