Westmoreland PIAA basketball capsules for March 12, 2019
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Monday, March 11, 2019 | 6:07 PM
The Norwin bench celebrates as time expires in their PIAA Class 6A first round state playoff game against Altoona Friday, Mar. 8, 2019, at Hollidaysburg High School.
Norwin’s Olivia Gribble drives past Altoona’s Brooklynn Rupert during their PIAA Class 6A first round state playoff game Friday, Mar. 8, 2019, at Hollidaysburg High School.
Tuesday’s games
Boys
Class A Second round
Monessen (16-9) vs. Bishop Carroll (20-5)
7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Greensburg Salem
Winner plays: Winner of Nazareth Prep (20-3)/Shade (22-4) on Friday in quarterfinals
Coaches: Dan Bosnic, Monessen; Cosie Aliquo, Bishop Carroll
Players to watch: Devin Whitlock, Fr., G, Monessen; Tristan McDannell, Jr., G, Bishop Carroll
About Monessen: The Greyhounds used second-half pressure defense to pull away from District 10 champion Jamestown, 75-54, in the opening round, following an 11-day break from game action. Whitlock had a game-high 23 points. Dishon Howell added 12 points, and Marquell Smith 10 in the victory at Edinboro. Howell played despite dealing with a wrist injury.
About Bishop Carroll: The Huskies, the runners-up in District 6, toppled North Clarion, 68-58, in a first-round game at Kane. McDannell scored 22 points on 10 field goals. Carson Ertter added 15 points, and Alex Karlheim had 13. The Huskies made just 11 of 25 free throws. Top scorers for the Huskies are McDannell (20 ppg), Nolan Burk (12.3), Ertter (11.7) and Scotty Semelsberger (9.8). The winner gets either Nazareth Prep or Shade. Those teams play nearby Tuesday — at 7:30 at Hempfield.
Girls
Class 6ASecond round
Norwin (22-2) vs. Northampton (25-4)
5 p.m. Tuesday at Cumberland Valley High School, Mechanicsburg
Winner plays: Winner of Bethel Park (22-3)/Peters Township (26-0) Friday in quarterfinals
Coaches: Brian Brozeski, Norwin; Jeff Jacksits, Northampton
Players to watch: Jessica Kolesar, Sr., G, Norwin; Victoria Keenan, Sr., G, Northampton
About Norwin: By sharing the ball and playing team defense, Norwin kick-started its outside shooting and made 12 3-pointers in a 62-45 win over Altoona in the first round at Hollidaysburg. Jayla Wehner had 13 points, and Danielle Rosso and Olivia Gribble scored 11 each. Norwin reached the quarterfinals in 2016 before losing to North Allegheny, 50-43, at Penn Hills. The Knights played Mt. Lebanon and Penn Hills that year in the state bracket.
About Northampton: The champions of District 11 opened the state tournament with a 55-48 win over Methacton. Balanced scored won out for the Koncrete Kids, with Morgan Sterner netting 17 points, Jenna Rogers adding 14 (and 13 rebounds) and freshman Kylie Gilliard chipping in 11. Northampton opened the game with a 15-2 run but allowed Methacton to score 24 in the second quarter. All-state guard and Seton Hall recruit Keenan usually is the team’s top scorer (19 ppg) but she was limited to seven points in the opener.
—Bill Beckner Jr.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
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• New coach Gabby Baldasare excited to fill big shoes with North Allegheny girls basketball
• Dana Petruska comes out of retirement to take over as girls basketball coach at Deer Lakes
