Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff preview capsules: Games for Friday, Feb. 25, 2022

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, February 24, 2022 | 6:14 PM

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Friday’s games

BOYS

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

5-Monessen (18-4) vs. 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (17-3)

7 p.m. at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Sto-Rox (12-7)/1-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (20-0) Tuesday in semifinals

Layup lines: Monessen is one of the hottest teams in the WPIAL, winning 16 straight. The Greyhounds have not lost to a 2A team. They feature sophomore Lorenzo Gardner (19 ppg), senior Kody Kuhns (11 ppg) and junior Jaisean Blackman, among others. A deep and athletic rotation has the Greyhounds eyeing their first semifinal trip since 2018-19. Gardner had 15 of his team-high 25 points in the second half in Tuesday’s 69-59 win over No. 12 Jeannette. Kuhns added 18 points and eight rebounds. … Returning WPIAL runner-up Greensburg Central Catholic is hungry for a rematch with No. 1 OLSH, but the Centurions can’t lose focus of what could be a tough quarterfinal. GCC was hoping to play at home again, but the game was moved to Norwin to accommodate more fans. The Centurions dumped No. 13 South Side Beaver in the first round 70-43 as senior 1,000-point scorer Brevan Williams led the way with 20 points. Senior Dylan Parsons and sophomore Tyree Turner added 13 each, and sophomore Franco Alvarez chipped in 11. GCC averaged 69.7 points.

Girls

Class 5A

Quarterfinals

7-Latrobe (17-3) at 2-South Fayette (18-4)

7 p.m.

Winner plays: Winner of 6-McKeesport (19-4)/3-Trinity (18-5) Tuesday in semifinals

Layup lines: Latrobe advanced with a hard-fought, 67-62 win over Mars in the first round Tuesday at Latrobe. The Wildcats are looking to get back to the semifinals after reaching the final four last year for the first time since 1998. Latrobe was the No. 6 seed last year. In the first-round win, junior Emma Blair had 19 points and 11 rebounds, sophomore Elle Snyder scored 17 with four 3-pointers, senior Anna Rafferty had 15 points and junior Camille Dominick had 14. … The fifth-ranked team in the state, South Fayette lost to Latrobe in the first round last year 52-47. This year, the Lions breezed past No. 15 Greensburg Salem in the first round 63-28. Sophomore Lainey Yater had 10 points to lead the Lions, who didn’t need big games from their big scorers such as junior Maddie Webber and 6-foot-4 junior Ava Leroux. South Fayette, which likes to shoot 3s, still has a mostly young team with only four seniors. The Lions lost both section games to top-seeded Chartiers Valley, but they were close (55-51 and 54-49).

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

7-Highlands (19-4) at 2-Southmoreland (17-3)

7 p.m.

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Montour (16-6)/3-Knoch (19-2) Tuesday in semifinals

Layup lines: Highlands extended one of its best seasons into the quarterfinals with a 51-33 victory over No. 10 West Mifflin. The Golden Rams had not won a first-round game since 2008. Before that, they had first-round wins in 1974 and ’75. Sophomore Jocelyn Bielak had 12 points in Tuesday’s win. Highlands lost twice to Knoch, the team it could see in the next round. The Golden Rams also have a 60-57 loss to 6A Hempfield and lost 64-45 to 5A Mars. Sophomore guard Kate Myers, a solid 3-point threat, is the cousin of Duquesne and former North Catholic standout Tess Myers. … Winner of 12 of its last 13 games, Southmoreland is seeking a third straight trip to the semifinals. The Scotties have won 43 straight games on their home floor. Seniors Gracie Spadaro and Delaynie Morvosh join junior Olivia Cernuto as the top scoring threats, but several role players could be key to another deep run. With a 34.6 points-allowed average, the Scotties are keeping with tradition in being one of the WPIAL’s top defensive teams.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Highlands, Latrobe, Monessen, Southmoreland