Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules for Feb. 23, 2022

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 | 5:31 PM

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Wednesday’ games

Girls

Quarterfinals

Class 6A

5-Bethel Park (10-9) at 4-Norwin (15-5)

7 p.m. Wednesday

Winner plays: Winner of 8-Peters Township (13-10)/1-Mt Lebanon (20-1) on Saturday in semifinals

Layup lines: Bethel Park finished third in Section 2 behind Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair. There are only two sections in 6A. The Black Hawks won four of their past five games. They beat Upper St. Clair twice. Senior guard Emma Dziezgowski, the team’s leading scorer (18 ppg) is a Division II Wheeling commit. Bethel Park lost in the quarterfinals last year to Mt. Lebanon, 59-58. … Norwin is aiming for a return to the semifinals after falling in the final four last year to Upper Sr. Clair, 33-31. One of the taller teams in the classification, Norwin allows 33.6 points per game, the top points-against average in 6A. Senior Brianna Zajicek is an Alderson Broaddus commit. Senior Chloe Lukondi missed the past four games with an ankle injury. The Lady Knights haven’t played Bethel Park since 2016.

6-Penn-Trafford (12-9) at 3-Upper St. Clair (18-4)

7 p.m. Wednesday

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Seneca Valley (11-10)/2-North Allegheny (20-2) on Saturday in semifinals

Layup lines: Penn-Trafford ramped up its defense late in the season to win six of it final seven games and seal third place in Section 1. That included a 37-36 win over Norwin in which the Warriors outscored their rivals 16-2 in the fourth quarter. Point guard Maura Suman, the team’s lone senior, is Penn-Trafford’s career steals leader. Sophomore Olivia Pepple continues her rise, while a number of other underclassmen have also shined. The Warriors average just 42.3 points. … Upper St. Clair, the runner-up in Section 2, has won seven of eight, including an impressive 58-53 win over top-seeded Mt. Lebanon. The Panthers can play fast when they want. They scored 80 against Pine-Richland and 79 against Hempfield. They also handled 4A Belle Vernon and beat Norwin, 42-30.

Boys

Quarterfinals

Class 4A

11-Freeport (13-9) at 3-Belle Vernon (18-3)

7 p.m. Wednesday

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Burrell (14-8)/2-Montour (18-4) on Saturday in semifinals

Layup lines: Freeport pulled the first “upset” of the playoffs with a 56-49 win over No. 6 Uniontown on Friday. Vinnie Clark scored 22 points, including 18 in the second half and 11 in the fourth quarter, for the Yellowjackets. Zach Clark scored 11, and Brian Kijowski added 10. Freeport was the fourth-place team from Section 1. It averages 56.5 points and allows 54.5. … Belle Vernon reached the semifinals last year and lost to North Catholic, 77-76. The highlight-reel Leopards made the finals two years ago but lost to Highlands, 72-54. Is this the year the Leopards break through? The talent is there with senior guard Devin Whitlock and sophomore Quinton Martin leading the way alongside a better supporting cast. The team averaged 71.4 points. Their losses are to 5A No. 1 Laurel Highlands (21-0), Class A No. 1 Bishop Canevin (17-4) and Montour (18-4), the No. 2 seed they could see in the semifinals.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Bethel Park, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Upper St. Clair