Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Friday, Feb. 14, 2020

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | 8:52 PM

Boys

Class 3A

First round

No. 11 Southmoreland (11-11) vs. No. 6 Beaver Falls (13-7)

6:30 p.m. Friday at Mt. Lebanon

Winner plays: No. 3 South Allegheny (21-1) or No. 14 Avonworth (11-11) in quarterfinals

Coaches: Frank Muccino, Southmoreland; Carliss Jeter, Beaver Falls

Points scored/allowed: Southmoreland 54.1 ppg/55.8; Beaver Falls 57.8/54.9

Players to watch: Riley Comforti, Southmoreland (Sr., G); Noah Vaughn, Beaver Falls (Sr., F)

About Southmoreland: The Scotties are in the postseason for the second straight year but have not won in the playoffs since 2017 when former star 6-foot-11 forward Brandon Stone was a junior. Comforti is a career 1,000-point scorer and he is averaging 22 a game. The Scotties have won nine of their last 10 games following a five-game losing streak. They knocked off Washington after losing 71-39 to the Prexies earlier in the season.

About Beaver Falls: The runner-up to No. 1 seed Lincoln Park (18-4) in Section 1, the Tigers are in the playoffs for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons. They reached the WPIAL quarterfinals last season and lost to Lincoln Park. After a win over Ligonier Valley in the PIAA first round, they fell to Sharon in the second round. Beaver Falls has lost three of its last four games. Vaughn is a 6-3 force in the paint.

—Bill Beckner Jr.

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

Tags: Beaver Falls, Southmoreland