Greensburg Central Catholic boys defeat Jeannette for 3rd time in physical PIAA quarterfinal
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Saturday, March 15, 2025 | 3:51 PM
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby (right) pulls the ball away from Jeannette’s Noah Sunder during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s AJ Tarpley guards Jeannette’s Xavier Odorisio-Farrow during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s AJ Tarpley drives on Jeannette’s Noah Sunder during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby drives on Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s AJ Tarpley guards Jeannette’s Markus McGowan during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brady O’Rouke is called for charging on Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s AJ Tarpley drives against Jeannette during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brady O’Rouke scores over Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby drives on Jeannette’s Jayce Powell during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
The Jeannette student section cheers on their boys basketball team against Greensburg Central Catholic during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby drives against Jeannette’s Jayce Powell and Xavier Odorisio-Farrow during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s AJ Tarpley with a reverse on Jeannette’s Markus McGowan during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Ty Rozier defends on Jeannette’s Xavier Odorisio-Farrow during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s David Wachinski fights for a rebound with Jeannette’s Lonnie Greene during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brady O’Rouke scores over Jeannette’s Noah Sunder during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brady O’Rouke defends on Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Ty Rozier grabs a rebound over Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brady O’Rouke fights for a rebound with Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown scores past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brady O’Rouke during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Ty Rozier pulls down a rebound from Jeannette’s Lonnie Greene during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday at Norwin High School.
Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown scores over Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown scores past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brady O’Rouke during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby drives against Jeannette’s Markus McGowan and Jayce Powell during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby drives against Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown during the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Saturday.
With blood dripping from his elbow, Samir Crosby had to come out of the game and have a teammate shoot the second of his two free throws late in his team’s most important basketball game of the season.
“It’s always physical when we play Jeannette. Honestly, I didn’t think I got fouled that hard,” the Greensburg Central Catholic guard said. “We knew this would be a tough one.”
Greensburg Central Catholic leaned on defense and free throws to push past its greatest rival, WPIAL champion Jeannette, and win a physical PIAA Class 2A quarterfinal 46-35 before more than 1,500 on Saturday afternoon at Norwin.
The Centurions (26-3) advance to play Sewickley Academy (23-5) in next Saturday’s semifinals at a time and location to be announced. It will be GCC’s first state final four appearance since 2014.
GCC avenged a 48-46 loss in overtime to Jeannette in last year’s PIAA second round.
“We stayed true to who we were,” said GCC coach Christian Hyland, a senior point guard on the ’14 team. “We did a great job on the glass. We talked about being the more physical team.”
Crosby returned after the nick to his elbow and finished with a game-high 13 points, and AJ Tarpley fouled out with 12 for GCC, which trailed only briefly in the opening minutes before stretching the lead to double figures for most of the second half.
Crosby would rather have taken a hard foul than a fish hook against a team that includes some friends he might cast a line with but not yet.
“Like coach Ed (Zimmerlink) said: Someone’s going fishing,” Crosby said. “We’re glad it’s not us.”
Crosby made 9 of 11 free throws. GCC was 18 for 31 as a team.
“There are a lot of emotions with family here and so many people you know,” said Crosby, who lives in Jeannette. “We had to play as a team and win as a team. This doesn’t make up for the Union loss (in the WPIAL quarterfinals), but it gives us some closure.”
GCC held Jeannette (25-3) to single digits in the first three quarters. The Jayhawks were looking for their first semifinal berth since 2008.
A tough pill for the Jayhawks to swallow: All three of their losses in this banner season were to Greensburg Central Catholic.
The Jayhawks made only 4 of 13 free throws and scored nine points in the first quarter, four in the second and eight in the third.
“We didn’t shoot well, we missed some layups and didn’t make our free throws,” Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said. “It was a great atmosphere. I just wish we’d have shot it better. A lot of credit goes to GCC. They played hard and defended well. The way this game was officiated, they let the guys play.”
GCC led 10-9 after the first quarter and took a 19-13 edge into halftime.
In the third, senior reserve forward Ty Rozier made a layup off an assist from Tarpley to give GCC its first double-digit lead (25-14).
“Ty Rozier was huge today,” Hyland said. “We stayed patient in our offense and crashed the glass. Jeannette has a ton of talent and can get to the hoop. We defended pretty well for the second straight game.”
Jeannette struggled to string points together, never making a run of more than five points and making only three field goals during an eight-minute mid-game stretch.
Kymon’e Brown’s jumper cut it to 27-20 before GCC took a 29-21 lead after three quarters.
Tarpley, who was one of the few players to find space driving the lane, scored on a drive to open the fourth, and a more assertive Braden Riley hit a jumper to make it 33-21 early in the fourth.
“This was crazy, like a 6A game,” Tarpley said of the crowd.
Jayce Powell converted a three-point play for Jeannette, but Tarpley scored the next two baskets, including a baseline drive to push the margin to 37-24 with 3:33 to play.
GCC, breaking Jeannette’s full-court press, drew contact and made 8 of 14 free throws in the fourth to stay ahead by double figures.
Powell’s 3 cut it to 40-30 with 2:16 remaining, and guard Markus McGowan made a leaning, off-balance 3 to close it to 43-35 with 1:02 left.
“It’s tough,” McGowan said. “We wanted to get them back.”
Tarpley scored seven in the final quarter.
“We worked hard all week on matchups,” Tarpley said. “We thought if we played like we could, we could blow them out. We are confident right now.”
Liam Gallagher had eight points for GCC, including two first-quarter 3-pointers. Brady O’Rourke added seven (5 of 6 free throws).
“Liam Gallagher is one of the best players in the WPIAL,” Batts said. “If we’re going to hold him to eight points and hold GCC to 46 and lose? That’s tough.”
Jeannette came in averaging 67.1 points.
Powell led Jeannette with 10 points, and McGowan and Noah Sunder had eight apiece. Brown finished with seven.
GCC is one win away from tying the 2011 team’s program record of 27 wins in a season.
Jeannette tied the 2008 team’s school record of 25 wins. Coaches and players refused to hang their heads after the season-ending defeat.
“We didn’t lose to somebody that wasn’t better than us,” Batts said. “We would have loved to win a state title. I am so proud of our seniors.
“But as we stand here today, on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and look back, we’re WPIAL champs.”
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., Jeannette
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