Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for March 9, 2024

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, March 8, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Boys

Class 3A

First round

Derry (15-8) at Girard (23-2)

7:30 p.m. Saturday

District seeds: Derry 7-6; Girard 10-1

Winner plays: Winner of 7-2 Burrell (16-9)/6-3 Bishop Canevin (23-4) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Brady Angus, Derry; Nate Edwards, Girard

Layup lines: Derry will make its PIAA playoff debut after finishing fifth in the WPIAL. The Trojans recorded their first first-round win in the district playoffs. A 59-40 win over Ellwood City in the consolation first round secured a PIAA berth. Nate Papuga is a 1,000-point scorer. Freshman Stanley Rajkovich is a budding 6-foot-6 forward. … Girard won its first district title since 2000 with a 60-50 victory over Franklin. Edwards and Kenny Godoy had 18 points apiece, and Geremia Dell’omo added 15. The Yellowjackets are 10-0 at home this season.

Class 2A

Jeannette (17-9) at Iroquois (14-11)

1 p.m. Saturday

District seeds: Jeannette 7-6; Iroquois 10-1

Winner plays: Winner of 5-2 Windber (16-9)/7-2 Greensburg Central Catholic (23-3) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Kymone Brown, Jeannette; Kellen Burroughs, Iroquois

Layup lines: Jeannette returns to the state playoffs for the first time since 2017-18. The Jayhawks, who are led by a young and promising crop of guards, lost to Northgate in the WPIAL quarterfinals and went 1-1 in the consolation bracket, with both games at home, to finish sixth. … Iroquois is having a breakthrough season. The Braves earned their first district championship since 1974 with a 64-53 win against Cambridge Springs. Burroughs led the Braves with 14 points, while Orlando Brown had 13. Burroughs, a 6-6 sophomore guard, averages 12 points and six rebounds a game.

Windber (16-9) at Greensburg Central Catholic (23-3)

2 p.m. Saturday

District seeds: Windber 5-2; GCC 7-2

Winner plays: Winner of 7-6 Jeannette (17-9)/10-1 Iroquois (14-11) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Evan Brady, Windber; Franco Alvarez, GCC

Layup lines: Windber tried to deny Conemaugh Township its fourth straight District 5 title but managed only four field goals in the second half and lost 37-35 in the title game. The Ramblers pulled back-to-back upsets in the D-5 tournament over North Star and No. 1 McConnellsburg. Grady Klosky is another key scorer. … GCC ran into a buzzsaw in the WPIAL final, losing 69-32 to Aliquippa to snap a 14-game winning streak and move to 0-4 in WPIAL finals. Tyree Turner had 16 points in the loss. He and Alvarez are 1,000-point scorers. GCC lost in the first round last year at Otto-Eldred, 67-55. The Centurions reached the second round two years ago and lost to Ridgway, 59-53. The Centurions have won 18 straight at home.

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

Tags: Derry Area, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette