Westmoreland boys basketball notes: Jeannette, GCC change rankings after 1st section meeting
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Thursday, January 16, 2025 | 4:14 PM
Jeannette boys basketball coach Adrian Batts and his counterpart at Greensburg Central Catholic, Christian Hyland, tried to think big picture after their first Section 1-2A matchup of the season.
Greensburg Central Catholic (12-1, 6-0) won 53-47 to take over first place while handing the host Jayhawks (11-1, 5-1) their first loss of the season.
Jeannette, which had never started 11-0, came into the matchup ranked No. 1 in 2A, and GCC was No. 2.
The teams changed places in the top five this week: GCC is No. 1, Jeannette is No. 3. (Neshannock is No. 2).
The thinking is GCC and Jeannette could see each other multiple times, for sure a second time in section — at GCC on Feb. 4 — and possibly again in the postseason.
They did, after all, play in last year’s PIAA second round.
This year’s clash showed two teams learning to play situational basketball after a number of blowouts leading up to their game.
Teams used to scoring 70-plus points a game looked as if they were playing a game of first-to-50-wins.
Both coaches were looking for sharper play.
“What did this game show?” Batts said. “Are we No. 1? Are they No. 1? I think we could play 10 times, and we’d each win five.”
Said Hyland: “Both teams battled. It was great for our (first-time) guys to experience (the rivalry). It’s one game.
“Jeannette is very well coached. They do things the right way.”
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Scotties ranked
Southmoreland is the newest Westmoreland County team to find its way into the TribLive HSSN rankings.
The Scotties (12-2, 5-0), who are leading Section 4-3A, are riding a nine-game winning streak.
Southmoreland is back in Class 3A after four years in 4A. It has been a while since the Scotties won a section title. The last time was 1992.
They finished second to Washington in 2016-17 in Section 4-3A.
Belle Vernon also is ranked. The Leopards jumped a spot, from No. 5 to No. 4 in 4A.
Monessen stayed at No. 5 in Class A.
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Felentzer keeps scoring
Southmoreland junior Noah Felentzer continues to produce points for the Scotties.
Felentzer, who averages 22, scored a career-high 36 in a 70-52 win over Mt. Pleasant.
That is the second-highest total by a local player this season. Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore had 40 in a game.
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Sunday night game
How about some Sunday night basketball?
The Norwin at Hempfield boys game postponed from Tuesday will be played at 6 p.m. Sunday.
The idea in the odd rescheduling is to avoid back-to-back section dates, Hempfield athletic director Brandon Rapp said.
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Southmoreland for 3
Because of weather postponements, Southmoreland will host a basketball tripleheader Friday with all three games against Elizabeth Forward.
The schedule has girls varsity at 5 p.m., followed by boys junior varsity at 6:30 and boys varsity at 8.
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Moore honored
Belle Vernon’s Moore was recognized for two accomplishments Monday as the Leopards defeated West Mifflin, 90-60.
Moore was awarded two $1,000 scholarships for winning MVP at Jeannette’s Tre Cunningham Memorial Tournament during the past two summers.
Steve Cunningham, the father of the late Jeannette star who was killed in a 2020 motorcycle accident, presented Moore with his rewards.
On the same night, Moore moved into the No. 2 spot in the Belle Vernon all-time scoring list.
Moore has 1,849 career points, 1,443 of which have come at Belle Vernon. He scored 406 as a freshman at Ringgold.
Jacob Dudzinski held the previous No. 2 spot on the Leopards’ list with 1,436 points.
The top scorer is Vince Graham with 2,394 points.
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Friday schedule
Top local section games to watch Friday night include Connellsville at Norwin, Mt. Lebanon at Hempfield, Penn-Trafford at Franklin Regional and Gateway at Latrobe.
A notable nonsection matchup is Elizabeth Forward at Southmoreland. Also, Hempfield plays Gateway on Saturday in nonsection play.
In the teams’ first meeting, Penn-Trafford rallied past Franklin Regional, 59-54, in overtime.
Latrobe edged Gateway, 75-71, earlier in the season.
Elizabeth Forward, coached by Greensburg Salem alum Nolan Larry, is a 4A playoff contender and a former section foe of Southmoreland.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant
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