Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules for Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, February 21, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Boys

Class 4A

Semifinals

4-Avonworth (18-5) vs. 1-Belle Vernon (19-4)

3 p..m. Saturday at Peters Township

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Beaver (19-4)/2-North Catholic (18-5) at 9 p.m. Feb. 27 in championship at Petersen Events Center

Players to watch: Rowan Carmichael, Avonworth; Trevor Kovatch, Belle Vernon

Layup lines: Avonworth is through to the final four after a 72-63 victory over No. 5 Knoch. WPIAL scoring leader Rowan Carmichael had 35 points for the Antelopes. He averages 33 and will go against Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore, the second-leading scorer in the league at 26 ppg. Both teams had first-round byes. Avonworth averages 73.4 points. It shared with Beaver the Section 2 title. Noah Goetz added 20 points in the quarterfinal win. Avonworth made the semifinals last year and lost to Hampton. … Belle Vernon has come a long way from a first-round loss last season to South Fayette. The Leopards are a win away from their first finals appearance since 2020. In the quarterfinals, Moore scored 17 points, Tommy Davis added 14 and Kovatch had 12 in a 55-51 win over Elizabeth Forward, Belle Vernon’s third win over the neighboring Warriors this season. The win was the 715th for coach Joe Salvino, who coached at Monessen for 34 years and is in his seventh and final season at Belle Vernon. The Leopards made the semifinals in 2022 but lost to Montour, and they also reached the final four in ’21, falling to North Catholic. Belle Vernon and Avonworth have qualified for the PIAA playoffs.

Girls

Class 3A

Semifinals

3-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (21-3) vs. 2-Greensburg Central Catholic (19-5)

Noon Saturday at Peters Township

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Ellwood City (15-8)/1-Shady Side Academy (23-0) at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 in championship at Petersen Events Center

Players to watch: Leah Parker, OLSH; Erica Gribble, GCC

Layup lines: OLSH advanced to the semis with a 50-44 victory over Avonworth, the No. 6 seed. The score was tied 22-22 at halftime. Leah Parker and Claudia Ierullo led the Chargers, scoring 22 points apiece. The Chargers rely on defense. They allow just 29.9 points per game. They have won 12 of their last 13 games. OLSH made the quarterfinals last year and lost to Shady Side Academy, 37-36. The Chargers reached the WPIAL 2A title game in 2022 and lost to Neshannock, 55-31. … Greensburg Central Catholic, the returning WPIAL champion in 2A, held off Quaker Valley in the quarterfinals, 56-47, as Erica Gribble had 22 points, Jayla Peterson added 16, and Avery Jones had 10. The Centurions withstood a 32-point effort from Mimi Thiero. GCC, which gives up 33.3 points a game, could get a third matchup with top-seeded Shady Side Academy, which swept the Section 2 series. Gribble, a Richmond commit, has 1,517 career points. GCC beat OLSH earlier in the season, 40-30.

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

Tags: Avonworth, Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Our Lady of the Sacred Heart