Westmoreland high school notebook: Area players selected for charity all-star basketball games

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, March 30, 2025 | 5:28 PM

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Several local basketball players were selected to play in a new charity all-star event.

The CJ2K League, which plays outdoors in the summer, is operating the event set for April 5.

The CJ2K Bigger Than Basketball Charity Game will be played at Aliquippa High School: girls game at 3 p.m., boys at 4:30.

A meet-and-greet event will happen earlier in the day at M:7 Sports Pittsburgh in Hopewell.

The teams are “Concrete Jungle,” made up of standouts from the summer league, and “The World,” which has other WPIAL players.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students and are available at cj2kleague.ticketspice.com.

Proceeds will benefit Children’s Hospital.

Local players on the Concrete Jungle team are Tommy Davis of Belle Vernon, Liam Gallagher and Brady O’Rourke of Greensburg Central Catholic,

GCC’s Erica Gribble will play for the girls Concrete Jungle team.

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New Yough assistant

Yough football coach Ben Hoffer has added a notable alum to his staff.

Scott Houseman, a former Cougars lineman who played at the NCAA Division I level, will be the run game coordinator and work with the linemen on both sides of the ball.

Houseman (6-3, 320) began his college career at Lackawanna junior college before finishing at Albany, where he was a starter on the offensive line.

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New GS soccer coach

Greensburg Salem hired Gary Wilson as girls soccer coach.

Wilson replaces Jessica Melodia, who resigned.

Wilson was an assistant for the last three years. He works with Greensburg Rec and multiple travel programs.

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Honick transfers

Junior football player Landon Honick, Greensburg Central Catholic quarterback Samir Crosby’s top target last season, has transferred to Elizabeth Forward.

Honick had 37 receptions for 727 yards and 12 TDs last season. On defense, he had 33 tackles and one interception. He was a Class A Eastern Conference first teamer as a wide receiver and cornerback.

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Hempfield wins title

The Hempfield junior varsity hockey team brought home a championship, winning the JV Tier 2 title.

The Spartans went 2-0 in the playoff tournament, defeating Penn-Trafford, 9-2, and North Allegheny, 6-5 in overtime.

In the clinching win, Giulo Dipietro scored the winning goal at 4:32 of overtime.

Hempfield rallied from a 2-0 deficit. Brady Wassel and Max Gromoll scored to tie it 2-2 after one period.

The Spartans scored the next three goals as Nathan Planey found the net, Andrew Bryant followed and Planey scored again to make it 5-2.

North Allegheny rallied to tie it with three straight scores to send it to OT.

Hempfield went 7-9-0 during the regular season and finished seventh in the standings.

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Recruiting

Yough football player Aidan Thornton accepted a preferred walk-on offer to play at Seton Hill. A safety recruit, he had 44 tackles and also rushed for 324 yards and two touchdowns on 59 carries.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Yough