Westmoreland basketball notebook: Greensburg Salem the place to be for holiday tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, December 21, 2017 | 10:59 PM

Holiday basketball tournaments return next week and the best local stop again appears to be Greensburg Salem.

The two-day Golden Lions Holiday Classic features six boys teams and six games across next Thursday and Friday, Dec. 28-29.

On Thursday, Hempfield plays Laurel Highlands at 5 p.m., with Connellsville vs. Jeannette at 6:30 and Greensburg Central Catholic vs. Greensburg Salem at 8.

Friday's schedule has Laurel Highlands vs. Connellsville at 5, Greensburg Central Catholic vs. Hempfield at 6:30 and Jeannette-Greensburg Salem at 8.

They might have saved the best for last on purpose.

Jeannette and Greensburg Salem have been playfully exchanging quips about their matchup on Twitter in recent weeks. Last year, Marvel McGowan scored 29 points for Greensburg Salem, but Anthony Johnson put up 28 for Jeannette as the Jayhawks won, 81-65.

Both players return.

Other area boys teams in tournaments include Latrobe, which joins Kiski Area and North Hills at the Hampton tournament.

Penn-Trafford hosts its tournament Wednesday and Thursday. The Warriors open against Allderdice at 6:30 p.m.

On the girls side, Penn-Trafford also will host a four-team tournament over two days, overlapping the boys' event. The Warriors play Plum at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Both Penn-Trafford teams play McKeesport on Thursday.

The Mt. Pleasant tournament features Woodland Hills, Propel Andrew Street and Blairsville.

Greensburg Salem and Belle Vernon will be at the Cal (Pa.) Hoopfest.

Southmoreland will be at the Riverside LGKG Classic on Thursday and Friday.

Latrobe opens against Gateway in the Elizabeth Forward tournament.

Jamfest Saturday

The Hoops for a Cure Jamfest will be Saturday at Penn Hills. The schedule is as follows: Greensburg Central Catholic vs. East Allegheny girls at 1:30 p.m., Greensburg C.C. vs. Highlands boys at 3, Winchester Thurston vs. Penn Hills girls at 4:30, McKeesport vs. Penn Hills boys at 6:30 and Jeannette vs. East Allegheny boys at 8.

Ratesic to Allegheny

Norwin senior Josh Ratesic announced this week he will continue his playing career at Allegheny College. A 6-foot-3 guard, Ratesic leads the Knights in scoring this season at 13 points. He also considered Juniata and Saint Vincent.

Dudzenski returns

Latrobe senior Marcus Dudzenski returned to the court last Friday at home against Woodland Hills, three days earlier than expected after hip injury sidelined him for several weeks.

The 6-foot-6 forward had 24 points in his season debut, but the Wildcats lost to Woodland Hills, 84-79.

“It's nice to be back. I have been working hard,” said Dudzenski, a York recruit. “I was a little slow at times (against Woodland Hills) but it will come back over time.”

Johnson debut

Jeannette junior guard-forward Anthony Johnson is scheduled to make his season debut Friday night at home against Springdale. He was going to play Wednesday against Mt. Pleasant, but sat out with an illness.

Johnson has not played since late December of last season after transferring from Allderdice. The WPIAL and PIAA ruled that he transferred, at least in part, for athletic intent. He averaged 26 points in four games before the eligibility rulings, which kept him out of action for a year.

He was allowed to practice with the team while he sat out. He was a first-year standout defensive end for the WPIAL and PIAA champion football team.

Rankin' Franklin

Franklin Regional leapt into the Tribune-Review Class 5A boys rankings after not appearing in the preseason Top 5. The Panthers are 5-0 under rookie coach Steve Scorpion, scoring 67.8 points while allowing just 46.

Franklin Regional plays Highlands (1-2) in the Section 3-5A opener Friday night.

Streak snapped

Greensburg Central Catholic's boys team won so many section games the past few years, it almost became an afterthought.

But the Centurions finally met their match Tuesday when Leechburg cruised past them, 67-39, to snap their 25-game section win streak.

Before the defeat, GCC has not lost a section game since 2015 against Shady Side Academy.

Streak snapped, part 2

The Monessen girls broke a 26-game losing streak with a 37-36 win over Clairton on Tuesday. The Greyhounds had not won since last February, 48-41 over Mapletown.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Jeannette, Latrobe, Monessen, Penn-Trafford