St. Joseph boys top West Greene for 1st playoff win since 2011
The St. Joseph boys basketball team saw a double-digit first-half lead trimmed to six at halftime of Friday’s WPIAL Class A first-round game at Mt. Lebanon. But the No. 5 Spartans took over at both ends in the second half and used a 25-0 run to break the game open...
Leechburg boys pull away from Bishop Canevin after halftime
Leechburg boys basketball coach Corey Smith walked his team onto the floor after halftime, turned around, removed his charcoal gray sport coat and said, “I’m feeling it.” Smith knew his Blue Devils were on fire. Backed by a stellar defensive performance and 17 points from junior Connor McDermott, No. 9...
High school roundup for Feb. 15, 2019: Winchester Thurston girls top Frazier
No. 10 seed Winchester Thurston won a foul-plagued WPIAL Class 2A first-round game as freshman Maya Roberts scored 28 points, including four inside the final 33 seconds to seal a 60-56 victory over Frazier at Charleroi. Roberts’ steal and layup with 32.5 seconds to go gave the Bears (11-9) a...
OLSH girls get defensive in WPIAL Class 2A 1st-round win
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart had some struggles offensively against Burgettstown on Friday in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 2A girls basketball playoffs. But the No. 4-seeded Chargers’ defense was in championship form as they pulled away to a 50-30 victory at Peters Township. “Boy, there was...
Ellis School tops Aliquippa for 2nd playoff victory in program history
The Ellis School won only its second WPIAL playoff game in school history Friday night. But it wasn’t without some anxious moments as the Tigers ultimately posted a 47-37 victory. Down 22-2 a little more than a minute into the second quarter, Aliquippa staged a strong comeback, tying the game...
Helm’s hot hand leads No. 7 Greensburg Central Catholic past Geibel in WPIAL 1st round
Members of Greensburg Central Catholic’s boys basketball team knew senior Geoff Helm would have to figure into an opening-round playoff victory. But the team didn’t plan on seeing a second quarter like the one Helm had on Friday night. Helm, a Shippensburg recruit, poured in 14 of his game-high 29...
South Side Beaver girls use 3rd-quarter surge to take down Riverview in 1st round
Riverview did pretty much everything a lower-seeded team would want to do in the first half. The Raiders came out and shot well. They held the lead for a while and got to halftime tied. But on the other side of the court was a South Side Beaver team determined...
5 players to watch in the opening round of the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs
The five-day forecast calls for cold weather across Western Pennsylvania, but here are five WPIAL boys basketball players worth braving the wind chill to watch. All five are in action during the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. Keandre Bowles, Woodland Hills, senior Bowles was the WPIAL’s leading scorer in...
