Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Playoff participants set
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Wednesday, February 9, 2022 | 5:48 PM
Latrobe’s Anna Rafferty pulls down a rebound against Woodland Hills on Jan. 20, 2022, at Greater Latrobe High School.
Latrobe’s Anna Rafferty scores against Woodland Hills on Jan. 20, 2022, at Greater Latrobe High School.
Latrobe’s Anna Rafferty works against Woodland Hills’ London Creach during their game on Jan. 20, 2022, at Greater Latrobe High School.
Westmoreland County’s contributions to the WPIAL girls basketball playoff field are set.
In Class 6A, local rivals Norwin (15-4, 12-1) and Penn-Trafford (11-8, 8-5), who will meet Thursday night at Penn-Trafford in the Section 1 finale, have qualified.
In 5A, Latrobe (14-3, 10-1) is back in the postseason after reaching the semifinals, and Greensburg Salem (15-5, 6-4) also has clinched a spot.
Southmoreland (16-3), another area semifinalist last season and the Section 3-4A champion, joins Belle Vernon (15-5) in the Class 4A bracket, and Greensburg Central Catholic (15-4) is in from 2A and Monessen (13-5) qualified in Class A.
Playoff pairings will be announced virtually beginning at 5 p.m. Monday on TribLive HSSN.
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Rafferty returns
Latrobe senior center Anna Rafferty returned to the lineup Tuesday for the first time since Jan. 20 as she nursed a knee injury.
It looks like she will be ready for the playoffs.
Rafferty, an IUP commit and the returning Trib Westmoreland Player of the Year, tweaked her knee against Woodland Hills. She recently was fitted for a brace and practiced with it to prepare for a return to the court.
She had 12 points in Tuesday’s 64-33 win over Gateway.
Latrobe (14-3) is ranked No. 5 in 5A. Rafferty is averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds.
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Section champs
Norwin and Latrobe are in position to win outright or share section titles with one section game left.
Norwin (15-4) and North Allegheny (18-1) are tied atop Section 1-6A at 12-1. The teams split the title in 2019-20 and 2018-19.
Norwin also won recent sections in 2017-18 and 2015-16.
Latrobe (14-3) is tied with McKeesport (17-4) for the Section 4-5A lead at 10-1.
Southmoreland (16-3, 10-1) has clinched its third straight section title after clinching Section 3-4A.
Greensburg Central Catholic (15-4, 9-0), meantime, won Section 4-2A, its first outright title since 2018-19.
Monessen (13-5, 6-2) needs help to share the Section 2-A title with West Greene (16-3, 8-0).
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., Latrobe, Monessen, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland
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