High School category, Page 935
Two players set career highs in points as Belle Vernon boys rout Freeport
While Belle Vernon is the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 4A bracket, the Leopards feel disrespected. Coach Joe Salvino feels like many aren’t picking his team to win a title, and his players feel the same way. So BVA came out in Thursday’s first-round game against No. 17...
Latrobe girls eke out 1st-round win over South Fayette
Latrobe has been working on situational plays in practice to get ready for the potentially tight fourth quarters it might see in the playoffs. Inbounds plays and careful possessions are a sidecar to mentally handling the pressure that comes with late leads. On Thursday night, the Wildcats girls got to...
Deer Lakes avoids slow start, takes down Elizabeth Forward
The Deer Lakes boys basketball team has only played one game since Feb. 10, but it sure doesn’t look like that. On Thursday night, the No. 10 Lancers (10-3) returned to their home court for the first time in just under a month and turned in a dominant shooting performance...
Free-throw shooting, defense lead Central Valley boys over Burrell
Solid free-throw shooting and a strong presence on the defensive boards proved to be the difference as Central Valley posted a 51-37 victory over Burrell in a WPIAL Class 4A first-round game. Senior guard Brandon Graham scored 22 points and was 13 of 15 from the free-throw line as the...
Shady Side Academy betters Apollo-Ridge for 3rd time this season
After a pair of regular-season losses to Section 3-3A rival Shady Side Academy, the Apollo-Ridge boys basketball team hoped the third meeting would be the charm Thursday in a WPIAL first-round game at Fox Chapel. But the No. 3 Bulldogs (14-2) didn’t let the 14th-seeded Vikings taste postseason victory at...
North Catholic’s pressure too much for Mt. Pleasant in Class 4A quarterfinals
Mt. Pleasant must have felt like North Catholic’s pressure defense met them at the front door. At times, the Vikings probably felt there were more than five defenders on the floor. No. 5 North Catholic overcame a slow start, turned up its pressure defense and defeated No. 12 Mt. Pleasant,...
Hempfield boys basketball surprises, exceeds expectations
As Hempfield boys basketball coach Bill Swan and his staff prepared for this season, masks on and attitudes upbeat, they pondered what might happen in the coming months. Would covid-19 take a swing at the Spartans? Would there even be a season, let alone playoffs? The questions piled up, yet...
Fox Chapel swimmers lead A-K Valley contingent into WPIAL championship meet
Fox Chapel’s Talia Bugel made the most of her freshman swimming season. That included two individual medals — a third in the 100-yard backstroke and a sixth in the 50 freestyle — at the WPIAL Class AAA championships. Now a sophomore, Bugel is back in both and highly seeded for...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Friday, March 5, 2021
Here’s a look at Friday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Boys Class 6A Quarterfinals 6-Pine-Richland (12-5) at 3-Hempfield (12-5) 6 p.m. Friday Coaches: Bob Petcash, Pine-Richland; Bill Swan, Hempfield Winner plays: Winner of 7-North Allegheny (16-6) at 2-Fox Chapel (19-2), 6 p.m. Tuesday in semifinals About Pine-Richland:...
Super Region presents new challenge to WPIAL wrestlers on road to Hershey
Wrestlers from around the state face a new challenge Saturday: the PIAA Super Region. Because the PIAA decided to reduce the field and the number of days of the annual championships in Hershey, a new step was added. The PIAA championships will have a field of eight in each classification....
Mt. Pleasant relay teams eager to hit pool for WPIAL meet
It might be tough for a four-member relay team to socially distance while standing on top of an awards podium, but members of the Mt. Pleasant girls swim team would like the opportunity to try. Judging by their seed times, the Vikings have a pretty good shot at reaching their...
Plum’s Antonino Walker keeps moving forward after runner-up WPIAL finish
Plum freshman Antonino Walker has made a name for himself this season. The 106-pound Mustang who goes by “Nino” has gone 22-2 this season with his only losses coming against Seneca Valley’s Tyler Chappell. The two faced off earlier this season and Chappell, who is the No. 1 wrestler in...
A-K Valley basketball playoff capsules: Games for Friday, March 5, 2021
Here’s a look at Friday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving A-K Valley teams: Boys Quarterfinals Class 6A 7-North Allegheny (16-6) at 2-Fox Chapel (19-2) 6 p.m. Friday Coaches: Dan DeRose, North Allegheny; Zach Skrinjar, Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 6-Pine Richland (12-5) at 3-Hempfield (12-5), 6 p.m. Tuesday About...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for March 4, 2021: Top scorers step into spotlight
We have reached the final night of the first round. On Thursday, all of the brackets will be sliced from the sweet 16 to the elite eight in the 2021 WPIAL boys and girls open basketball playoffs. Round 1 action Thursday will feature games from boys 4A, boys 3A, girls...
Trib 10: Belle Vernon, Trinity keep top spots in power rankings as playoffs begin
The regular season is in the books (woo hoo!) and the WPIAL has started with a unique open tournament. Sure, all were welcomed, but the pretenders have been quickly weeded out. While there wasn’t a whole lot of movement in the power ranking this week, with the quarterfinals and semifinals...
Trib HSSN Boys Basketball State Rankings for March 3, 2021
Most of the districts across Pennsylvania have concluded their regular season and are now participating in the all-important district playoffs. In the past, teams could gain a berth into the PIAA postseason by reaching the district semifinals or in some cases, even the quarterfinals. For this year, that is a...
High school scores, summaries and schedule for March 3, 2021
High schools Basketball Boys WPIAL playoffs Class 6A First round Quarterfinals Friday’s schedule Seneca Valley (11-9) at Upper St. Clair (16-1), 8 p.m.; Butler (11-8) at Penn-Trafford (13-5), 6 p.m.; North Allegheny (15-6) at Fox Chapel (17-2), 6 p.m.; Pine-Richland (11-5) at Hempfield (12-5), 6 p.m. Class 5A First round...
High school roundup for March 3, 2021: Reynolds, Chartiers Valley heat up, move on
Brayden Reynolds scored 33 points and No. 1 Chartiers Valley turned it on after trailing by two at the end of the first quarter to earn a 74-56 WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball first-round victory over No. 17 McKeesport on Wednesday night. Socrates Boulis added 17 points for the Colts...
Latrobe shows toughness, knocks off seventh-seeded Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson head coach Dom DeCicco called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining in Wednesday’s WPIAL playoff opener to devise an appropriate offensive strategy. With TJ trailing Latrobe by two points, the veteran mentor scripted up a pair of play calls: A shot inside for 6-foot-6 senior forward Ethan Dunsey...
Bethel Park’s Olivia Westphal too much for Shaler in Class 6A clash
Shaler started Wednesday’s Class 6A first-round girls basketball playoff game playing a box-and-one defense against Bethel Park senior Olivia Westphal. The junk defense didn’t last long because no matter what the Titans did, they couldn’t slow down the district’s top scorer. The Duquesne recruit scored 33 points as Bethel Park...
Senior forward’s big night boosts Baldwin past Penn-Trafford
Baldwin girls basketball coach Jamal Woodson sounded like he was at the podium at an awards show when senior forward Meghan Dryburgh’s name came up in a postgame interview. He went all Golden Globes after he and his team celebrated with a small group of fans Wednesday night. And the...
Mars grinds out win over Franklin Regional in Class 5A first round
In this unpredictable and unorthodox season, Mars boys basketball coach Rob Carmody is set to savor every victory that comes along. The Planets took the lead midway through the first quarter and hit a big basket every time Franklin Regional cut into their lead to post a 54-45 victory Wednesday...
Jeannette rolls past Burgettstown after slow start
It took Jeannette a quarter to find its rhythm against Burgettstown in the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. Once they found their shooting touch, the Jayhawks rolled. Jeannette (14-4) used a big second quarter to break open a tight game en route a 69-24 victory. The fifth-seeded...
Trinity stays hot with upset win over No. 4 Highlands on the road
Playing in the same section as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the WPIAL Class 5A tournament can prepare any team for a postseason run. On four occasions this season, Trinity tested itself against the best its classification had to offer. So when playoff time came and the...
Penn Hills relies on trademark defense to oust South Fayette
Eddie Daniels met South Fayette freshman point guard Nate Deanes at mid-court, quickly sliding his feet into better defensive position before seizing an opportunity. The Penn Hills senior guard punched the ball away from Deanes before gliding for a layup late in the third quarter. “I notice a lot of...
