High School category, Page 930
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...
Norwin freshman emerges as featured playoff performer
Next girl up. It’s the mantra Norwin has adopted out of necessity as two key players were sidelined with season-ending injuries just as the Lady Knights were poised to make a serious playoff push. Norwin (13-4) still made that push, but that it did so without sophomore Savannah Schneck and...
Comfortable in underdog role, Jeannette to face massive challenge at OLSH
Jeannette is an underdog on a big stage. Sound familiar? Think back to the fall when some considered the Jayhawks heavy underdogs in the WPIAL Class A football championship against Clairton. This is basketball — apples to oranges, yes — but the challenge is oddly similar on the surface for...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys hope to get over WPIAL semifinals speed bump
Junior forward Brevan Williams has taken on a greater scoring role this season and leads Greensburg Central Catholic with a 20-point average. He is among the upper echelon of scorers in the WPIAL. But now can his team make a similar rise in Class 2A? Williams and the second-seeded Centurions...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Boys Semifinals Class 2A 5-Jeannette (15-4) at 1-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (19-0) 6 p.m. Wednesday Coaches: Adrian Batts, Jeannette; Mike Rodriguez, OLSH Winner plays: Winner of 3-Sto-Rox (11-5) vs. 2-Greensburg Central Catholic (15-3) in WPIAL...
Western Pa. individual swimmers, relays discover fates for PIAA championships
Swimmers from Alle-Kiski Valley and Westmoreland County schools brought home eight WPIAL Class AAA and Class AA titles from this past weekend’s swimming championships at Upper St. Clair High School. With those titles came automatic bids to the PIAA championships, set for March 19-20, at Cumberland Valley High School. Claiming...
Trib HSSN Wrestling Team of the Week for March 9, 2021: Seneca Valley
This past weekend, the Seneca Valley wrestling team left Altoona High School with three super regional champions, the most of any team in attendance. Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Dylan Chappell and Tyler Chappell, who also won WPIAL titles a week ago, captured West super regional titles Saturday and punched their tickets to...
Trib HSSN Wrestler of the Week for March 9, 2021: Dayton Pitzer, Mt. Pleasant
Not many wrestlers have had the type of season that Dayton Pitzer has had this year. The 215-pounder from Mt. Pleasant dominated the PIAA Class AA West Super Regional this past weekend with three pins, extending his pin streak to 13 in contested matches. After winning the regional tournament with...
Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Week for March 8, 2021
Upper St. Clair has been Trib HSSN’s No. 1-ranked boys basketball team in Class 6A from start to finish in the regular season. That doesn’t mean success in the postseason was going to come easy. So when the playoff battles began, there was no surprise that the football player on...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 9, 2021: Butler, USC meet again
Many coaches feel the toughest loss to deal with is the one that comes one step from achieving a team goal like playing for a WPIAL championship. Those harsh defeats begin to mount Tuesday. The first of three nights of final four basketball tips off with semifinals games from boys...
Owen DeGregorio makes 7 3-pointers as North Catholic returns to WPIAL semifinalsVideo
North Catholic’s Owen DeGregorio took advantage of Monday’s mild weather to put up some shots with his dad on their outdoor hoop. “Maybe I’ve got to do that before every game,” said the senior, who made seven 3-pointers a few hours later as No. 5 seed North Catholic defeated No....
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 8, 2021
High schools Basketball Boys WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Tuesday’s schedule Butler (12-8) at Upper St. Clair (17-1), 6 p.m.; Pine-Richland (12-5) at Fox Chapel (18-2), 6 p.m. Class 5A Semifinals Wednesday’s schedule Mars (16-2) at Chartiers Valley (21-2), 6 p.m.; Laurel Highlands (13-3) at New Castle (18-2), 6 p.m....
High school roundup for March 8, 2021: 11th-seeded Ellwood City pulls off Class 3A upset
Joseph Roth scored 30 points, Alexander Roth added 21, and Ellwood City, the Cinderella of the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs, upset No. 3 Shady Side Academy, 81-73, in overtime Monday night. No. 11 Ellwood City (12-4) is the only double-digit seed to advance to the boys semifinals. No. 14 Beaver...
Dunn leads Woodland Hills rally past Thomas Jefferson in Class 5A quarters
When Woodland Hills needed a second-half spark, it turned to point guard Jazmine Dunn. Now, Thomas Jefferson is done. Dunn ignited a big second half Monday as the Wolverines rallied to defeat the Jaguars, 58-54, to advance to the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. Woodland Hills coach Von Pitts said he...
South Allegheny clamps down on Seton LaSalle in Class 3A quarterfinals
When South Allegheny entered the halftime locker room leading by 13 in Monday’s WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal matchup, there was a mutual sense of disappointment felt by the group. The Gladiators led Seton LaSalle by as many as 21 points midway through the second quarter before the Rebels finished the...
Trinity makes short work of Fox Chapel girls in Class 5A quarters
Top-seeded Trinity made short work of yet another girls basketball opponent Monday night, going on a first-half rampage that led to a second-half running clock in a 59-27 rout of visiting Fox Chapel in a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal game. The Hillers (20-1), who extended their winning streak to 16...
Devin Whitlock walks the walk, leads Belle Vernon past South Park
If a team is game-planning to face the Belle Vernon boys basketball team, one of the first things a coach should do is give his team a commandment: “Thou shalt not chirp or trash talk Devin Whitlock.” As much talking as the Leopards’ star junior may have done during his...
