High School category, Page 878
Hempfield takes 3rd in state rifle championships
WPIAL team rifle champion Hempfield placed third overall at Wednesday’s Pennsylvania State Scholastic Smallbore Rifle Championships. The Spartans, led by Abby Bowin, Lydia Dunn, Rylee Loucks, Paige Roberts and Clair Martz, finished with a team score of 1,011.5. District 11’s Southern Lehigh claimed the state title with a five-shooter score...
OLSH rolls Jeannette, shows no signs of slowing down heading into WPIAL finals
Jeannette found out quickly it faced a difficult challenge in the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball semifinals Wednesday night at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. When the Chargers had four offensive rebounds on their first possession, Jeannette coach Adrian Batts knew winning would take a supreme effort. No. 1...
Defending champion Mohawk puts down upstart Beaver Falls
All season, Mohawk coach Mike O’Lare has talked to his team about creating a new story to be remembered to go along with winning the school’s first WPIAL girls basketball title a year ago. The sequel has had some different variables in it, but the Warriors are one win away...
North Catholic girls fend off challenge from Laurel, eye 5th straight WPIAL title
For nearly three quarters Wednesday night, North Catholic’s quest for a seventh consecutive trip to the WPIAL finals was receiving a solid challenge from Laurel. But like many strong programs do, the Trojanettes put it all together and rolled to a 57-36 victory over the Spartans in a Class 3A...
Belle Vernon, North Catholic bring similar styles into Class 4A semifinal clash
When top-seeded Belle Vernon tips off against No. 5 North Catholic in a WPIAL 4A semifinal Thursday night, it would be easy to understand if the Leopards felt like they were looking in a mirror when going against the Trojans. That’s because North Catholic (17-4) and Belle Vernon (13-1) play...
Wrestling notebook: WPIAL teams navigated unusual season
Friday and Saturday will mark the end of a strange high school wrestling season for many area wrestlers. Thank the coronavirus pandemic for that. It was a year ago when Gov. Tom Wolf closed down the state because of the pandemic, and subsequently high school sports across the commonwealth were...
North Allegheny handles Mt. Lebanon, advances to 6th straight WPIAL finals
Lizzy Groetsch’s pass to the perimeter allowed Jasmine Timmerson to snap a cold spell midway through the first quarter for the North Allegheny girls basketball team. Timmerson knocked down a 3-pointer that pulled the Tigers within one and stopped a string of four team misses from the perimeter. Even when...
New Castle tops Laurel Highlands, reaches 7th WPIAL finals in 10 years
Six times in the past decade already, New Castle had reached the WPIAL finals behind a frenzied press defense that’s become a hallmark of the program. But against Laurel Highlands and its sophomore star, one win away from another finals appearance, the Red Hurricanes lowered the pressure. “Unless Mookie Blaylock...
Burrell duo heads to Hershey with one job left to do
Three Burrell wrestlers and Knoch’s Eli Reese are heading to Hershey on Friday for the PIAA Class AA individual wrestling tournament, and they’re all hoping to come home with a gold medal around their neck. A year ago, Burrell seniors AJ Corrado and Ian Oswalt came home with runner-up finishes...
Carrick captures City League title for 1st time since 1994
The last time Carrick won a City League championship, head coach Walter Milinski was an assistant coach for the Raiders as they won back-to-back titles in 1993-94. Now, 27 years later, Milinski has a City League title of his own. Behind 14 points from senior guard Vashon Howard and 12...
Mt. Pleasant pinning machine Dayton Pitzer eyes 2nd PIAA title
Mt. Pleasant junior Dayton Pitzer’s nickname isn’t “Pinzer,” but it should be. Even though he really doesn’t have a nickname, when he is on the wrestling mat, Pitzer is looking to do one thing: pin his opponent, and he has done that a lot during his two-year career. Pitzer (39-2)...
Defensive strategy key for Latrobe girls against 2-time reigning champion Chartiers Valley
Latrobe is willing to throw a number of defenses at Chartiers Valley to see if one sticks. The sixth-seeded Wildcats (14-2), who are further along in the WPIAL playoffs than they have been in 23 years, face an ominous task in the Class 5A semifinals. The No. 2 Colts (21-3)...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Thursday, March 11, 2021
Here’s a look at Thursday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Girls Class 5A Semifinals 6-Latrobe (14-2) at 2-Chartiers Valley (21-3) 6 p.m. Thursday Coaches: Mark Burkhardt, Latrobe; Tim McConnell, Chartiers Valley Winner plays: Winner of 5-Woodland Hills (13-6) at 1-Trinity (20-1), 8 p.m. Monday in WPIAL championship...
Allderdice boys excluded from City League basketball finals but season isn’t over
The City League boys basketball championship will move forward without Allderdice but the team’s season isn’t over. Hours before tipoff, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Wednesday that its athletic committee voted 10-3-1 to have Carrick and Brashear meet in the championship game as planned. Allderdice was forced to forfeit its semifinal...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 9, 2021
High schools Basketball Boys WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Tuesday’s results Upper St. Clair 70, Butler 62 Pine-Richland 76, Fox Chapel 63 Finals Friday’s schedule Upper St. Clair (18-1) vs. Pine-Richland (13-5) at Peters Township, 8 p.m. Class 5A Semifinals Wednesday’s schedule Mars (16-2) at Chartiers Valley (21-2), 6 p.m.;...
Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings for March 9, 2021
Some of the 12 district tournaments across the state are already completed while others are winding down. Only the district champions can be a part of this year’s PIAA postseason. So the district playoffs this year are truly one and done. As we inch closer to the Road to Hershey,...
Neshannock turns up intensity, beats Sewickley Academy in Class 2A semifinals
For the second time in three years, Neshannock is headed to the WPIAL championship game. The top-seeded Lancers outscored fourth-seeded Sewickley Academy 31-10 in the second half Tuesday en route to a 47-26 home victory in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. The section foes split their regular season meetings, each...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for March 10, 2021: Star-studded semis in Class 5A boys
One set of final fours is in the books and another batch is ready to go Thursday. So it seems fitting that the middle of the WPIAL semifinals take place in the middle of the work week. The second of three nights of final four basketball takes place on Trib...
Serra Catholic overcomes Winchester Thurston in overtime for spot in Class 2A finals
Grace Navarro isn’t one to dwell on the past. The Serra Catholic senior might miss a basket on one possession before quickly putting it behind her and setting her focus on the next. “When I’m playing, I’m kind of out of it and I can’t hear anything or pay attention...
Rochester boys hold off Leechburg in WPIAL Class A semifinals
Rochester continued its boys basketball rags-to-riches story Tuesday night. But it wasn’t without a major challenge from Leechburg. Winless a year ago, the Rams are headed for the WPIAL Class A title game after a 58-55 home semifinal victory. Second-seeded Rochester (14-4) will play No. 1 Bishop Canevin at 8...
Pine-Richland knocks off Fox Chapel, returns to WPIAL Class 6A title game
Pine-Richland boys basketball coach Bob Petcash came into this season with a plan, and it revolved around his team hitting their peak at just the right time. After a 12-point win over Peters Township, a four-point win over No. 3 Hempfield and Tuesday’s 76-63 victory over No. 2 Fox Chapel...
Beaver shuts down Knoch, earns spot in Class 4A girls title game
The Beaver girls basketball team is back in familiar territory. The Bobcats will play for a WPIAL championship for the second year in a row. Behind a game-best 22 points from senior point guard Emma Pavelek, Beaver limited Knoch on the scoreboard and came away with a 40-22 victory in...
Upper St. Clair finally solves Butler, earns 1st WPIAL finals appearance since ’05
Upper St. Clair lost twice to Butler in last year’s basketball playoffs, heart-wrenching losses that senior Luke Banbury recalls a little differently than his USC teammates. He was relegated to a spectator role. “I remember sitting there feeling helpless,” said Banbury, who was ineligible for the playoffs under PIAA transfer...
Cinderella season continues for Quaker Valley girls basketball
Remember all that talk about Southmoreland being the darlings of the WPIAL girls basketball playoffs a year ago? Well, the spotlight might have shifted to the Scotties’ latest opponent. It is Quaker Valley’s turn to wear Cinderella’s slipper in Class 4A. A semifinal team for the second time in school...
Bishop Canevin handles Union, earns 1st trip to WPIAL boys finals in 15 years
Bishop Canevin coach Gino Palmosina avoided giving any history lessons before the Crusaders’ WPIAL Class A semifinal playoff game Tuesday night at home. Having the opportunity to earn a trip to the district final for the first time since 2006 wasn’t a major motivator. Palmosina was more worried about Union’s...
