High School category, Page 132
Playoff magic carries Peters Township past Mars into WPIAL Class 5A title game
Peters Township junior Dylan Donovan, wearing sweats and a hoodie, stood on the court and talked to friends Tuesday night not long after the Indians beat Mars in overtime and advanced to the WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball championship game. He also appeared dry, even though in the locker room...
Upper St. Clair buckles down on defense, tops Mt. Lebanon to reach WPIAL Class 6A finals
Members of the boys basketball team aren’t the only players walking the hallways at Upper St. Clair who can be defensive. The Panthers girls basketball team proved Tuesday in the Class 6A semifinals it can defend the basket as well. A suffocating defense was the key as Upper St. Clair...
Chartiers Valley rallies from double-digit deficit to stun No. 1 Montour in Class 5A semifinals
Chartiers Valley stunned the WPIAL basketball world Tuesday night, downing top-seeded Montour, 47-44, in the Class 5A semifinals. The Spartans controlled the first half, going into halftime up 30-20. That’s when Jayden Davis and the fourth-seeded Colts turned up the intensity on defense. The Colts held the Spartans to 14...
Mt. Pleasant swimmers look to add accolades at WPIALs
It is once again the end of February, and as the calendar prepares to put the shortest month in the rearview mirror, the WPIAL swim championships descend upon Pitt’s Trees Pool on Thursday and Friday. The Class 2A seedings are topped once again by swimmers from Mt. Pleasant who are...
WPIAL Class 3A wrestlers have tougher road to Hershey
If wrestlers from the WPIAL in Class 3A want to compete in the PIAA championships in Hershey this year, they have an extra tournament to compete in. The PIAA consolidated the Southwest and Northwest Regions to form the West Region for the next two years. The WPIAL wrestlers must compete...
Norwin girls fend off Canon-McMillan’s rally, return to WPIAL Class 6A title game
Kendall Berger was doing most of the heavy lifting for No. 1 seed Norwin through three quarters, but she needed some help — especially when Canon-McMillan started to close in. She got it, and Norwin took another step toward a repeat. Fourth-seeded Canon-McMillan made its run in the fourth quarter,...
2025 regional wrestling preview capsules
Boys Class 3A West Region Where: Canon-McMillan High School When: Friday and Saturday Times: Friday — preliminary round, quarterfinals and first consolation round, 5 p.m. Saturday — second consolation round, 9 a.m.; semifinals and third consolation round, 10:30 a.m.; fourth consolation round, 12:30 p.m.; finals and third- and fifth-place matches,...
A-K Valley’s best swimmers to clash at WPIAL championships
Knoch’s Giona Lavorini and Indiana’s Peyton Scott certainly are no strangers in the swimming pool. The senior standouts in the 100-yard breaststroke have been together at the top of the medals stand at the WPIAL Class 2A championships the past three years. As freshmen, Scott won the 100 breast title,...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Jeannette forwards step up in semifinal win
Jeannette challenged its big men this week. Be more aggressive, go to the basket, look to score. The post trio of Xavier Odorisio-Farrow, Lonnie Greene and Noah Sunder responded — Green off the bench — in a 45-25 win over No. 2 seed Sewickley Academy in the WPIAL 2A semifinals...
Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week for Feb. 24, 2025Video
Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week – Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils Coach: Mark “Knobby” Walsh (first season) Record: 5-5 in Section 2-6A, 14-9 overall #Earned: The coach known more by his nickname “Knobby” wasn’t looking to leave his alma mater as Seton LaSalle’s boys coach for the last...
Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week for Feb. 24, 2025Video
Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week – Carla Brown School: Aliquippa Class: Senior Height: 5-foot-6 Position: Guard #Earned: Aliquippa senior guard Carla Brown is averaging 15.7 points per game this season, which is second on the team in scoring behind senior Aunesty Johnson. However, in the postseason, Brown...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 25, 2025: Favorites, underdogs alive in Class 5A boys semifinals
The final pieces of the district basketball championship puzzle will be determined Tuesday on the final night of WPIAL semifinals action with boys Class 5A and 3A and girls Class 6A and 2A final four contests. In the boys Class 5A playoffs, the left side of the tournament went as...
Resurgent New Castle drops Mt. Lebanon to return to Class 6A title game
While celebrating a WPIAL semifinal win Monday night, New Castle’s Ralphie Blundo thought back to this time last year, when he and his teammates were already done for the winter. They’d missed the playoffs entirely. “It was almost embarrassing,” said Blundo, a senior who’d reached the WPIAL finals as both...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 24, 2025
High schools Basketball WPIAL playoffs Boys Class 6A Semifinals Monday’s results Upper. St. Clair 59, Central Catholic 39 New Castle 67, Mt. Lebanon 56 Finals Saturday’s schedule Upper. St. Clair (23-2) vs. New Castle (21-3) at Petersen Events Center, 5 p.m. Third place Wednesday’s schedule Central Catholic (14-10) vs. Mt....
High school roundup for Feb. 24, 2025: WPIAL’s top scorer earns trip to The Pete as Clairton tops Geibel
WPIAL leading scorer Iyanna Wade finished with 22 points and got a strong effort from her supporting cast to lead No. 3 Clairton past No. 2 Geibel Catholic, 52-32, in the Class A girls basketball semifinals Monday. Karma Fuqua scored 16 points and JuJu Childs added 10 for the No....
Upper St. Clair handles Central Catholic to earn chance at Class 6A WPIAL repeat
Late in the third quarter of a WPIAL boys Class 6A semifinal Monday, the lights completely went out for a few moments in the gym at Peters Township. Unfortunately for Central Catholic, their hopes of gold for the second time in three years went to black a lot earlier. Upper...
Fast-starting Blackhawk fends off Elizabeth Forward comeback bid in Class 4A semifinals
It was always going to be difficult for the Elizabeth Forward girls basketball team to knock off Blackhawk in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. Coming off a state championship last season, the No. 1 Cougars are as good as ever, only losing to Mt. Lebanon and Shady Side Academy this...
‘Oh my goodness!’ Dunk propels Jeannette boys past Sewickley in Class 2A semifinals
All the talk about Sewickley Academy’s height was canceled out by Jeannette’s post players in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. Jeannette sent a message with one defining play: Xavier Odorisio-Farrow’s drive and slam over 6-foot-8 Mamadou Kane in the third quarter sent the crowd into a frenzy and helped send...
At full strength, Oakland Catholic rolls past North Catholic into Class 4A finals
Oakland Catholic junior forward Josie Fontana plans to soak up the experience at Petersen Events Center this weekend. Fontana made a two-minute cameo her freshman season during the Eagles’ loss to South Fayette. Second-seeded Oakland Catholic earned a trip to the WPIAL Class 4A title game by smothering North Catholic,...
11 new members set to join Armstrong Sports Hall of Fame
The Armstrong Sports Hall of Fame will celebrate its Class of 2025 on April 27. A distinguished collection of the county’s athletic greats — Ted Faber, W. David Hoff, Tye Desiderio, Gary Montebell, Terra Schall, Joe Diani, Paul Noonan, Denny Wolfe, Jackie Huth, J. Gary DeComo and Al King —...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Norwin familiar with semifinal opponent
Norwin is approaching its next opponent with caution. The Knights (14-7), a win away from a second straight trip to the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball final, will take on Canon-McMillan (14-8) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon. While Norwin cruised in the first Section 2...
Westmoreland County WPIAL girls basketball playoff capsule for Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Semifinals 4-Canon-McMillan (14-8) vs. 1-Norwin (14-7) 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon Winner plays: Winner of 6-Mt. Lebanon (14-9)/2-Upper St. Clair (17-6) 5 p.m. Saturday in championship at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Madison Clair, Canon-McMillan; Bella Furno, Norwin Layup lines: Canon-McMillan defeated...
‘Almost flawless’: Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach offers picture-perfect performance at WPIAL meet
Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach put on a picture-perfect performance at this year’s WPIAL individual gymnastics championships. Her coach indicated it was near-seamless. Kovach dethroned three-time champion Abby Rexrode from Baldwin in winning the WPIAL Advanced Division all-around title Feb. 8 at Moon. “It was something I really wanted this year,”...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Franklin Regional’s Henry Patts
In sports, people often root for the underdog but expect the favorite to win. For Franklin Regional wrestling, winning the WPIAL Class 3A title Feb. 1 wasn’t a surprise. “One of the most electric feelings I’ve ever felt in my life,” senior wrestler Henry Patts said. “No one thought we...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Burrell’s Calio Zanella
Wrestling is one of those high school sports that has the distinct feature of having team and individual championships. So there’s always the dichotomy of exceling individually and needing to perform as a group to get the team to the playoffs. Burrell senior wrestler Calio Zanella knows what it takes...
