Westmoreland County PIAA basketball first-round preview capsules

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, March 8, 2018 | 5:18 PM

Boys

Class 5A

First round

Highlands (18-5) vs. Franklin Regional (120-5)

6 p.m. Friday at Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of Hollidaysburg (16-7) vs. Carrick (19-5)

Coaches: Tyler Stoczynski, Highlands; Steve Scorpion, Franklin Regional

Players to watch: Johnny Crise, 6-6, So., F, Highlands; Nate Leopold, 6-0, Sr., G, Franklin Regional

Layup lines: Round 4 between the Section 3 rivals comes 10 days after Franklin Regional topped Highlands, 48-40, in the WPIAL semifinals. The teams split in the regular season with Franklin Regional winning the first meeting 70-46, and Highlands taking the second game 87-68. … Shawn Erceg leads Highlands in scoring at 12 points per game. Crise, Romello Freeman and Luke Cochran average 10 points. The Golden Rams are 16-2 in their last 18 games. Highlands has struggled as a team at the free throw line, shooting 55 percent for the season. … Franklin Regional will look to rebound from a 54-44 loss to Mars in the WPIAL championship. The Panthers had won nine straight prior to the Mars loss. Nick Leopold had 16 points and Nate Leopold had 13 for the Panthers in the semifinal win. Hunter Stonecheck, a 6-4 senior, led the team with 15 points in the WPIAL final.

Class 4A

First round

Belle Vernon (18-6) vs. Hickory (20-5)

7:30 p.m. Friday at Sharon High School

Winner plays: Winner of Quaker Valley (23-1) vs. Grove City (18-7)

Coaches: Kyle DeGregorio, Belle Vernon; Chris Mele, Hickory

Players to watch: Joe Sabolek, 6-4, Sr., F, Belle Vernon; Donald Whitehead, 5-9, So., G, Hickory

Layup lines: Belle Vernon will look to rebound from a 63-43 loss to eventual WPIAL champion New Castle in the semifinals. The Leopards are in the state playoffs for the first time since 1998, when they lost to Sharon, 53-49, in the first round. Sabolek had a big game against Ambridge in the WPIAL quarterfinals, scoring a game-high 25 points. Bryce Washington, Cam Nusser, Griffin LaCarte and Derek Thomas help make up a deep lineup. … Hickory fell in the District 10 final to Sharon, 71-66, last Saturday. The Hornets qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the first time in six years. Whitehead had a career-high 35 points in a quarterfinal win over Farrell, and freshman Peyton Mele scored 23 in the loss to Sharon. Hickory has wins over WPIAL 3A champ Lincoln Park and Fairview, the District 10 3A champ. The Hornets lost to WPIAL 6A champ Penn Hills, 62-53, in the opening weekend of the season.

Class 3A

First round

Ligonier Valley (21-4) vs. Lancaster Mennonite (17-9)

4 p.m. Saturday at Johnstown High School

On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 106.3-FM

Winner plays: Winner of Westinghouse (17-6) vs. Burgettstown (16-7)

Coaches: Todd Hepner, Ligonier Valley; Geoff Groff, Lancaster Mennonite

Players to watch: Marrek Paola, 6-6, Jr., F, Ligonier Valley; John Gillespie, 6-1, Sr., G, Lancaster Mennonite

Layup lines: Fresh off its first District 6 title, Ligonier Valley looks to keep the momentum of a 16-game winning streak going in the PIAA playoffs. Ligonier Valley has never won a state playoff game. The Rams topped Richland, 58-54, in the district final. Paola battled foul trouble, but still finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He averages 24.4 points and 13.6 rebounds. Michael Marinchak averages 18.6 points and Andrew Pleskotvich averages 10.1. … Lancaster Mennonite, the fourth-place team in District 3, made the quarterfinals of the PIAA playoffs last year, losing to eventual champion Neumann-Goretti. The Blazers dropped one-point decisions to Kutztown and Steelton-Highspire in the semifinals and third-place game in the District 3 tournament. They went 1-4 over their last five games. Gillespie, Carter Hurst and Elijah Bynum provide a dynamic backcourt for the Blazers.

Class 2A

Jeannette (19-4) vs. Purchase Line (20-5)

5:30 p.m. Saturday at Central Cambria High School, Ebensburg

On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 106.3-FM

Winner plays: Winner of Leechburg (14-7) vs. Cambridge Springs (20-5)

Coaches: Adrian Batts, Jeannette; Steve Woodrow, Purchase Line

Players to watch: Tre Cunningham, 6-4, Sr., G-F, Jeannette; Melvin Sanchez, 5-10, Sr., PG, Purchase Line

Layup lines: WPIAL fourth-place finisher Jeannette is in the state playoffs for the 14th time in 15 years but is seeking its first win in the PIAA bracket since 2012. … The Jayhawks won the PIAA title in 2008 and won opening-round games nine years in a row from 2004-12. … Junior Anthony Johnson (21 ppg) will not play because he received two technical fouls in the WPIAL semifinals. Senior Tre Cunningham averages 18 points and senior Robert Kennedy 12. Jeannette's defense does not get much attention, but the unit allows just 49 points a game. … Purchase Line, the District 6 runner-up, plays in the Heritage Conference where it finished second to Ligonier Valley. Sanchez leads the Red Dragons in scoring at 15.3 points, followed by junior Dominique Campbell (14.4), senior Shamar Campbell (13.4) and sophomore Jacob Barnett (12.7). An uptempo team, the Red Dragons average 16.7 assists and 10.1 steals.

Girls

Class 4A

First round

Belle Vernon (18-6) vs. Beaver Area (18-6)

3 p.m. Saturday at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic

On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 1460-AM, 1230-AM

Winner plays: Winner of Villa Maria (19-4)/Blackhawk (19-3)

Coaches: Lisa Fairman, Belle Vernon; Greg Huston, Beaver

Players to watch: Keira Boff, 5-6, Sr., G, Belle Venon; Bella Posset, 5-8, Sr., G, Beaver

Layup lines: Belle Vernon will try to avenge its 63-32 loss to Beaver in the WPIAL quarterfinals. The Leopards trailed by two points midway through the second quarter, but Beaver finished the half on a 14-3 run and pulled away from there. Lindsay Steeber and Caitlyn Trombley had eight points apiece for the Leopards in the loss. Belle Vernon won its first WPIAL playoff game in two years, defeating Knoch 54-45 in the first round. … Beaver will look to rebound from a buzzer-beater loss to Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, 50-49, in the WPIAL final. The Bobcats lost to Forest Hills in the PIAA first round last year. Sydney Barney (16 points), Posset (15), Paige Ziggas (14) and Emma Pavelek (11) all scored in double figures in the quarterfinal win over Belle Vernon. Posset is a Robert Morris recruit.

Class 2A

First round

Greensburg Central Catholic (12-11) vs. Bishop McCort (20-6)

6 p.m. Friday at Forest Hills

Winner plays: Winner of Chartiers-Houston (19-6) vs. Cambridge Springs (21-4)

Coaches: Joe Eisaman, Greensburg Central Catholic; John Hahn, Bishop McCort

Players to watch: Anna Eisaman, 5-8, Jr., G, Greensburg Central Catholic; Mikayla Martin, 5-3, So., G, Bishop McCort

Layup lines: After a 15-day layoff since its WPIAL quarterfinal loss to Serra Catholic, Greensburg Central Catholic will appear in the PIAA playoffs for the ninth consecutive year. The Centurions have won a state playoff game each of the last six years. They lost to Bishop McCort in the second round two years ago. Eisaman leads a backcourt that also features Bella Skatell and Olivia Stawovy. The Centurions won a state title in 1997. … Bishop McCort fell in the PIAA Class 2A final last year, 63-49, to Minersville. The Crimson Crushers earned their fourth consecutive District 6 title, and 11th overall, with a 46-36 win over Blairsville. Martin averages 14.7 points, while Sierra Widmar and Isabella Hunt average 12. Bishop McCort won a state title in 1985.

— Bill Beckner Jr. and Jerin Steele

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Ligonier Valley