Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for Wednesday, March 9, 2022

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 | 4:04 PM

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Boys

Class 2A

First round

Greensburg Central Catholic (18-4) at Conemaugh Township (21-3)

7 p.m. Wednesday

District seeds: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-3; Conemaugh Township 5-1

Winner plays: Winner of Ridgway (20-5)/Cambridge Springs (13-12) Saturday in second round

Layup lines: Greensburg Central Catholic picked up the No. 3 seed in the WPIAL when Our Lady of the Sacred Heart won its fourth straight district title. GCC lost to the Chargers in the WPIAL semifinals 77-42 on March 1 at Gateway. The Centurions are led offensively by seniors guard Brevan Williams (18.3 ppg) and Ryan Appleby (11.9) and sophomore Tyree Turner (11.7). GCC last made the state playoffs in 2016-17 and won twice to reach the quarterfinals, where it lost to Sewickley Academy, 61-46. The Centurions would have to get to the quarters again for another potential matchup with OLSH. … Conemaugh Township won its second straight District 5 title as senior Jacksin Byer poured in a game-high 22 points, including 11 of 12 free throws. Byer and junior guard Tanner Shirley are the only returning starters from last year’s team. Conemaugh averages 64.3 points per game. Its losses are to Penn Cambria (72-44) and Portage (65-61 and 50-45). The Indians lost in the first round of the state tournament last year to Karns City.

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Girls

Class 5A

First round

Latrobe (18-4) at Hollidaysburg (23-1)

7 p.m. Wednesday

District seeds: Latrobe 7-5; Hollidaysburg 6-1

Winner plays: Winner of Chartiers Valley (24-2)/Harbor Creek (15-8) Saturday in second round

Layup lines: It has been 23 years since Latrobe played in the state tournament. The Wildcats had won 14 of 15 heading into the WPIAL quarterfinals but lost to South Fayette, 55-40. South Fayette went on to upset No. 1 Chartiers Valley in the championship. Senior Anna Rafferty and junior Emma Blair are key players in the post for the Wildcats, and sophomore Elle Snyder, junior Camille Dominick and senior Bailey Watson add balance to the lineup. Latrobe averages 57.6 points. … Hollidaysburg took care of Obama Academy, 61-29, in a subregional game. The Tigers earned the top seed in District 6 with the victory. Senior point guard Marin Miller had 27 points in the win, including a 15-for-15 effort from the free-throw line. Junior 5-foot-11 forward Alison Hatajik, who will help to counter Latrobe’s size, added 17 points and 13 rebounds in the victory. Hollidaysburg has not played a team from the WPIAL this season. The Tigers’ loss came against Tyrone, 68-61. Tyrone plays Southmoreland in a Class 4A first-round game Wednesday. Hollidaysburg lost to Spring Grove in last year’s state quarterfinals.

Class 4A

First round

Southmoreland (18-4) at Tyrone (22-1)

7 p.m. Wednesday

District seeds: Southmoreland 7-4; Tyrone 6-1

Winner plays: Winner of Blackhawk (24-0)/Eastern York (21-5) Saturday in second round

Layup lines: Southmoreland is back in the PIAA playoffs for the second time in three seasons. The Scotties made the second round in 2019-20 before losing to Lancaster Catholic. This year’s group reached the WPIAL semifinals before losing to Knoch, 56-45, at Gateway. The Scotties are giving up just 35.1 points a game but allowed 50 or more points in three of their four losses. Senior Gracie Spadaro, an IUP commit, had 14 points in the fourth quarter against Knoch. Junior point guard Olivia Cernuto fouled out for the first time all season. … Tyrone has won 19 straight games heading into the state bracket. The Golden Eagles won their second straight District 4 title with a 34-33 win over Bedford. Senior Jaida Parker led the way with 19 points, and senior Emma Getz made a key steal with 5.7 seconds left to preserve the win. Tyrone lost in the state quarterfinals last year when only district champions qualified for the tournament.

Class A

First round

Monessen (17-6) at Elk County Catholic (24-3)

7 p.m. Wednesday

District seeds: Monessen 7-6; Elk County Catholic 9-1

Winner plays: Winner of Union (20-2)/Farrell (13-9) Saturday in second round

Layup lines: Monessen ended up the No. 6 seed out of the WPIAL after Aquinas Academy lost to Bishop Canevin, 59-40, in the WPIAL championship. Aquinas beat the Greyhounds, 60-37, in the quarterfinals. Monessen last made the state tournament in 2010-11 and reached the second round before losing to Bishop Guilfoyle, 62-38, to finish 25-2. Senior Mercedes Majors leads the Greyhounds in scoring at 19.4 points per game. … Defensive-minded Elk County Catholic defeated Otto-Eldred, 39-28, to win the District 9 championship for the first time in 12 years. Sophomore two-guard Lucy Klawuhn led the Crusaders with 12 points, and sophomore point guard Sami Straub added 11. The team has not allowed more than 44 points in a game all season and gave up 34, 18 and 16 in their last three regular-season games.

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., Latrobe, Monessen, Southmoreland