Westmoreland County high school basketball preview capsules for Feb. 18, 2026

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | 11:01 AM

Girls

Class 5A

Quarterfinals

6-Penn-Trafford (18-5) vs. 3-Indiana (20-3)

7 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Fox Chapel (15-8)/2-Thomas Jefferson (20-2) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Torrie DeStefano, Penn-Trafford; Julia Antonacci, Indiana

Layup lines: This is the third meeting of the season between teams that split the Section 2 title with 11-1 records. … They also split their two-game series. Penn-Trafford won the first matchup 59-38 and Indiana won 45-40 with each winning on their home floor. … Penn-Trafford is in the quarters for the second year in a row after losing to Thomas Jefferson, 65-60, in overtime last year. The Warriors defeated Franklin Regional in the first round 47-22, shaking off a slow start with a better second half. They outscored the Panthers in the fourth 14-4. Olivia Weishaar had 11 points and DeStefano and Hanna Weishaar each had 10 in the win. Strong nonsection tests against Plum and Upper St. Clair helped Penn-Trafford prepare for the postseason. Penn-Trafford has not been to the semifinals since 2013-14, the year it won its only WPIAL title. … Indiana won its fifth straight game — and seventh out of eight — with a 63-36 victory over Mars in the first round. Antonacci poured in 20 points, Laken Kugler added 15 and Sam Martin chipped in 12 for the Little Indians, who led 30-13 at the half. Antonacci made six 3-pointers and Martin made three. In their win over Penn-Trafford, Antonacci had 15 points. Indiana lost in the quarterfinals last year to eventual champion Peters Township, 51-32. Indiana last reached the WPIAL semifinals in 2010-11. It has never won a WPIAL title in girls basketball.

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

6-OLSH (18-5) vs. 3-Greensburg Central Catholic (17-6)

6 p.m. Wednesday at Bethel Park

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Waynesburg (21-2)/2-Beaver Falls (21-1) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Lola Garner, OLSH; Avery Jones, GCC

Layup lines: Bracket acronyms OLSH and GCC will meet again in the postseason after playing each other twice last year. GCC handled the Chargers in the WPIAL semifinals 41-18, but OLSH bounced back to stun the Centurions in the PIAA second round 36-35. … OLSH was the No. 3 seed when it made the semifinals last season. The Chargers breezed in the first round Friday, defeating McGuffey, 54-20. Garner scored a game-high 19. She averages 13 a game. Sara Daeschner is a do-it-all player, averaging 3.5 assists and 3 steals, while Rowan Winter leads the Chargers in rebounding at 7 per game. Daeschner was injured in last year’s PIAA second-round game. OLSH allows a measly 28.3 points. … GCC cruised to a 67-21 victory in the first round Friday against Mohawk at Fox Chapel. Erica Gribble scored a game-high 23 points and Jones added a career-high 20. GCC’s average winning score the last three first rounds is 70-21. The Centurions, who score 64.6 points a game, have won eight straight WPIAL playoff games dating to 2023. Gribble (23 ppg), a Richmond commit, is the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,198 points). Coach Chris Skatell has 104 wins in five seasons. Jayla Peterson is a Wheeling recruit.

Boys

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

8-Belle Vernon (14-9) at 1-Quaker Valley (18-3)

7 p.m. Wednesday

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Deer Lakes (11-12)/5-Hopewell (15-8) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Cam Jenko, Belle Vernon; Zach Washington, Quaker Valley

Layup lines: Belle Vernon, the defending WPIAL champion, forced 29 turnovers and cruised past Burrell in the first round, 60-45. It was the first playoff win for first-year coach Ricky Tyburski. A.J. Watson led the Leopards with 12 points off the bench, while Jenko and Luca Ghilani had 10 apiece. Balanced scoring has been a hallmark this season for a team that averages 66.9 points. Also watch Elijah Majors and Dane Daugherty. The Leopards hope to lean on deep playoff experience as they go for an upset. … Quaker Valley, which had a bye into the quarterfinals, won the Section 2 title by four games over Central Valley and Hopewell. The Quakers averaged 62.6 points. Washington averages 17.2 points and Nic Cohen 16.2. Quaker Valley lost in the first round last year to Deer Lakes, fell to Uniontown in the first round in 2023-24 and lost to Belle Vernon in the 2022-23 first round. Those defeats followed a WPIAL title in 2021-22. The Quakers have one other title, in 1996-97.

Class A

Quarterfinals

5-Aquinas Academy (9-12) at 4-Monessen (11-9)

7 p.m. Wednesday

Winner plays: Winner of 8-Summit Academy (11-8)/1-Neighborhood Academy (18-3) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Sam Duer, Aquinas Academy; Rodney Johnson, Monessen

Layup lines: Aquinas Academy is the third-place team from Section 1. There are only eight teams in the Class A bracket, so the winner goes to the semifinals. Duer is one of the top scorers in the WPIAL at 24.4 points per game. Aquinas averages 67.6 points and allowed 66.5. The Crusaders made the semifinals last year. … Monessen, which extended its WPIAL-record playoff streak to 45 straight years, tied Serra Catholic for second in Section 2. The Greyhounds have scored 999 points and allowed 1,000. Johnson is a traditional post player, while Tayvin Craggette also can score from the low block. Monessen last made the semifinals in 2018-19.

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

Tags: Monessen