Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for Friday, March 17, 2023

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | 4:14 PM

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PIAA basketball playoffs

Class 6A

Quarterfinals

Norwin (23-4) vs. North Allegheny (22-5)

7:30 p.m. Friday, Fox Chapel High School, Fox Chapel

Tickets: Upcoming Events | PIAA Box Office (hometownticketing.com)

District-place: Norwin 7-3; North Allegheny 7-1

Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Cedar Cliff (28-0)/7-2 Upper St. Clair (23-3) Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Lauren Palangio, Norwin; Jasmine Timmerson, North Allegheny

Layup lines: Norwin pushed through to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 with a 57-43 win over Lebanon at Bald Eagle High School on Tuesday. Palangio poured in a playoff-high 24, and Kendall Berger scored 17. The Lady Knights weathered a third-quarter run to pull out the win. It was the most points they have allowed in a game since Jan. 28 against Bethel Park (45). Norwin last made the state semifinals in 2015. … This will be the fourth meeting of the season between Norwin and North Allegheny, the first time they will have ever met so many times in one season. The Tigers beat Norwin, 38-36, in the WPIAL semifinals after the teams split in section play. They have met in the postseason six times since 2015 and each have three wins. They split PIAA quarterfinals matchups in 2015 and ‘16, with North Allegheny spoiling Norwin’s bid for a WPIAL and state title in ‘16. … The Tigers advanced to the quarters with a 57-34 victory over Mt. Lebanon. Timmerson, a Pitt commit, had 19 points, and Kellie McConnell added 18. The Tigers outscored the Blue Devils, 21-3, in the second quarter. North Allegheny won its third WPIAL title in four years — and sixth overall — with a 71-45 rout of Upper St. Clair. The Tigers lost to Cumberland Valley in the first round last year but won a state title in 2021. Norwin has never won a state championship.

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

Greensburg Central Catholic (23-5) vs. Shenango (24-4)

6 p.m. Friday, Fox Chapel High School, Fox Chapel

Tickets: Upcoming Events | PIAA Box Office (hometownticketing.com)

District-place: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-5; Shenango 7-1

Winner plays: Winner of 10-1 Kennedy Catholic (23-4)/6-3 Bishop McCort (16-13) Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Mya Morgan, Greensburg Central Catholic; Emilee Fedrizzi, Shenango

Layup lines: Greensburg Central Catholic used a fourth-quarter surge, powered by Morgan, to pull past Maplewood, 61-48, at Slippery Rock. GCC has not been this far in the state postseason since 2011. Morgan pumped in 17 of her playoff career-high 33 in the final quarter Tuesday. Freshman Erica Gribble added 14 points as GCC negotiated some foul trouble and played some younger lineups. GCC made the state semifinals in 2006, ‘05, and ‘04 but lost all three times. The 1997 team made the finals and brought home a state title with a 48-45 win over Trinity. This year’s 23 wins are the most by a Centurions team since 2006-07 (23-7). … Shenango moved into the quarters with a defensively sound, 42-29 win over Lakeview. It was their 15th win in a row. Fedrizzi, a 5-foot-7 guard, scored a game-high 23 points, and 5-foot-10 senior forward Kylee Rubin added 12. It was a 20-16 game at the half, but the Wildcats limited Lakeview to two points in the third quarter and 13 for the second half. The Wildcats’ last loss was 51-32 against Laurel on Jan. 11. They beat Burgettstown, the team that defeated GCC in the quarterfinals, 54-44 in the WPIAL semis. Shenango reached the quarterfinals last year but lost to Neshannock, 51-17. … The Kennedy Catholic-Bishop McCort quarterfinal will be played at 6 p.m. Friday at Norwin.

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

Tags: Greensburg C.C., North Allegheny, Norwin, Shenango