High School category, Page 174
WPIAL clinched: Boys basketball playoff qualifiers through Jan. 31, 2025
The stretch run of the WPIAL boys basketball season continues as the district postseason field is taking shape. A change in the playoff format this season has sections with eight or more teams sending the top five teams to the playoffs while sections with seven or fewer schools will send...
Southmoreland boys warm up, top Waynesburg to clinch section title
When Southmoreland, the unbeaten Section 4-3A leader in boys basketball, stepped onto its home floor Friday night for the opening tip against runner-up Waynesburg Central, Scotties coach Frank Muccino wasn’t expecting a chilly start. Southmoreland was ice-cold. But despite trailing for much of the game, the Scotties, behind Noah Felentzer’s...
Bethel Park’s playoff hopes get brighter with win over Thomas Jefferson
The power went out on the Bethel Park gym scoreboard several times Friday night. Fortunately for the Black Hawks, the lights did not go out on their playoff hopes. Sophomore guard Will Sabatos tipped in a missed shot to break a tie in the final minute as Bethel Park held...
Connor Crossey leads inspired Franklin Regional to OT win over Latrobe
From the time Franklin Regional’s Caden Brush, a senior stricken with leukemia, won a ceremonial opening tip while sitting in his wheelchair, the Panthers had someone to play for and a reason to win. And that’s before you factor in the playoff implications that made this a must-win Section 1-5A...
Freeport boys come through with crucial section win against Burrell
With its playoff hopes on the line, Freeport responded in a crucial Section 1-4A game Friday at rival Burrell. But it was far from a runaway down the stretch for the Yellowjackets. Freeport led by as many as 14 in the third quarter before Burrell cut the lead to two...
Knoch boys beat Deer Lakes, keep section hopes alive
Knoch boys basketball coach Alan Bauman was thrilled watching his team mature Friday night during a Section 1-4A contest with Deer Lakes at home. Twice, the Lancers made extended runs in the third and fourth quarters to move within two points. Both times, Knoch dug deep and never returned the...
WPIAL team wrestling championships preview: Derry seeking 1st title
Derry has been to the WPIAL wrestling team finals three times and is seeking its first title. But before it can worry about the championship match, the No. 2-ranked Trojans (17-2) must get by talented No. 3 seed McGuffey (15-4) in the Class 2A semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday at...
Thomas Jefferson, Neshannock, Butler win PIAA competitive spirit titles
Neshannock and Butler added to their trophy cases while Thomas Jefferson outdueled a WPIAL rival for its first title at the PIAA competitive spirit championships Friday in Hershey. Neshannock won the Class 2A Large Varsity division for the third straight year, posting a score of 80.87 to beat second-place Hickory...
Shady Side Academy hires former team captain as football coach
Shady Side Academy graduate Andrew Geisler, who served as Thiel’s defensive coordinator last season, is returning to his high school alma mater as football coach. The school announced his hire Friday. A former football team captain, Geisler graduated in 2012 and later played defensive line at Saint Vincent. His coaching...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 30, 2025
High schools Basketball Boys Thursday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Imani Christian 63, Upper St. Clair 58 Section 2 Norwin 61, Hempfield 56 Class 3A Section 3 South Allegheny 68, Steel Valley 27 Class 2A Section 1 Bentworth 54, Clairton 49 Nonsection Carrick 69, Valley 54 Penn-Trafford 80, Greensburg Salem...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 31, 2025: Section deadlock about to be broken
We say so long to January with a busy “Frayday” of WPIAL boys basketball stretch run action. The three-way tie for first place in Section 1-4A will be whittled down to either two or one team on top following Friday night. Deer Lakes (16-3), Knoch (13-5) and North Catholic (13-5)...
High school roundup for Jan. 30, 2025: Imani Christian stuns No. 1 Upper St. Clair
Kieshaun Demus scored 19 points as No. 1 Imani Christian turned the tables on No. 1 Upper St. Clair on Thursday night, winning 63-58 to hand the Panthers their first Section 2-6A loss of the season. RJ Sledge added 11 points for the Saints (12-6, 10-2). The first time the...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 1, 2025: Team wrestling titles up for grabs
The February Frenzy begins with WPIAL championship wrestling and boys and girls basketball. The district team wrestling semifinals and championships will take place Saturday morning and afternoon at Peters Township. In one of the Class 2A semifinals, top-seed and defending champion Burrell will battle No. 4 Quaker Valley at 10...
WPIAL clinched: Girls basketball playoff qualifiers through Jan. 30, 2025
The stretch run of the WPIAL girls basketball season is underway as the district postseason field continues to take shape. A change in the playoff format this season has sections with eight or more teams sending the top five teams to the playoffs while sections with seven or fewer schools...
Norwin boys let their play do the talking in important victory over Hempfield
Norwin is talking the talk. Knights first-year boys basketball coach Cam Auld has a computer spinner wheel with his players’ names on it. When he gives it a flick and the arrow lands on a name, that player has to give the next pregame speech. It was Alex Graney’s turn...
Burrell girls buckle down to defeat Freeport
After a first quarter in which the Burrell and Freeport girls basketball teams combined for 26 points, scoring was a little harder to come by the rest of the way in Thursday’s Section 1-4A clash of rivals at Burrell High School. But the homestanding Bucs scored enough and made the...
A-K Valley boys basketball notebook: Deer Lakes, Knoch, North Catholic to battle for Section 1-4A title
Friday’s anticipated rematch between the Deer Lakes and Knoch boys basketball teams will go a long way in determining a Section 1-4A champion. It also will give the WPIAL basketball committee an idea of where the Section 1 contenders should be seeded for the district playoffs. But this game will...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Ligonier Valley sharpshooter joins 1,000-point club
Ligonier Valley has a hoop-a-Hollick. “I have loved basketball since middle school,” said senior guard Parker Hollick, who this week became the boys basketball program’s latest 1,000-point scorer. Hollick needed 29 to reach the milestone and netted 33 on Wednesday in a win over Brownsville. Twenty-seven boys have now scored...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 30, 2025: Upper St. Clair in position to finish off section title race
While it appears the chase for the section title in Section 1-6A boys basketball is going to come down to the last night of section play, the lights could be turned out Thursday on the race for a championship in Section 2-6A. Upper St. Clair (18-1) can clinch the section...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 29, 2025
High schools Basketball Boys Wednesday’s results Class 5A Section 2 Plum 46, Armstrong 37 Class 3A Section 4 Ligonier Valley 81, Brownsville 55 Class 2A Section 1 Jeannette 61, Clairton 51 Nonsection Avella 62, Beth-Center 32 Beaver 60, Lincoln Park 49 Monessen 72, Cornell 43 Nazareth Prep 76, Perry 19...
High school wrestling roundup for Jan. 29, 2025: Thomas Jefferson storms into Class 3A semifinals
Maddox Shaw (152), Brayden White (160), Bode Marlow (172) and Zach LaBryer (189) recorded four consecutive pins and a pin by Shep Turk (285) gave Thomas Jefferson the lead for good in a 39-33 victory over Trinity in the WPIAL Class 3A team wrestling quarterfinals Wednesday. Zach Rehak (107) also...
High school basketball roundup for Jan. 29, 2025: Oakland Catholic ends North Catholic section winning streak
Madi Pullen sank the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, leading No. 3 Oakland Catholic to a 39-37 victory over No. 1 North Catholic in Section 1-4A girls basketball Wednesday night, ending the Trojanettes’ 112-game section winning streak that dated to 2016. Alayla Bivins scored 12 points to lead the...
Despite being down 2 starters, Burrell wrestling rolls into Class 2A team semifinals
Calio Zanella was sporting a nose plug to stymie the bleeding, highlighting one of the major challenges facing Burrell’s wrestling team this week. The top-seeded Buccaneers are battling illness as they attempt to defend their WPIAL Class 2A crown. Burrell was missing two starters, but the Buccaneers didn’t allow that...
Derry reaches WPIAL team wrestling semifinals with dominant performance
It was quite a dominating performance by the Derry wrestling team Wednesday. The second-ranked Trojans rolled over Avella and Burgettstown to advance to the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday at AHN Arena at Peters Township. It is the first time since 2018 that Derry has reached the...
Trib HSSN Pennsylvania high school girls basketball rankings for Jan. 29, 2025
In the final Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings of January, the cream is starting to rise to the top in preparation for the upcoming district playoffs coming in a couple of weeks. There was very little movement in the Top 5 this week compared to last week. In fact,...
