Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 1, 2023

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 | 4:09 PM

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WPIAL basketball playoffs

Girls

Class 6A

Consolation round

Third-place game

Norwin (20-4) vs. Mt. Lebanon (17-7)

7 p.m. Wednesday, Norwin High School, North Huntingdon

Winner: Clinches third place in the WPIAL for the PIAA playoffs. The loser goes into the state bracket as the fourth seed.

Players to watch: Ava Kobus, Norwin; Payton Collins, Mt. Lebanon

Layup lines: Norwin was tripped up in the WPIAL semifinals by rival North Allegheny, 38-36, denying the Lady Knights their first trip to the finals since 2016. Kendall Berger had 16 points and Lauren Palangio added 10, but Norwin was limited to four points in the fourth quarter. The team’s last state-playoff appearance was in 2019 when it won two games and reached the quarterfinals. Freshman Ava Christopher gave Norwin a spark off the bench against North Allegheny. … Mt. Lebanon dropped a 58-33 decision to top-seeded Upper St. Clair in the other semifinal. The Blue Devils fell behind 23-10 at halftime and only mustered six points in the fourth quarter. Collins led the scoring with eight points. Norwin beat Mt. Lebanon in its fourth game of the season 50-23. The Blue Devils only average 48.3 points Norwin allows 33.1.

Class A

Consolation round

Fifth-place game

Avella (14-11) at Monessen (16-6)

7 p.m. Wednesday, Monessen High School, Monessen

Winner: Claims fifth place in the WPIAL and advances to the state tournament. The loser is out.

Players to watch: Avanti Stitch, Monessen; Katie Dryer, Avella

Layup lines: Monessen moved ahead in the consolation bracket with a 56-53 win over West Greene. Stitch and Madison Johnson scored in double figures for the Greyhounds, with 17 and 12 points. Monessen played in the PIAA tournament last year and lost in the first round. … Avella and Monessen are section opponents. Monessen won both games 59-49 and 63-33. Avella was ousted by Bishop Canevin in the quarterfinals 84-52. Senior Katie Dryer leads the Eagles in scoring at 17 points per game.

Boys

Class 4A

Consolation round

Seventh-place game

Belle Vernon (11-13) at South Allegheny (19-6)

7 p.m. Wednesday, South Allegheny High School, Glassport

Winner: Clinches the No. 7 seed from the WPIAL for the PIAA playoffs. The loser is eliminated from state-playoff contention.

Players to watch: Zion Moore, Belle Vernon; Bryce Epps, South Allegheny

Layup lines: Belle Vernon’s state-playoff hopes continue to flicker despite a 70-58 loss to Uniontown in the consolation first round. A bright spot for the Leopards was sophomore Moore, who scored 34 and topped 1,000 for his career. He has more than 600 points this season at Belle Vernon after scoring 400 last year at Ringgold. Quinton Martin did not play in the last game. He had to sit a game for leaving the bench area during the quarterfinal against Laurel Highlands after he fouled out. … South Allegheny fell to Hampton in the consolation opening round 56-50 as the Gladiators were outscored in the fourth quarter 17-7. They led 32-31 at the half. Epps had 23 points, and Michael Michalski added 10. South Allegheny lost to Lincoln Park, 50-40, in the semifinals.

Class 3A

Consolation round

Seventh-place game

Yough (16-9) at Mohawk (15-10)

7 p.m. Wednesday, Mohawk High School, Bessemer

Winner: Advances to PIAA playoffs as the No. 7 seed from WPIAL. Loser is eliminated from state-playoff contention.

Players to watch: Ty Travillion, Yough; Bobby Fadden, Mohawk

Layup lines: Yough moved into the seventh-place game with a 53-51 loss to Shady Side Academy. The Cougars fell behind by 10 after three quarters but could not rally all the way back. Terek Crosby, a junior guard, had 17 points and junior center Austin Matthews added 15. Crosby has more than 1,200 career points. The Cougars are seeking their first PIAA trip since 2005. … Mohawk dropped a 77-68 decision to Seton LaSalle in the consolation first round despite 23 points from Fadden, 17 from Jay Wrona and 11 from Keigan Hopper. Mohawk gave up 44 points in the second half.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Monessen, Mt. lebanon, Norwin, South Allegheny, Yough