Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, February 24, 2023 | 4:27 PM

WPIAL basketball playoffs

Boys

Class 4A

Consolation round

Belle Vernon (11-12) at Uniontown (19-4)

Noon Saturday, Uniontown High School, Uniontown

Winner plays: Winner of South Allegheny (19-5)/Hampton (21-3) Wednesday in fifth-place game (time, site TBD)

Loser plays: Loser of South Allegheny/Hampton Wednesday in seventh-place game (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Zion Moore, Belle Vernon; Notorious Grooms, Uniontown

Layup lines: Belle Vernon dropped into the consolation bracket after an overtime foul fest against Laurel Highlands in the quarterfinals. The teams combined for 77 free throws. Moore, a sophomore, poured in a career-high 38 points, but the Leopards lost despite holding a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter. Moore has 978 career points. Reigning Trib Westmoreland Player of the Year Quinton Martin also has more than 900 points as a junior. … Third-seeded Uniontown fell behind by double figures at halftime and could not come back against No. 6 North Catholic. Grooms had 13 points, and K’Adrian McLee added 10. The Red Raiders swept two section games from Belle Vernon, 79-64, and 69-52.

Class 3A

Consolation round

Yough (16-8) vs. Shady Side Academy (21-3)

Noon Saturday, Keystone Oaks High School, Dormont

Winner plays: Winner of Seton LaSalle (12-11)/Mohawk (20-4) Wednesday in WPIAL fifth-place game (time, site TBD)

Loser plays: Loser of Seton LaSalle/Mohawk Wednesday in WPIAL seventh-place game (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Austin Matthews, Yough; Seamus Riordan, Shady Side Academy

Layup lines: Yough fell short in its bid to return to the WPIAL semifinals for the first time since 2005, losing to No. 2 seed Neshannock, 53-49. Junior standout Terek Crosby had 20 points, 18 after halftime, and Matthews scored 19 for the Cougars, who had an 11-game winning streak end. They had not allowed more than 40 points during the streak. The Cougars have not qualified for the state playoffs since 2005. … Shady Side Academy has dealt with injuries in recent weeks, including one to 1,000-point scorer Eli Teslovich (ankle), a Belle Vernon native and junior guard. The Bulldogs also lost senior guard Ethan Salvia to a torn ACL. The Bulldogs fell to perennial power Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 53-42, in the quarterfinals. Win or lose, both teams will get at least one more game. The top seven teams qualify for states in 3A.

Class A

Consolation round

West Greene (13-10) at Monessen (15-6)

Noon Saturday, Monessen High School, Monessen

Winner plays: Winner of Avella (13-11)/Eden Christian (8-15) Wednesday in WPIAL fifth-place game.

Players to watch: Sidney Campbell, Monessen; Lexie Six, West Greene

Layup lines: The WPIAL will send five teams to the PIAA playoffs, so the loser will be eliminated from contention. … This is the third matchup between the Section 2 teams, who split two games with home wins. Monessen won 43-32 after West Greene’s 45-42 victory. … Monessen, the No. 4 seed, was knocked off by No. 5 St. Joseph despite 17 points from Campbell and 12 from Hailey Johnson. St. Joseph 6-foot-2 center Anna Kreinbrook had 17 rebounds and 13 blocks. The Greyhounds made the state tournament last year and lost to Elk County Catholic, 52-23, in the first round. … Top-seeded Union was too much for West Greene in the quarterfinals as the host Scotties rolled to a 64-20 win. It was the Pioneers’ most lopsided loss of the season. Six and Marissa Tharp scored seven points apiece in the quarterfinal loss.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Monessen, Shady Side Academy, Uniontown, West Greene, Yough