Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 27, 2021

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, February 26, 2021 | 6:39 PM

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Saturday’s games

Boys

Class 6A

Preliminary round

17-Canon-McMillan (0-13) at 16-Greensburg Salem (0-12)

Noon, Saturday

Coaches: Charles Murphy, Canon-McMillan; Mark Zahorchak, Greensburg Salem

Winner plays: At 1-Upper St. Clair (15-1), 6 p.m. Tuesday

About Canon-McMillan: The Big Macs may be winless, but they have been in a number of games. They only lost by eight against top-seeded Upper St. Clair and three against Mt. Lebanon. They also have a five-point loss to North Catholic.

About Greensburg Salem: A 6A team for the first time, the Golden Lions’ closest game was an 18-point loss to 4A Mt. Pleasant. They are allowing more than 66 points a game. Ben Thomas is a promising junior guard.

Class 5A

Preliminary round

21-Armstrong (8-6) at 12-Franklin Regional (7-7)

Noon, Saturday

Coaches: Brian Kovalovsky, Armstrong; Steve Scorpion, Franklin Regional

Winner plays: At 5-Mars (14-2), 6 p.m. Wednesday

About Armstrong: Kovalovsky, a former Ford City coach long before the school merged with Kittanning, is in his first season leading the River Hawks, who finished near the bottom of Section 4. Senior Adam Hudock and freshman guard Jack Valasek have shown range from the perimeter.

About Franklin Regional: In the playoffs for the sixth straight year, the Panthers challenged themselves by playing three of the top four 6A seeds leading up to the tournament. Seniors Kadyn Hannah and Luke Kimmich both average over 18 points per game. The bench is getting longer as the rotation develops for the Panthers.

Girls

Class 2A

Preliminary round

20-Jeannette (0-18) at 13-Seton La Salle (5-5)

Noon, Saturday

Coaches: Jonathan Bass, Jeannette; Jordan Giles, Seton La Salle

Winner plays: At 4-Sewickley Academy (11-5), 6 p.m. Tuesday

About Jeannette: The Lady Jays are on a 21-game losing streak dating to last season. This is their first playoff appearance since 2013-14. The team is averaging just under 22 points per game.

About Seton La Salle: The third-place team in Section 2, the Rebels had quite a stacked schedule but lost early games against North Catholic, Upper St. Clair and Bishop Canevin. They lost by 10 to 4A Belle Vernon.

21-Northgate (0-11) vs. 12-Greensburg Central Catholic (7-4)

Noon, Saturday at Sewickley Academy

Coaches: Anthony Barron, Northgate; Sam Salih, Greensburg CC

Winner plays: At 5-Burgettstown (14-2), 6 p.m. Tuesday

About Northgate: The Flames are trying to break a 15-game losing streak but have struggled to score points, averaging around 24 a game. They managed less than 20 three times.

About Greensburg CC: Junior guard-forward Bailey Kuhns is one of the top players in Class 2A, but she was not eligible to play in last year’s postseason after she transferred from Southmoreland. She averages 18 points and 8 rebounds. The Centurions have two losses to No. 3 Winchester Thurston and one to 5A Greensburg Salem.

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

Tags: Armstrong, Canon-McMillan, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Northgate, Seton La Salle