Westmoreland high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 17, 2026

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, February 16, 2026 | 6:25 PM

Girls

Class 2A

First round

10-Jeannette (15-6) at 7-Burgettstown (15-6)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: Winner of 15-Bentworth (9-13)/2-Winchester Thurston (18-3) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Navarah Smith, Jeannette; Paige Klodowski, Burgettstown

Layup lines: Jeannette is having its best season in years. The Jayhawks have the most wins in the program since the 2012-13 team went 15-6. Smith (19 ppg) is a volume scorer who is just as dangerous as a takeaway defender. Also watch guard Leah DeFelice. Coach Jenna (Cole) Lusby is a former Norwin standout who won two WPIAL titles as a player. … Burgettstown finished second in Section 2 behind Fort Cherry. The Blue Devils are a defensive-minded group that limits teams to 32.4 points per game. Klodowski is the engine of the offense. She averages 17.8 points. Burgettstown beat another Westmoreland County team, Monessen, 68-47.

Boys

Class 5A

First round

13-Penn-Trafford (11-11) at 4-Moon (18-3)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Indiana (13-8)/5-Gateway (15-7) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Zach Feldman, Penn-Trafford; Jackson Bauman, Moon

Layup lines: Penn-Trafford will look to pull another upset. Last year, the Warriors knocked off No. 2 Baldwin in the first round 60-45. Penn-Trafford finished third in Section 1 behind Gateway and Franklin Regional. Feldman and Ethan McDonald are a formidable frontcourt combo. … Moon took third in Section 4 behind Chartiers Valley and Lincoln Park. The Tigers have won six in a row, including a 65-53 victory over Central Valley. Their nonsection wins include Imani Christian, Central Catholic, Penn Hills, Obama, Allderdice and Farrell. The Tigers were the No. 5 seed last season when they lost to Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals.

9-Shaler (13-9) at 8-Franklin Regional (13-8)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: Winner of 17-Montour (9-14)/1-Chartiers Valley (19-2) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Logan Walter, Franklin Regional; Jordan Epps, Shaler

Layup lines: Franklin Regional dropped three of its final five Section 1 games but still finished alone in second place behind Gateway. The Panthers could see the No. 1 seed for the second year in a row. Last year, they won a play-in game over Indiana, then lost to Montour. Two years ago, the Panthers beat Shaler in the semifinals. Walter (16 ppg) and Webber Rankin form a solid backcourt in a guard-oriented lineup. Alec Masten’s recent return from an injury is a boost. … Shaler has lost 3 of 4. The Titans took second place in Section 2 behind Penn Hills. They average 65 points. Epps scores at a 20.3 clip, with Deron Nixon close at 17.2 ppg. Shaler missed the playoffs last year.

14-Latrobe (10-12) at 3-Thomas Jefferson (20-2)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: Winner of 11-South Fayette (10-12)/6-Penn Hills (16-6) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Rob Young, Latrobe; Nicholas Trklja, Thomas Jefferson

Layup lines: Latrobe built a 14-point lead in the third quarter and went nearly four minutes without a field goal in the fourth before holding off Mars, 57-46, in the play-in round. Ian DeCerb had 15 points, and Young added 13 for the Wildcats, who made the quarterfinals last year. Latrobe made 13 of 24 free throws, including 8 of 14 in the final two minutes. … Thomas Jefferson has only two losses, and one is against Penn-Trafford, a team from Latrobe’s section, 57-43. The other defeat came against McDowell, 77-69. The Jaguars are 9-0 at home this season. They average 67.5 points, the second-most in 5A. Trklja averages 21.9 points and Justin Fry 18.6 for the Jaguars, who lost in the first round last year to Chartiers Valley, 72-50.

Class 3A

First round

12-Washington (12-10) at 5-Southmoreland (14-8)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Shady Side Academy (8-14)/4-Bishop Canevin (13-8) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Tristan Reed, Washington; Noah Felentzer, Southmoreland

Layup lines: Washington is the third-place team out of Section 2. The Little Prexies turned around a three-game losing streak by winning four in a row to end the regular season. They own nonsection wins over Monessen, Seton LaSalle and Waynesburg, which lost two one-point games to Southmoreland. … Back-to-back section champion Southmoreland is 9-2 since the Christmas break. Felentzer is one of the top scorers in the WPIAL at 19 points per game. Brady Sherbondy and Brock Pritts also play pivotal roles in the offense. The Scotties made the quarterfinals last year as a No. 6 seed but lost to Montour.

11-Ligonier Valley (12-10) at 6-Keystone Oaks (17-4)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: Winner of 14-Riverside (15-7)/3-South Park (18-3) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Michael Wisniewski, Ligonier Valley; Erond Jakupi, Keystone Oaks

Layup lines: Ligonier Valley took third in Section 4 behind Southmoreland and Charleroi. The Rams average 61.8 points, second-most on the section. They dropped 3 of their last five games. Wisniewski scored his 1,000th career point in the regular-season finale against Frazier. He is the 24th male player to achieve the milestone at Ligonier Valley/Laurel Valley. Michael Vargulish-Graver is another scoring threat for the Rams, who have a 6-foot-7 player in sophomore forward Greyson Daugherty. Ligonier Valley’s last playoff win was in 2021. … Keystone Oaks finished second behind Bishop Canevin in Section 2. The Golden Eagles have won 7 of 9. An early-season win came against Southmoreland, 73-59. Jakupi is a 6-2 point guard (22 ppg) and a career 1,000-point scorer.

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

Tags: Burgettstown, Franklin Regional, Jeannette, Keystone Oaks, Ligonier Valley, Moon, Penn-Trafford, Shaler, Southmoreland, Washington