Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 14, 2025

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

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Boys

Class 4A

First round

11-Derry (12-9) at 6-Central Valley (18-4)

7 p.m. Friday

Winner plays: At No. 3 Beaver (18-4) (time TBD) on Wednesday in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Stanley Rajkovich, Derry; Isaiah Jeter, Central Valley

Layup lines: Derry finished third in Section 3 behind Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward. The Trojans are led by the 6-foot-7 Rajkovich, who is complemented by guards John Wasnick and Brayden Robinson. Derry went 15-9 last year and made the PIAA playoffs for the first time. The Trojans upset No. 5 OLSH in the first round of the WPIAL tournament last year, 54-53. … Central Valley is the third-place team from Section 2, which had co-champions in Beaver and Avonworth. The Warriors started the season 7-0 and beat Beaver, 54-49. They have five wins in their last six games. Jeter averages 17 points.

Girls

Class 5A

First round

16-Greensburg Salem (13-9) at 1-South Fayette (21-1)

7 p.m. Friday

Winner plays: Winner of 9-Baldwin (14-8)/8-Chartiers Valley (15-7) on Wednesday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Mya Heasley, Greensburg Salem; Ryan Oldaker, South Fayette

Layup lines: Greensburg Salem was not expecting the last seed in the field after winning 13 games but faces a mountain of a challenge in the opener. Heasley and Reagan Kerr bring shooting and stability to the backcourt, while Blessing Gantt can control the glass. … South Fayette is chasing a WPIAL four-peat. The Lions, who average 61 points, have not lost to a WPIAL team this season. Their lone defeat was against St. Mary’s (N.Y.) in Florida. The Lions have a number of scoring threats, including 5-foot-11 Juliette Leroux (5-11) and the 5-10 Oldaker.

12-Bethel Park (11-11) at 5-Franklin Regional (15-6)

7 p.m. Friday

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Mars (13-9)/4-Shaler (20-2) on Wednesday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Sadie Orie, Bethel Park; Madison DeRiggi, Franklin Regional

Layup lines: The fourth-place team in Section 4 behind Peters Township, Thomas Jefferson and Baldwin, Bethel Park lost three of its final six regular-season games. The Black Hawks only lost 44-40 to Peters Township in their second meeting. … Franklin Regional is having a banner season and will look to continue it into the postseason. The Panthers won a section title for the first time since 1979. They last made the playoffs in 2018-19 and advanced to the quarterfinals. DeRiggi and Addison Musto are key guards but watch 6-foot Toryn Fulton in the post.

14-Plum (10-12) at 3-Penn-Trafford (22-0)

7 p.m. Friday

Winner plays: Winner of 11-Latrobe (11-10)/6-Thomas Jefferson (18-4) on Wednesday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Riley Stephans, Plum; Lauren Marton, Penn-Trafford

Layup lines: Plum rallied to earn a split with Fox Chapel and tie the Foxes for third place in Section 1. The Mustangs average just 41.8 points. Top scoring threats are the hot-shooting Stephans, Serena Carnahan and Tamia West. … Penn-Trafford celebrated its first undefeated regular season since 1973-74. The Warriors also captured their first section title since 2014-2015, the year following their only WPIAL title win. Marton (Shippensburg) and Kamryn Pieper (Point Park) are Division II commits who are buoyed by sound guard play and depth.

11-Latrobe (11-10) at 6-Thomas Jefferson (18-4)

7 p.m. Friday

Winner plays: Winner of 14-Plum (9-12) at 3-Penn-Trafford (22-0) on Wednesday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Carley Berk, Latrobe; Maggie Spell, Thomas Jefferson

Layup lines: Latrobe, the third-place team from Section 2, takes a three-game losing streak into the tournament. The Wildcats have the second-highest scoring average in the section (53.1 ppg) behind Penn-Trafford. Berk, a Division II Millersville commit, averages 15 points. Maggie Maiers has multiple double-digit scoring games. … Thomas Jefferson took second behind Peters Township in Section 4. The Jaguars average 63.8 points with a fast-paced style. They have topped 70 points seven times this season. Spell, a talented shooter, transferred from Shady Side Academy.

Class 3A

First round

13-Ligonier Valley (7-14) at 4-Keystone Oaks (18-2)

6 p.m. Friday

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Ellwood City (13-8)/5-Seton LaSalle (16-6) on Wednesday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Sydnee Foust, Ligonier Valley; Laney Wagner, Keystone Oaks

Layup lines: This will be the first WPIAL playoff appearance for Ligonier Valley, which joined the league in 2020 out of District 6. The Rams tied South Allegheny for fifth in Section 2. They have won two of three going into the postseason. … Keystone Oaks shared the Section 3 title with Seton LaSalle. The Golden Eagles allow just 35.4 points and have won 15 of their last 16 games. Their loss was to 5A Bethel Park. Wagner averages 21 points.

15-Brownsville (13-9) at 2-Greensburg Central Catholic (17-5)

7 p.m. Friday

Winner plays: Winner of 10-McGuffey (13-8)/7-Quaker Valley (14-8) Wednesday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Skyler Gates, Brownsville; Erica Gribble, Greensburg Central Catholic

Layup lines: Brownsville finished as the fourth-place team in Section 3 behind Keystone Oaks, Seton LaSalle and McGuffey. The Falcons average 53 points. They could give GCC trouble with the 6-4 Gates, a talented volleyball player who averages 21 points and 10 rebounds. … GCC won the WPIAL 2A championship last year but was elevated to 3A due to the PIAA competitive balance formula after back-to-back PIAA semifinal trips and a transfer. Gribble is averaging 22 points. The Richmond commit has over 1,400 career points. Jayla Peterson is another solid scoring option.

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

Tags: Bethel Park, Central Valley, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Keystone Oaks, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Penn-Trafford, Plum, South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson