Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, February 20, 2023 | 3:13 PM

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WPIAL basketball playoffs

Boys

Class 2A

First round

13-Propel Braddock Hills (10-12) vs. 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (15-5)

6 p.m. Tuesday, Penn-Trafford High School, Harrison City

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Burgettsown (13-9)/5-Eden Christian Academy (16-5) Friday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Ben Mayhew, Propel Braddock Hills; Tyree Turner, Greensburg Central Catholic

Layup lines: Propel Braddock Hills took fourth place in Section 2 behind Bishop Canevin, Eden Christian and Nazareth Prep. Mayhew recently became the first player in school history to score 1,000 points. … Greensburg Central Catholic, which averages 66.1 points, won the Section 3 title. The Centurions have won eight in a row and have not lost to a WPIAL team since Dec. 16 in their section opener. Their losses are to Berlin Brothersvalley, Bishop Guilfoyle, Riverview, Latrobe (5A) and Franklin Regional (5A). Turner and forward Franco Alvarez consistently have been the top two scorers, but watch freshman Samir Crosby.

11-Jeannette (13-7) at 6-Northgate (16-6)

7 p.m. Tuesday, Northgate High School, Bellevue

Winner plays: Winner of 14-Clairton (10-12)/3-Fort Cherry (20-2) Friday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Giovonni Merola, Jeannette; Josh Williams, Northgate

Layup lines: Jeannette overcame late-season losses to Greensburg Central Catholic and Clairton to secure third in Section 3. The Jayhawks have been to the playoffs 22 straight times. Merola leads the backcourt, and Jeannette has size with Shane Mickens and Jalen Bass, both 6-foot-4. Isaiah Mallich is a 3-point threat. … Northgate plays at a breakneck pace and averages 68.5 points. The Flames tied Shenango for second in Section 1. They scored 70 or more points 12 times, including a 105-point game against Westinghouse. Williams, a talented shooter, averaged 20 points.

Girls

Class 5A

First round

9-Shaler (16-6) at 8-Penn-Trafford (15-6)

8 p.m. Tuesday, Penn-Trafford High School, Harrison City

Winner plays: Winner of 16-Plum (13-10)/1-South Fayette Friday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Hanna DeJidas, Shaler; Olivia Pepple, Penn-Trafford

Layup lines: Shaler finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2014-15 and tied Hampton for third in Section 2. The Titans have won six of their last seven, including a 33-31 win over fifth seed Armstrong. … Penn-Trafford dropped three of its final five games but finished third in Section 3 behind No. 2 seed Oakland Catholic and No. 3 McKeesport. The Warriors won seven in a row earlier in the year. A young lineup features only two seniors. Pepple averages 16 points, but the Warriors get contrbutions from Lauren Marton, Kamryn Pieper, Tori DeStefano and others.

13-Latrobe (14-8) at 4-Trinity (15-6)

7 p.m. Tuesday, Trinity High School, Washington

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Woodland Hills (11-11)/5-Armstrong (19-3) Friday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Camille Dominick, Latrobe; Ruby Morgan, Trinity

Layup lines: Trinity took second in Section 4 behind top-seeded South Fayette. The Hillers have won eight of nine. They have wins over Belle Vernon, Indiana and Chartiers Valley. The Hillers have a few scoring threats, including Morgan and Eden Williamson. Trinity lost to McKeesport in last year’s quarterfinals. … Latrobe rebounded well from losing standout center Emma Blair to a knee injury early in the season. Dominick, Elle Snyder and Josie Straigis lead the Wildcats on both ends of the floor. Dominick and Snyder average 14 points a game. Latrobe reached the quarterfinals last year and lost to South Fayette. Two years ago, they made the semifinals. This is Mark Burkhardt’s final season as coach.

Class 4A

First round

9-Greensburg Salem (14-8) at 8-Belle Vernon (14-8)

7 p.m. Tuesday, Belle Vernon High School, Belle Vernon

Winner plays: At 1-Blackhawk (19-3) 7 p.m. Friday

Players to watch: Kaitlyn Mankins, Greensburg Salem; Farah Reader, Belle Vernon

Layup lines: Greensburg Salem slid to fourth place in Section 1, behind North Catholic, Highlands and Knoch, after losing four of its last five. The Golden Lions rely on pressure defense. They allow just 35 points per game. The 6-1 Mankins is an old-school post player, but Ashlan Price and Ashey Smith are key guards. Regan Kerr also has experience. … Belle Vernon had a seven-game winning streak quelled by two straight losses to close out the regular season. The Leopards finished second in Section 3 behind Elizabeth Forward, which earned the No. 3 seed. Offense has been hot and cold, as the team averages 49.2 points. Reader is a tough scorer around the rim, and Jenna Dawson and Presleigh Colditz can score from the perimeter. Tessa Rodriguez holds the offense together at the point.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Latrobe, Northgate, Penn-Trafford, Propel Braddock Hills, Shaler, Trinity