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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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