Shootout at Seton Hill ready to tip off this weekend
By:
Thursday, January 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM
Event director Allen Deep didn’t consider altering the schedule for the Shootout at Seton Hill basketball showcase this weekend, even with five games Sunday that will take fans away from watching the AFC and NFC championship games.
The original schedule will remain status quo. The weekend is about basketball, not football.
Of course, that might have changed had Mike Tomlin and the much-maligned Pittsburgh Steelers found their way past the wild-card round.
“The only NFL team I worry about is the Steelers,” Deep said. “If they were still playing, we might move some things around. If it was the Steelers, people would stay home and watch.
“We had it the same weekend last year, and it all worked out.”
There will be three games Saturday and five Sunday at Seton Hill’s McKenna Center.
The best two matchups appear to be the last two, which will be back-to-back Sunday night.
Derry (9-5) plays Jeannette (12-1) at 6 p.m., followed by Belle Vernon (12-4) and Greensburg Central Catholic (14-1) at 7:30.
There could be an abundance of offense in both matchups.
Jeannette is ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, and Derry is contending for a section title in 4A.
Jeannette’s talented guards, Kymon’e Brown and Jayce Powell, will go against Trojans 6-foot-7 forward Stanley Rajkovich.
Belle Vernon is No. 4 in 4A, and GCC has the top ranking in 2A.
Zion Moore (26 ppg) leads Belle Vernon, which hasn’t lost since getting three starters back from a five-game suspension.
Liam Gallagher and A.J. Tarpley are players to watch for GCC, as is budding 6-7 sophomore Brandon Martin.
“Jeannette-Derry and Belle Vernon-GCC should be great games,” Deep said. “We were glad to get those matchups set.”
Before Belle Vernon comes to Seton Hill, the Leopards will play in another event Saturday, the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Classic at North Hills.
They will take on Knoch at 3 p.m.
Saturday’s schedule at Seton Hill has two girls games and one boys game. Bishop Guilfoyle (11-2) will play the Norwin girls (8-5) at 6 p.m., followed by the McKeesport (4-11) and Greensburg Central Catholic girls (8-3) — the teams’ third straight meeting at the event — at 7:30 and Ligonier Valley (7-7) vs. Greensburg Salem boys (4-9) at 9.
Bishop Guilfoyle is the defending PIAA Class A champion, and Norwin won the WPIAL 6A title.
McKeesport, led by former Jeannette coach Anna Leonard, faces a GCC team that won the WPIAL 2A title last year and is led by standout guard Erica Gribble, a Richmond commit.
The rest of Sunday’s schedule — all boys games — is: Geibel (9-6) vs. Mt. Pleasant (0-16) at 1:30 p.m., Eden Christian (4-12) vs. McKeesport (5-11) at 3 and Armstrong (4-10) vs. Burrell (6-9) at 4:30.
Eden Christian is coached by former Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith, a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Mt. Pleasant and Geibel will play for the second time in six days.
All-day tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and $5 for students.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Armstrong, Belle Vernon, Burrell, Derry Area, Eden Christian, Geibel, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Ligonier Valley, McKeesport, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin
More High School Basketball
• WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 9, 2025• Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: GCC’s Erica Gribble and Franklin Regional’s Max Firestine
• Westmoreland County teams well-positioned for high seeds in WPIAL boys, girls basketball playoffs
• As regular season wraps up, Penn Hills boys in position to reach goals
• After 3 key section wins, Plum girls look ahead toward WPIAL playoffs