Westmoreland County PIAA basketball preview capsules for March 11, 2026

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 | 11:01 AM

Girls

Class 4A

Second round

Belle Vernon (23-4) vs. Blackhawk (23-1)

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at North Allegheny

District seeds: Belle Vernon 7-5; Blackhawk 7-2

Winner plays: Winner of 7-3 North Catholic (21-6)/10-1 Harbor Creek (22-4) in quarterfinals Saturday (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Saylor Lee, Belle Vernon; Aubree Hupp, Blackhawk

Layup lines: Belle Vernon, which has more wins than any team in program history, won its first state playoff game since 2018 with a 58-46 victory over Clearfield in the first round. Aubrey Brown, a 6-2 forward, and Lee had double-doubles, Brown with 24 points and 12 rebounds (four assists) and Lee with 13 points and 19 rebounds. Lyla McConnell had 10 points. The Leopards won their first section since 1999 and reached the WPIAL quarterfinals before falling to Elizabeth Forward. Belle Vernon has never won two PIAA playoff games in the same season. … Blackhawk is the WPIAL runner-up. The Cougars took a 22-0 record into the WPIAL championship but fell to Oakland Catholic, 51-44. They bounced back with a 45-34 win over Fairview in the state opener. Hupp, a Canisius commit, had 22 points. She averages 21.5 points and 14.3 rebounds. Freshman Gracen Sehn averages 11.6 points. The Cougars made the PIAA quarterfinals last year and lost to North Catholic, 51-44. They won a state title in 2023-24. Blackhawk beat two Westmoreland teams this season, Latrobe (77-38) and Burrell (50-33).

Class 5A

Second round

Penn-Trafford (21-6) vs. South Fayette (26-1)

6 p.m. Wednesday at AHN Arena, Peters Township

District seeds: Penn-Trafford 7-3; South Fayette 7-1

Winner plays: Winner of 7-5 Baldwin (22-5)/7-6 Indiana (22-5) in quarterfinals Saturday (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Raya Johnson, Penn-Trafford; Juliette Leroux, South Fayette

Layup lines: Penn-Trafford grabbed its first PIAA playoff win since 2023 with a 65-48 victory over West York in the opening round. Torrie DeStefano scored a game-high 24 points and Johnson added 21, including 4 of 5 3-pointers. She scored 13 in the first quarter. DeStefano, who added eight rebounds and seven steals, scored 12 in the third. The win was their 26th straight at home. The Warriors lost in the state first round last year. An upset win would put Penn-Trafford in the quarterfinals for the first time in program history. … South Fayette, WPIAL champions in 2026, ’24, ’23 and ’22, is chasing a second straight PIAA championship. The Lions took down Milton Hershey in the first round, 64-35, as Juliette Leroux had 14 points, Haylie Lamonde added 13, and Ella Vierra had 10. Leroux, a Florida Atlantic commit, is the daughter of former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Francois “Frankie” Leroux. Lamonde is a USC Upstate recruit, and Ryan Oldaker is headed to Marist. The Lions’ lone loss is to Miami Dade (Fla.), 56-54. South Fayette averages 69.6 points and allows 34.1.

Boys

Class 2A

Second round

Jeannette (23-2) vs. Jefferson-Morgan (24-3)

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at AHN Arena, Peters Township

District seeds: Jeannette 7-2; Jefferson-Morgan 7-6

Winner plays: Winner of 10-1 Mercyhurst Prep (20-6)/7-3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (22-5) in quarterfinals Saturday (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Xavier Odorisio-Farrow, Jeannette; Jeremiah Robertson, Jefferson-Morgan

Layup lines: Jeannette coasted into the second round with a 72-34 victory over Northern Cambria as Markus McGowan poured in 26 points, including four 3-pointers. Kymon’e Brown and Jayce Powell added 11 points each, and Odorisio-Farrow had 10. The Jayhawks have scored 70 or more points 10 times this season. Jeannette reached the PIAA quarterfinals last year but lost to Greensburg Central Catholic, 46-35. It also made the quarters two years ago. Jeannette went 25-3 and 21-10 in the last two seasons. Coach Adrian Batts has 282 career wins. Jeannette’s one state title came in 2007-08. … Jefferson-Morgan posted its first PIAA playoff win since 2000, defeating Redbank Valley, 50-26. Robertson averages 18.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.2 steals. Deyton Marion averages 10.7 points and 9.2 rebounds. The Section 3 co-champion with Chartiers-Houston, the Rockets beat Springdale in the WPIAL first round (49-35) and lost to OLSH 41-28 in the quarterfinals. They beat Winchester Thurston (43-39) in the consolation round before falling to Eden Christian, 58-39, in the fifth-place game. The Rockets have only been to the state tournament one other time, reaching the second round in 2000 and falling to Kennedy Christian, 77-54.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Blackhawk, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Penn-Trafford, South Fayette