Westmoreland County basketball playoff preview capsules for Thursday, Feb. 19, 2025

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Boys

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

8-Union (17-6) vs. 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (21-2)

6 p.m. Thursday at Shaler

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Northgate (14-9)/4-Neshannock (20-2) on Monday (time, site TBA) in semifinals

Players to watch: Lucas Stanley, Union; Brady O’Rourke, Greensburg Central Catholic

Layup lines: Union, a Class A program for decades before moving up this season, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 70-49 victory against No. 9 Fort Cherry. Stanley scored a game-high 36 points, and Jordyn Kelley had 11 in the win. The Scotties made the Class A semifinals last year and the finals in 2023 and ’22, falling to Imani Christian and Bishop Canevin. They also reached the semis in 2020-21. The made the PIAA semifinals in ’23. Union has two losses to Neshannock, the No 4 seed. … Greensburg Central Catholic opened with a 67-42 win over Laurel, which fell behind 19-1 after the first quarter and went nearly 11 minutes without a field goal. O’Rourke, a Saint Vincent commit, had 15 points, AJ Tarpley added 14 and Liam Gallagher had 12. GCC received valuable minutes off the bench from forward Ty Rozier, and Samir Crosby helped to jump-start an effective full-court press. The Centurions finished as the WPIAL runner-up last year and are chasing their first WPIAL title.

6-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (19-5) vs. 3-Jeannette (20-2)

6 p.m. Thursday at Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Chartiers-Houston (20-3)/2-Sewickley Academy (19-4) on Monday (time, site TBA) in semifinals

Players to watch: Tiernan McCullough, OLSH; Jace Powell, Jeannette

Layup lines: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was impressive in a 64-37 win over Clairton in the opening round as McCullough poured in 32 points and Jake Johnson added 16. OLSH, which played in 3A the last two years, reaching the finals in 2023, won WPIAL 2A titles in 2022, ’21, ’20 and ’19 and was runner-up in ’18 and ’17. One of the Chargers’ losses is to Neshannock, the No. 4 seed (49-42), and another is to No. 10 Shenango (75-70). Two of their losses are to teams from Ohio. … Jeannette has romped over any opponent not named Greensburg Central Catholic, winning by more than 20 points per game. That includes a 91-42 win over Brentwood in the first round, the most points the Jayhawks have scored in a playoff game since they put up 86 in 2010. Five players scored in double figures: Kymon’e Brown with 20, Markus McGowan 18, Xavier Odorisio Farrow 17, Stone Markham 15 (five 3-pointers) and Powell 11. Jeannette posted its first 20-win season since 2017-18. The Jayhawks last reached the semifinals in 2021 and lost to OLSH, 69-41.

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

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Union