Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff preview capsules for Wednesday, March 12, 2025

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Boys

Class 2A

Jeannette (24-2) vs. Northern Cambria (15-12)

7 p.m. Wednesday at Greater Johnstown High School

District seeds: Jeannette 7-1; Northern Cambria (15-12) 6-2

Winner plays: Winner of 7-5 Greensburg Central Catholic (24-3)/7-4 Neshannock (22-4) Saturday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Markus McGowan, Jeannette; Caleb Dolney, Northern Cambria

Layup lines: WPIAL champion Jeannette advanced to the second round for the second year in a row with a 61-54 win over Mercyhurst Prep. Kymon’e Brown had 20 points, and McGowan added 14 as the Jayhawks built a 15-point lead in the second half and held on. The Jayhawks beat Iroquois, 58-32, in the first round last year then upset Greensburg Central Catholic, 48-46. They fell to Fort Cherry, 70-60, in the quarterfinals. In 2008, when Jeannette won its other WPIAL title, the team defeated Kane, Girard, North Catholic and North East before a 76-72 overtime victory against Strawberry Mansion in the finals at Penn State. … Northern Cambria held off Clarion-Limestone, 42-40, in the first round. The Colts rely on pressure defense and sound offensive sets and have several players who can shoot the ball. They advanced to the District 6 finals for the second straight season after missing the finals for 12 years in a row. Senior Ty Dumm is a 1,000-point scorer. Dolney is a 6-foot-3 power forward. Northern Cambria lost in the state first round last year to Eisenhower, 46-39.

Greensburg Central Catholic (24-3) vs. Neshannock (22-4)

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at North Allegheny

District seeds: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-5; Neshannock 7-4

Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Jeannette (24-2)/6-2 Northern Cambria (15-12) Saturday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Liam Gallagher, Greensburg Central Catholic; David Kwiat, Neshannock

Layup lines: Central Catholic returns to the state second round after losing to Jeannette, 48-46, last year. The Centurions pushed past McConnellsburg, 54-43, in a tough road test as Liam Gallagher had 20 points, and Brady O’Rourke added 14. Both senior guards made three 3-pointers each. GCC last made the quarterfinals in 2017, when it fell to Sewickley Academy, 61-46. … Neshannock, the Section 4 champion that lost to Union in the WPIAL semifinals, came in fourth in the WPIAL after a loss to Sewickley Academy (57-31) in the consolation bracket. The Lancers beat Northgate, 72-64, in the WPIAL quarterfinals in four overtimes. Neshannock was in 3A last year and made the WPIAL semifinals, where it lost to Deer Lakes, 84-73, in overtime. The Lancers lost in the first round of the PIAA 3A tournament last year to Franklin, 69-55. Kwiat, a 6-3 junior guard, had 14 points, and Matt Sopko and Tony Perrotta put in 16 each in a 64-39 win over Rocky Grove in this year’s state first round. The Lancers hit nine 3-pointers. Kwiat, a talented perimeter shooter, has more than 1,000 career points. The Lancers split with OLSH in section play and swept Union, the WPIAL runner-up.

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., Jeannette