Greensburg CC boys get time to reset before continuing PIAA run in semifinals

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, March 16, 2025 | 3:56 PM

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As the late Tom Petty sang, waiting is the hardest part.

Greensburg Central Catholic earned a spot in the PIAA Class 2A boys basketball semifinals but has to sit a week between games.

The Centurions (26-3) will play Sewickley Academy (23-5) at noon Saturday at Peters Township in the western final, seven days after their 46-35 victory over rival Jeannette in the quarterfinals.

The momentum from three straight state tournament wins will screech to a halt, but GCC is prepared for the lull.

“We’ll take a day or two off to get our legs fresh,” GCC coach Christian Hyland said. “We’ve been cutting things short lately. The guys need time to rest.”

The reason for the schedule gap is the PIAA extending the season a week because the Giant Center in Hershey was not available during the normal weekend of the state finals.

A Cirque de Soleil show at the venue pushed the finals to later in March. The 2A championship will be 2 p.m. March 28.

Semifinal winners also will sit a week before the championship games, causing a different kind of March Madness.

Last year, the Franklin Regional boys played Imhotep Charter for the 5A state title March 22.

“It’ll be weird (waiting to play),” GCC guard Samir Crosby said. “We’ll stay in a groove and keep working.”

GCC hasn’t been to the state semis since 2014 when Hyland was a senior point guard. The Centurions lost to Seton La Salle, 46-44, at North Allegheny.

Hyland was a freshman when the Centurions made the 2011 state final and fell to Imhotep Charter, 67-34, at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center. That year, they beat Monessen, 64-61, in the semis.

Hyland said he has discussed the nuance of playing this late in the season with his former coach, Dr. Greg Bisignani.

Staying sharp while preventing players’ minds from curdling can be a fine line. After 29 games, there is only so much teams can do in practice.

“I don’t have to call him all the time; he’s a busy man,” Hyland said of Bisignani. “I know what he did with us to help us stay engaged. We’ll probably change things up. You figure we’ve been at it since school started. It’s a grind.”

Last week, GCC had a practice at Seton Hill, which was a change of pace. Hyland also suggested playing some 6-on-5 or 7-on-5 basketball for a new look.

“You want to keep the guys interested,” the sixth-year coach said.

They have been interested in defending lately.

GCC played mostly man-to-man defense against Jeannette in the quarterfinals Saturday at packed Norwin. The Centurions beat the Jayhawks for a third time this season while avenging a loss to them in last year’s second round.

“We didn’t want to give them any open 3s or any easy layups,” said Crosby, who had a game-high 13 points against Jeannette, including 9 of 11 free throws.

Jeannette coach Adrian Batts gave GCC credit for the win.

“Sometimes teams just have your number,” Batts said. “They have a unique team. They have some length, but they are guard-oriented.”

Defense has fueled the state run, particularly against Jeannette, and in a 66-52 win over Neshannock in the second round.

“We have one to eight players that can give us good minutes,” Hyland said. “We can sub, and nobody is foot slow.”

GCC is a win away from not only the state finals, but also the program record for wins in a season. The 2011 team went 27-4.

“Our guys are happy to keep playing,” Hyland said. “We’re the only team left in (Westmoreland) county. We wanted five wins, and we got three. Back to work.”

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.