Greensburg CC, Jeannette boys could meet in Class 2A final as WPIAL releases brackets

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, February 10, 2025 | 6:38 PM

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Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette are on opposite sides of the bracket in boys Class 2A, leaving the door open for a third meeting between the county rivals, but it would have to happen in the WPIAL boys basketball finals.

The Penn-Trafford girls, meanwhile, despite going undefeated in the regular season, did not garner a top-two seed in Class 5A.

And three area teams are favorites in their class after landing No. 1 seeds.

Those are a few of the storylines that came out of selection Monday as the WPIAL revealed seedings and brackets for the basketball playoffs.

The GCC boys (20-2) are the top seed in 2A, while Jeannette (19-2) is No. 3. Both will play Monday against winners of preliminary-round games.

“It’s interesting,” GCC coach Christian Hyland said. “I don’t remember a GCC boys team ever having a No. 1 seed.”

GCC also has never won a WPIAL title in boys basketball. A rubber match with Jeannette is far down the road but could happen. GCC beat Jeannette twice this season. The teams have been ranked Nos. 1 and 2 for most of the year.

Sewickley Academy (17-4) is the No. 2 seed in the bracket.

“I’m OK with where we are,” Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said. “It’s not going to be an easy road.”

Penn-Trafford (22-0) finished undefeated in the regular season for the first time since 1974 but is seeded No. 3. The Lady Warriors open the 5A tournament at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Plum (9-12).

The top seed went to three-time defending champion South Fayette (21-1), while Peters Township (19-2) was given the No. 2.

“It’s a very tough road,” Penn-Trafford coach John Giannikas said. “We knew it would be in 5A. We just played Plum, and it’s never easy to play the same team in such a quick turnaround. Our side of the bracket is very competitive.”

The Belle Vernon boys (18-4), one of the hottest teams in the WPIAL with a 12-game winning streak, were rewarded with a No. 1 seed in 4A. This is the final season for legendary coach Joe Salvino, whose 741 wins are second all-time in the WPIAL. This is his seventh season at Belle Vernon after 34 at Monessen.

“Any time you’re the No. 1, it’s a good feeling,” Salvino said. “It makes it all worthwhile.”

The Leopards will host the winner of No. 9 Elizabeth Forward (17-4) and No. 9 Highlands (6-13) next Wednesday.

Defending champion Norwin is the No. 1 seed for the second straight season in the girls 6A bracket. The Lady Knights (13-7) won’t play until Feb. 21 when they host No. 8 North Allegheny (9-12), the team they beat in last year’s WPIAL final.

Norwin coach Brian Brozeski said the toughest part about getting the top seed is finding perspective.

“Reminding yourself that it’s not how you start the race but more importantly how you finish,” Brozeski said. “I stole that line from my brother, Dave (former Norwin football coach).”

Another local reigning champ is the GCC girls, who are up a class this season in 3A. The Centurions (17-4) are seeded No. 2 and will host Brownsville (13-9) at 7 p.m. Friday in the first round.

One team that could have been perturbed is the Southmoreland boys, a section winner for the first time since 1992 that dropped to the No. 6 seed in the 3A tournament.

The Scotties (17-4), who are 12-2 since Christmas, host Carlynton (9-12) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“I thought our draw was fair,” Scotties coach Frank Muccino said. “I was looking for us to fall between a 4 and 6, and (Carlynton) was one of the opponents I thought we could draw.”

Another top-five seed went to the Franklin Regional girls, who won their first section title since 1979. The Panthers (15-6) will be at home 7 p.m. Friday against Bethel Park (10-11).

One of the best local first-round games features No. 9 Latrobe (18-4) at No. 8 Kiski Area (14-6) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a boys 5A matchup. Kiski Area plummeted in the seedings despite winning its first section since 2013.

Two local games will jump-start the playoffs Thursday in the preliminary round.

In boys 5A, Franklin Regional (11-11) hosts Indiana (9-12) at 7 p.m., and the Yough girls (11-11) host Highlands (6-14) at 7 p.m.

Some other notable items:

• The Greensburg Salem girls have the most wins of the three fourth-place teams in 5A but are seeded 16th. Bethel Park (11-10) is No. 12 and Mars (12-9) is No. 13.

• There are 21 teams in the boys 2A bracket.

• The WPIAL did not schedule any Saturday games to give referees a chance to work their regular college games.

• The WPIAL finals will be Feb. 27, 28 and March 1 at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.

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