Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Norwin ready for rematch

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, February 13, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Section rematches in the first round usually are taboo for the WPIAL basketball steering committee. But they bent the rules slightly this year when building the playoff brackets.

There are only two eight-team sections in 6A, which limits what the committee can do with matchups. But the WPIAL said it went with the best 11 teams and rated them in order, with little regard for rematches.

As a result, there are three boys first-round games in Class 6A on Monday that feature teams from the same section.

One is No. 11 seed Norwin (11-10) visiting No. 6 Mt. Lebanon (15-7) in the third meeting between Section 2-6A opponents.

Norwin isn’t exactly complaining about the draw. The Knights upset Mt. Lebanon in the teams’ first meeting, 51-49 in overtime, for a signature win on the schedule.

Mt. Lebanon handled the Knights in the second matchup, 80-64.

Familiarity with a team helps with preparation and boosts confidence, especially for teams that split in section play.

“I didn’t think we’d fall to No. 11,” Norwin coach Cam Auld said, “But I love a good rubber match.”

The other section rematches are No. 9 Woodland Hills (11-11) at No. 8 Seneca Valley (11-11) and No. 10 North Hills (7-15) at No. 7 Butler (15-6).

Woodland Hills is led by former Franklin Regional coach Steve Scorpion.

If Norwin can make it two out of three against Mt. Lebanon, the Knights will get another section rematch, with No. 3 Imani Christian (13-7), a team they lost to twice, the second meeting just 59-58.

Imani Christian blew out the Knights, 73-26.

The Belle Vernon boys (18-4), seeded No. 1 in 4A, also could get a rematch in their first playoff game.

The Leopards, who have a first-round bye, will get the winner of No. 9 Highlands (6-13) at No. 8 Elizabeth Forward (17-5) in the quarterfinals. Belle Vernon swept Elizabeth Forward in Section 3 play.

In 5A, Penn-Trafford (13-9) knows its first-round opponent well. The Warriors lost to No. 2 seed Baldwin in nonsection action, 58-53, five games into the season.

And speaking of rematches, Greensburg Central Catholic (20-2) could see a familiar opponent in its opening playoff game.

If Eden Christian beats Laurel in the preliminary round, GCC will meet Eden for the fourth time in six years in the postseason.

Long time coming

A few area teams haven’t experienced playoff success in a while but can change that with opening wins.

• Norwin (10-11) has not won a playoff game since 2007-08.

• Latrobe (18-4) has missed the playoffs the last three years and has not won a playoff game since 2020-21.

• Southmoreland (17-5), which won its first section title since 1992, has not won in the postseason since 2016-17.

• Ligonier Valley (13-8), which joined the WPIAL in 2020, will try for its initial first-round win in the league. The Rams won a preliminary-round game in 2020-21 when the WPIAL had an open tournament.

• The last playoff win for Penn-Trafford (13-9) came in 2020-21.

Keeping it quiet

Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino is retiring after this season — his 41st overall (34 at Monessen and seven at Belle Vernon) — but the news wasn’t all that surprising to some of his players.

Salvino, 73, leaked the news early in the year to his captains.

“My captains knew before the season started,” Salvino said, “but I asked them not to say anything because I didn’t want the season to be about me. I wanted the team to focus on what we needed to do, like winning the section.”

Belle Vernon (18-4) is the No. 1 seed in Class 4A.

Salvino has the second-most wins in WPIAL boys basketball history with 741. He won six WPIAL championships at Monessen, where he began coaching in 1984.

He won back-to-back PIAA titles in 1988 and ’89.

Belle Vernon made the 2020 WPIAL finals on Salvino’s watch but lost to Highlands.

Belle Vernon’s only WPIAL title in boys basketball came in 1978.

“Going out a winner, that’d be the icing on the cake,” Salvino said.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Norwin, Southmoreland