Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games of Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, February 23, 2024 | 8:06 PM

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WPIAL basketball playoffs

Girls

Class 2A

Semifinals

12-South Side (15-9) vs. 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (18-5)

2 p.m. Saturday at AHN Arena, Peters Township

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Serra Catholic (20-4)/2-Aliquippa (21-3) in championship 7 p.m. Feb. 29 at Petersen Events Center

Coaches: Brent Darroch, South Side; Chris Skatell, GCC

Players to watch: Bailey Strnisa, South Side; Avery Davis, GCC

Layup lines: South Side, which used to go by South Side, pulled an upset in the quarterfinals with a 50-42 victory over fourth-seeded Fort Cherry. Strnisa scored 17 points, and Charity Tellish added 14 for the Rams, who built a 28-13 lead at halftime. The Rams didn’t make the playoffs last year, finishing 8-14. They lost to Serra Catholic in the first round two years ago. South Side hasn’t been to the semis in at least 20 years. It reached the quarters only four times since 2003. South Side finished fourth in Section 1 behind Aliquippa, Rochester and Freedom. It lost twice to Rochester. … While GCC has the reputation for being a perennial power, the Centurions are in the semifinals for the first time in seven years. They have not reached the finals since 2015-16. Their last championship came in 2006-07. In the quarterfinals Wednesday, all five starters scored in double digits in a 63-41 victory over No. 9 seed Rochester. Mya Morgan had 15 points, Davis 14, Erica Gribble 12 and Jayla Peterson and Abby Dlugos 10 apiece. GCC is averaging 70 points in two playoff wins. They have not lost to a WPIAL 2A team all season (14-0). … The schools’ football teams played in this season’s quarterfinals. … Both teams have clinched PIAA playoff berths. The loser, though, will drop into the consolation bracket to play for third place in the WPIAL.

Class A

Consolation tournament

West Greene (10-14) at Monessen (18-6)

Noon Saturday

Winner plays: Winner of Eden Christian (9-14)/Bishop Canevin (7-14) in fifth-place game Wednesday (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Kendra Tharp, West Greene; Madison Johnson, Monessen

Layup lines: West Greene fell to No. 1 Union, 59-16, in the quarters. The Pioneers didn’t score in the second quarter and trailed 46-3 at halftime. In last year’s consolation first round, Monessen clipped West Greene, 56-53. … The teams play in Section 2, and Monessen won both matchups. The Greyhounds couldn’t solve Riverview for a second time this season and lost 44-23 in the quarterfinals. No Greyhounds player scored in double figures, and the team did not score more than eight in a quarter. Monessen went 2-0 in last year’s consolation tournament to take fifth place and lost to Otto-Eldred in the PIAA first round.

Boys

Class 3A

Consolation tournament

Yough (19-5) vs. Shady Side Academy (16-8)

2 p.m. Saturday at Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of Ellwood City (16-8)/Derry (14-7) in fifth-place game Wednesday (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Terek Crosby, Yough; Eli Teslovich, Shady Side Academy

Layup lines: Yough will look to rebound from a 54-48 loss to Mohawk in the quarters. Crosby scored 23 in the loss and has 1,973 career points. Last year, the Cougars lost to Shady Side Academy in the first round of the consolation bracket, then defeated Mohawk in the seventh-place game to make the state tournament. … Shady Side Academy fell to Burrell in the quarters, 48-44, despite 18 points from senior guard Eli Teslovich, a Belle Vernon native. The Bulldogs were the sixth-place team from the WPIAL last year but lost in the first round of the PIAA tournament.

Derry (14-7) at Ellwood City (16-8)

Noon Saturday

Winner plays: Winner of Yough (19-5)/Shady Side Academy (16-8) in fifth-place game Wednesday (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Joe Roth, Ellwood City; Stanley Rajkovich, Derry

Layup lines: Ellwood City dropped a heartbreaker in the quarterfinals to defending champion Deer Lakes, 39-38, in overtime. Roth scored 20 in the loss. Ellwood City lost in the first round last year to Deer Lakes, 76-57, and did not make the consolation rounds. … Derry had a chance for a second straight upset but the 12th-seeded Trojans fell to No. 4 Neshannock, 64-57, in its first quarterfinal appearance. John Wasnick had a team-high 19 points for the Trojans, who have never made the PIAA playoffs.

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., South Side