Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 24, 2026

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, February 23, 2026 | 9:12 PM

WPIAL basketball playoffs

Girls

Class 6A

Semifinals

3-Upper St. Clair (12-11) vs. 2-Norwin (18-4)

7 p.m. Tuesday at Keystone Oaks

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Seneca Valley (14-6)/1-Canon-McMillan (19-4) in championship, 5 p.m. Feb. 28 at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center

Players to watch: Ekaterina Polstyanko, Upper St. Clair; Liz Yarosik, Norwin

Layup lines: Defending champion Upper St. Clair, coached by legendary player and coach Suzie McConnell-Serio, won a slow-going quarterfinal against North Allegheny, 41-33. The Panthers led 19-18 at halftime. Ryan Prunzik had 14 points and Caroline Barnard added 10 in the win. They outsored the Tigers, 5-3, in the fourth quarter. Prunzik had 11 points against Norwin in last year’s WPIAL championship game, which USC won, 45-40. … Norwin won both games against the Panthers this season, 65-51 and 46-32. Freshman Giuliana Giannikas scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, with three 3-pointers, in the second game. Norwin overcame a first-quarter deficit to defeat Hempfield, 57-42, in the quarterfinals. Lenyn Brozeski erupted for five 3-pointers and a career-high 17 points — 14 in the second quarter — as the Knights moved into the semifinals for the fourth straight season. Yarosik added 10 points.

Class 5A

Consolation round

Third-place game

12-Peters Township (16-9) at 6-Penn-Trafford (19-6)

7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Players to watch: Bre Morreale, Peters Township; Hanna Weishaar, Penn-Trafford

Layup lines: Peters Township moved into the consolation bracket after a 66-27 semifinal loss to top-seeded South Fayette. The Indians were the fourth-place team in Section 4 but pulled an upset in the quarterfinals, beating No. 4 Baldwin 43-36. … Penn-Trafford reached the semifinals for the first time since 2014 but fell to Thomas Jefferson, 69-41. Despite leading early, the Warriors were outscored 24-6 in the fourth quarter. Torrie DeStefano had 16 points, and Weishaar added 11. … Both teams are in the PIAA playoffs. The winner gets third place in the WPIAL. The loser is fourth.

Boys

Class A

Consolation round

Third-place game

4-Monessen (12-10) at 2-Nazareth Prep (9-12)

6 p.m. Tuesday at Penn-Trafford

Players to watch: Ahsan Harrison, Nazareth Prep; Torrence Taylor, Monessen

Layup lines: Nazareth Prep made the semifinals for the second year in a row but was tripped up by No. 6 Serra Catholic, 71-51. Harrison scored 27 points and Grey Wible added 18, including four 3-pointers. … Monessen struggled offensively in the semifinals, falling to No. 1 Neighborhood Academy, the returning WPIAL and PIAA champion, 50-21, the Greyhounds’ lowest scoring output of the season. Neighborhood Academy beat Monessen twice in section play, 67-29 and 59-31.

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

Tags: Norwin, Upper St. Clair