Samir Crosby lifts No. 1 Greensburg CC over No. 2 Jeannette in much-anticipated showdown

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, January 10, 2025 | 11:11 PM

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Samir Crosby didn’t play basketball last season because he wanted to lift weights and get ready for football.

He came back to the sport this year and showed some serious muscle in a big-time matchup against his hometown team.

The Greensburg Central Catholic junior scored a game-high 19 points, including 15 in the second half, to lead the No. 2-ranked Centurions to a 53-47 victory over No. 1 and previously undefeated Jeannette on Friday night in a Section 1-2A showdown before a standing-room-only crowd at Jeannette’s Lou Seiler Court.

“I got bored, and when we lost in football (in the playoffs to Jeannette), I wanted to play again,” Crosby said. “This game, with the sold-out crowd, it doesn’t get any better than that. It’s fun to play against my guys.”

The much-anticipated matchup — this was the first time the rivals played as the top two ranked teams in the WPIAL — lacked big moments but finally provided a test for a pair of teams that were winning by more than 25 points a game.

Instead of toying with 30-point leads, both teams had to run offensive sets and test their patience with the lead.

“We settled down after the first quarter,” GCC coach Christian Hyland said. “We knew we’d be tested. We played some games out of conference that gave us a test. We knew it would come down to the last quarter. We did a good job in the second half matching their physicality.

“When these teams get together, it means a lot.”

Senior Brady O’Rourke had 13 points, including three 3-pointers, for GCC, capping a week that saw him commit to Saint Vincent College.

The next WPIAL rankings might see the Centurions (11-1, 5-0) and Jayhawks (11-1, 5-1) flip flop.

Jeannette also began the night ranked No. 3 in the state, while GCC was No. 4.

The Jayhawks’ 11-0 start is believed to be the best in program history.

“Were we going to go 21-0?” Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said. “Probably not. We knew Samir would be a factor tonight, but not like that. We didn’t do a good enough job guarding them. We didn’t make our free throws, either.”

Neither team reached their season scoring average — Jeannette 72.3, GCC 69.6 — but the winner of this matchup never talks about aesthetics.

To Hyland’s point of settling things in the fourth quarter, Crosby had a hand in that. After a Jeannette turnover, the shifty guard found himself pressured under the basket. He had the ball, but instead of forcing it to a teammate, he made an up-and-under reverse layup to put the Centurions ahead 48-41 with 4 minutes, 52 seconds to play.

“I wanted this win,” Crosby said. “Jeannette is a great team with a great starting five. The hate I feel on the court is just in-game hate. I respect those guys. It’s a matter of adrenaline.”

Jeannette hung around late as sophomore Markus McGowan made a 3-pointer, and junior Kymone Brown hit a left-handed layup to cut it to 50-46 with 59.1 seconds remaining.

McGowan led Jeannette with 17 points, and Brown had 12.

Crosby made 3 of 4 free throws, and Jeannette did not make a field goal inside the final minute.

“Samir just has that I’m-not-losing mentality,” Hyland said. “It means more to him coming here and playing in front of his family and friends.”

Jeannette made 8 of 17 free throws.

Senior Liam Gallagher and sophomore A.J. Tarpley each scored nine for the Centurions.

“If you’d have told me Liam would have eight points, and we’d lose,” Batts said. “He’s their best player. O’Rourke and Samir stepped up.”

Jeannette had the game’s largest lead, eight points (17-9) early in the second quarter and led for most of the first half before O’Rourke made two 3-pointers to lift GCC to a 26-24 lead at halftime. It was the first time all season the Jayhawks trailed at the half.

GCC went to a 2-3 zone in the second half to force Jeannette’s shooters to make plays.

GCC avenged a 48-46 overtime loss to Jeannette in last year’s PIAA quarterfinals, a stunner that came after GCC mercy-ruled the Jayhawks twice during the regular season.

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