Westmoreland high school basketball playoff preview capsules for March 16, 2024

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, March 15, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Boys

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

Jeannette (19-9) vs. Fort Cherry (22-6)

1 p.m. Saturday at AHN Arena, Peters Township

District seeds: Jeannette 7-6; Fort Cherry 7-3

Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Aliquippa (23-5)/9-1 Redbank Valley (24-3) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Markus McGowan, Jeannette; Blake Sweder, Fort Cherry

Layup lines: Jeannette shocked WPIAL runner-up and section rival Greensburg Central Catholic in the second round, 48-46, in overtime. McGowan, a promising freshman, had 13 points and Kymone Brown added 10. Jeannette hasn’t gone two rounds deep in the state tournament since 2018 when Robert Kennedy, Anthony Johnson and the late Tre Cunningham were leading the charge. Jeannette beat District 10 champion Iroquois, 58-32. Jeannette made six 3-pointers against GCC, three from McGowan. … Fort Cherry, a WPIAL semifinalist that lost to Aliquippa, 55-36, has vaulted into the state quarters for the first time in 63 years. The Rangers, who average 67.7 points, advanced with a high-scoring win over Serra Catholic, 88-71. Sweder had 21 points, Derek Errett added 20, Shane Cornali 19 and Matt Sieg 10. Fort Cherry reached the second round two years ago but lost to Portage, 67-52.

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

Tags: Fort Cherry, Jeannette