Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Southmoreland-Greensburg Salem lives up to billing

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022 | 8:08 PM

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It was a girls game played on night when the spotlight shined on the top boys basketball action in the WPIAL.

But Greensburg Salem at Southmoreland still lived up to its billing Tuesday.

There weren’t a lot of points, possessions were precious and defense was the order of the day as Southmoreland edged past the unbeaten Golden Lions, 30-27.

“It was a war,” Greensburg Salem coach Rick Klimchock said. “Kudos to Southmoreland. They held on.”

The Scotties grounded out an 18-16 lead at halftime. The scoring in the third quarter dripped like a leaky faucet in the middle of the night: Southmoreland 4, Greensburg Salem 2.

The win allowed the Scotties to bounce back from a 52-40 loss Monday to Belle Vernon. Southmoreland (6-2) came into the week ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 4A.

Greensburg Salem (8-1) is looking to crack the top 5 in Class 5A.

Senior forward Gracie Spadaro led the Scotties with 13 points, and senior guard Abby Mankins had a game-high 16 for Greensburg Salem.

Spadaro (IUP) and Mankins (Seton Hill) are slated to be future PSAC opponents.

“Both teams played great defense,” Klimchock said. “Southmoreland is a tough place to play.”

He’s right. Southmoreland has won 37 straight games in Alverton. Its last loss at home was a 52-40 setback against South Park in 2018.

Norwin-NA

Norwin had North Allegheny right where it wanted, leading the top-ranked Tigers, 35-31, after three quarters in McCandless.

But North Allegheny (7-0, 3-0) rallied to tied it before sending No. 4 Norwin (5-2, 2-1) home with a heartbreaking Section 1-6A defeat.

Pitt commit Jasmine Timmerson delivered a clutch 3-pointer to beat the final buzzer — and the Knights, 46-43.

There was some question whether Timmerson got the shot off before the horn, but Norwin coach Brian Brozeski did not contest the shot.

He later said the shot counted.

Fans might want to circle Jan. 27 on their calendars. That will be the rematch between the Knights and Tigers in North Huntingdon.

D-fence

Scoring seems to be down in general, at least in Westmoreland girls basketball, and the numbers prove it.

Teams are limiting opponents to fewer points. In fact, six county teams are allowing less than 40 points a game. They are: Greensburg Salem (27.9), Norwin (31.9), Derry (31.9), Monessen (35.6), Southmoreland (37.9) and Greensburg Central Catholic (38.3).

New enrollment numbers

The PIAA released enrollment numbers for the next two-year cycle and several girls basketball teams are primed to play in new classifications.

Six local schools will move down a class, unless they choose to play up.

Penn-Trafford will go from 6A to 5A, while Greensburg Salem drops from 5A to 4A, and Yough, Ligonier Valley and Mt. Pleasant shift from 4A to 3A, and Jeannette drops from 2A to A.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Derry Area, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland