Bill Beckner stories, Page 7

The Big 5/6 Conference, which recognizes accomplishments of the two largest classifications in the WPIAL, announced its all-section basketball teams. Seniors Kendall Berger and Averi Brozeski of Norwin were selected to the first team in Section 2-6A, while their coach, Brian Brozeski, was tabbed coach of the year. Norwin senior...

She might have been ill, but Bella Furno didn’t show it. Truth be told, the Norwin senior guard had visiting North Allegheny feeling a little queasy as her 3-pointers — 6 out of 8 — splashed through the nets Friday night in top-seeded Norwin’s 52-30 victory in the WPIAL Class...

Greensburg Central Catholic has a formidable scoring tandem in junior guards Erica Gribble and Jayla Peterson. But the second-seeded Centurions (19-5) know they will likely need a third player – or more — to step into a scoring role as they move ahead in the WPIAL 3A playoffs. “One-hundred percent,”...

Boys Class 4A Semifinals 4-Avonworth (18-5) vs. 1-Belle Vernon (19-4) 3 p..m. Saturday at Peters Township Winner plays: Winner of 3-Beaver (19-4)/2-North Catholic (18-5) at 9 p.m. Feb. 27 in championship at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Rowan Carmichael, Avonworth; Trevor Kovatch, Belle Vernon Layup lines: Avonworth is through...

Jeannette fell behind by double figures at halftime and faced a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter. The Jayhawks’ WPIAL playoff run was fading fast, along with their hopes for a championship. But then Jayce Powell and his teammates heard the noise. “The fans fired us up,” Powell said....

Girls Class 6A Quarterfinals 8-North Allegheny (9-12) at 1-Norwin (13-7) 7 p.m. Friday Winner plays: Winner of 5-Butler (11-10)/4-Canon-McMillan (13-8) on Tuesday (time, site TBD) in semifinals Players to watch: Maddie Williams, North Allegheny; Kendall Berger, Norwin Layup lines: North Allegheny gets a rematch with Norwin after falling to the...

Penn-Trafford coach Doug Kelly had referred to his team as the “road warriors” several times this season. Kelly does not play up the underdog role but rather looks to unleash the “dog” in his boys basketball teams. Dog and grit are two of his favorite words when talking about the...

Christian Hyland did an interview after Monday’s first-round playoff win over Laurel with a special guest in his lap, his pint-sized daughter, Nova. Well-behaved and quiet, the 11-month-old sat still as her father, the coach of the Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball team, discussed a 67-42 win that moved the...

A nine-point fourth quarter lead was gone. One of their star players fouled out in the closing minute of regulation. And their undefeated and higher-seeded opponent went on a sudden heater. Essentially, Thomas Jefferson’s check engine light came on as a lively WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinal turned toward...

Boys Class 2A Quarterfinals 8-Union (17-6) vs. 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (21-2) 6 p.m. Thursday at Shaler Winner plays: Winner of 5-Northgate (14-9)/4-Neshannock (20-2) on Monday (time, site TBA) in semifinals Players to watch: Lucas Stanley, Union; Brady O’Rourke, Greensburg Central Catholic Layup lines: Union, a Class A program for decades...

Southmoreland’s front man wanted another show, and he got it. “This felt like it was going to be a special night,” high-scoring junior guard Noah Felentzer said. “We wanted to keep the band together.” Now comes the encore. Before fouling out, Felentzer scored a playoff career-high 31 points, including 12...

Norwin has sat idle many times before in the WPIAL girls basketball playoffs, and this year is no different. The defending WPIAL Class 6A champion Knights (13-7) finally will open the postseason Friday night at home against rival North Allegheny (9-12) in the WPIAL quarterfinals. The 6A tournament is starting...

Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals 8-Elizabeth Forward (18-5) at 1-Belle Vernon (18-4) 7 p.m. Wednesday Winner plays: Winner of 4-Avonworth (17-5)/5-Knoch (17-6) in semifinals Saturday (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Cy Herchelroath, Elizabeth Forward; Zion Moore, Belle Vernon Layup lines: Elizabeth Forward collected its first playoff win since 2014, 61-56...

All in all, Greensburg Central Catholic looked the part in its tournament opener as the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball playoffs. A fast start fueled by full-court pressure and ball movement propelled the host Centurions to a commanding lead on the way to a 67-42...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Tuesday’s local games Boys Class 5A First round 9-Latobe (18-4) at 8-Kiski Area (15-6) 7 p.m. Tuesday Winner plays: Winner of 16-Franklin Regional (11-11)/1-Montour (21-1) Friday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Max Butler, Latrobe; Colin Keller, Kiski Area Layup lines: Latrobe is back in...

Junior Jaden Gales came back to Saint Vincent to rejoin his former teammates and make more memories with the men’s basketball team. While he was at it, he pocketed a milestone. Gales, a 6-foot-7 forward, scored his 1,000th career point in the Bearcats’ 78-62 victory over Waynesburg, his team’s sixth...

The Westmoreland County Athletes of the Week is presented by Smail Kia. Look for the tags and look for the savings at Smail Kia in Greensburg. Olivia Kovach School: Mt. Pleasant Class: Junior Sport: Gymnastics Claim to fame: Kovach narrowly won the all-around title at the WPIAL gymnastics championships, outscoring...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Monday’s games Girls Class 4A First round 10-Belle Vernon (11-11) at 7-Central Valley (14-7) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 15-Hampton (10-11)/2-Oakland Catholic (19-3) on Thursday (time, date TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Saylor Lee, Belle Vernon; Nyah Hayes, Central Valley Layup lines: Belle Vernon...

The Big 5/6 Conference, which recognizes accomplishments of the two largest classifications in the WPIAL, announced its all-section basketball teams. The undefeated Penn-Trafford girls were rewarded with John Giannikas earning coach-of-the-year honors in Section 2-5A and junior Torrie DeStefano earning the section’s player of the year. DeStefano joined seniors Kamryn...

An enormous fourth-quarter comeback fizzled into a crushing defeat for the Franklin Regional girls basketball team as its first playoff appearance in six years ended with a near miss. A mid-game sigh turned into a ray of hope for the Panthers, but it ended in tears. The fifth-seeded Panthers, section...

With Indiana up early and an uncomfortable few minutes starting to fester for Franklin Regional, coach Jesse Reed put his team on pause and made a switch. It was more like he flipped a switch. “We came out in a zone,” Reed said. “We went back to our man (-to-man),...

Seven-time PIAA track and field gold medalist Colleen Rosensteel, who went on to compete in Olympic judo, is going into the Robert “Tick” Cloherty Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. The Greensburg Central Catholic and University of Florida alum is one of the most decorated athletes to...

Section rematches in the first round usually are taboo for the WPIAL basketball steering committee. But they bent the rules slightly this year when building the playoff brackets. There are only two eight-team sections in 6A, which limits what the committee can do with matchups. But the WPIAL said it...

Boys Class 4A First round 11-Derry (12-9) at 6-Central Valley (18-4) 7 p.m. Friday Winner plays: At No. 3 Beaver (18-4) (time TBD) on Wednesday in quarterfinals Players to watch: Stanley Rajkovich, Derry; Isaiah Jeter, Central Valley Layup lines: Derry finished third in Section 3 behind Belle Vernon and Elizabeth...

Yough’s motivation for the playoffs lies in its drive to improve, a long-standing goal on Cougar Mountain. The girls basketball team is back in the WPIAL postseason, but the question is: Do the Cougars have staying power? Yough has not won a playoff game since 2009. “The girls are very...