Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 20, 2026

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 11:01 AM

Girls

Class 6A

Quarterfinals

7-Hempfield (13-9) at 2-Norwin (17-4)

6 p.m. Friday

Winner plays: Winner of 6-North Allegheny (10-11)/3-Upper St. Clair (11-11) Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Aubrey Graney, Norwin; Ava Shipman, Hempfield

Layup lines: This is the rubber match between Section 2 opponents who have bumped elbows in the softball postseason of late. Hempfield is trying to snap a 19-game losing streak to Norwin. Hempfield tied Mt. Lebanon for fourth place in Section 2. The Spartans are only allowing 39.3 points a game. They gave up 56 in both losses to Norwin this season. Reagan Fisher, Shipman and Gabby Coccia are key scorers. Coccia had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the last game against Norwin. Hempfield last made the playoffs in 2020-21 when there was an open tournament. The Spartans’ last playoff win was in 2017-18. … Perennial contender Norwin has a young lineup but is in the mix for its second title in three years. A late-season loss to Canon-McMillan dropped Norwin to the No. 2. seed. The Knights have won seven of nine. A budding backcourt features Graney, Nia O’Barto, Giuliana Giannikas and others. The return of Ava Christopher bolters a deep rotation. Norwin is seeking its fourth straight WPIAL semifinal appearance.

Boys

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

13-Shady Side Academy (9-14) vs. 5-Southmoreland (15-8)

6 p.m. Friday at Charleroi

Winner plays: Winner of 8-South Allegheny (14-8)/1-Mohawk (21-1) Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Kai Lamberson, Shady Side Academy; Ty Whoric, Southmoreland

Layup lines: Shady Side Academy pulled the biggest upset in the Class 3A bracket so far with a 61-48 victory over No. 3 Bishop Canevin. Lamberson connected on seven 3-pointers for a game-high 32 points for the Bulldogs. Alex Damchak scored 12 in the win. Few saw the upset coming, considering the Bulldogs had lost seven of their last 10 coming into the playoffs. Shady Side Academy lost to Aliquippa in the quarterfinals last year as a No. 8 seed. The Bulldogs last made the semifinals in 2022. … Southmoreland is in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row after a 63-58 win over Washington in a back-and-forth first-round game. Noah Felentzer, a career 1,400-point scorer, had a game-high 27 (13 in the fourth quarter), Whoric added 16 and Brock Pritts chipped in 12. The Scotties beat Carlynton in the first round last year before falling to No. 3 Mohawk. The Scotties’ playoff win last year was their first since 2017. They have not reached the semifinals since 1987. That also is the last year they made the PIAA playoffs.

11-Ligonier Valley (13-10) vs. 3-South Park (19-3)

7:30 p.m. Friday at Charleroi

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Seton LaSalle (18-5)/2-Aliquippa (15-6) Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Michael Wisniewski, Ligonier Valley; Cooper Hochendoner, South Park

Layup lines: Ligonier Valley upset No. 6 Keystone Oaks in the first round, 47-44, as guard Mike Wisniewski scored 12 points and 6-7 forward Greyson Daugherty added 10. The win was just the second for the Rams in the WPIAL playoffs since they rejoined the league in 2020. Wisniewski and Michael Vargulish-Graver are a solid backcourt tandem and often a one-two scoring combo. The win avenged a 72-57 loss to Keystone Oaks in last year’s opening round. … South Park won for the 11th time in 12 games with a decisive, 58-29 victory over Riverside in the first round. Hochendoner poured in 31 points for the Eagles, who average 61 points and allow 45.2 a game. The Eagles were the No. 7 seed last year when they lost to Ellwood City in the first round. South Park’s last semifinal appearance came in 1999.

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

Tags: Hempfield, Norwin