Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 2, 2023

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 | 4:48 PM

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WPIAL basketball playoffs

Boys

Class 2A

Consolation round

Third-place game

Greensburg Central Catholic (17-6) at Bishop Canevin (20-5)

6 p.m. Thursday, Upper St. Clair High School, Upper St. Clair

Winner: Clinches third place out of the WPIAL for the PIAA playoffs. The loser is the fourth seed.

Players to watch: Tyree Turner, Greensburg Central Catholic; Geno DeFrank, Bishop Canevin

Layup lines: Greensburg Central Catholic, the No. 4 seed in the bracket, fell to No. 1 Aliquippa, 61-36, in the semifinals. The defensive-minded Quips pressured the Centurions into turnovers and pulled way. Turner was a bright spot as he scored 22 points, including 13 in the second quarter. Junior forward Franco Alvarez was limited to two points after scoring 33 in the quarterfinals. GCC reached the second round of the state tournament last year. … Bishop Canevin, led by decorated Chartiers Valley boys and girls coach Tim McConnell, was upset as the No. 2 seed in the semifinals by No. 6 Northgate, which beat Jeannette (89-65) and Clairton (67-48) to reach the semifinals. Bishop Canevin defeated South Side (72-46) and Serra Catholic (64-57) to get to the final four. In the semifinal loss, Shea Champine had 18 points, and Jason Cross added 17. Northgate’s Josh Williams erupted for 38. The Crusaders won WPIAL and PIAA championships last season.

Girls

Class 5A

Consolation round

Seventh-place game

Hampton (15-10) at Penn-Trafford (16-9)

7 p.m. Thursday, Penn-Trafford High School, Harrison City

Winner: Advances to the PIAA playoffs as the No. 7 seed from the WPIAL. The loser is eliminated.

Players to watch: Olivia Pepple, Penn-Trafford; Meghan Murray, Hampton

Layup lines: Penn-Trafford played fourth-seeded Trinity close until the end Monday in the first round of the consolation bracket. The Warriors fell 62-49 for their third loss in four games and now face a win-and-in game. Olivia Pepple had 19 points, Lauren Marton added 13 and Kam Pieper chipped in 11 in the loss. Penn-Trafford has not been to the state playoffs since the 2013-14 season. … Hampton could not bounce back from a loss to McKeesport in the quarterfinals as it fell to Mars, 36-33, in its opening consolation game. The Talbots, like Penn-Trafford, rely on strong guard play led by the scrappy Murray, a junior who went over 1,000 career points in the WPIAL quarters. The Talbots last played in the PIAA postseason in 2016-17 when they reached the second round.

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

Tags: Bishop Canevin, Greensburg C.C., Hampton, Penn-Trafford