Westmoreland County boys high school basketball notebook: WCCA showcase Saturday

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, December 8, 2022 | 6:01 AM

The Westmoreland County Coaches Association will welcome 16 boys basketball teams for its annual showcase Saturday at Hempfield and Jeannette.

There will be four games at each site, with corresponding times.

The schedule for Hempfield: Derry vs. Southmoreland, noon; Burrell vs. Monessen, 1:30 p.m.; Ligonier Valley vs. Hempfield, 3; Kiski Area vs. Belle Vernon, 4:30.

At Jeannette: Mt. Pleasant vs. Valley, noon; Latrobe vs. Greensburg Central Catholic, 1:30; Greensburg Salem vs. Jeannette, 3; Norwin vs. Yough, 4:30.

Scholarship for Butler

Latrobe senior Landon Butler will be the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship for winning MVP honors at the Tre Cunningham Memorial Tournament over the summer at Jeannette.

The Jeannette Educational Foundation will honor Butler on Saturday before Latrobe’s 1:30 p.m. game against Greensburg Central Catholic in the WCCA Shootout at Jeannette.

The late Cunningham, a three-sport star at Jeannette, was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2020.

Bilinsky vs. Crosby

Fans might want to check out the Norwin-Yough game at the county shootout to see a matchup of two of the area’s most athletic players — and slam dunkers.

Norwin’s Adam Bilinsky and Yough’s Terek Crosby are known for playing above the rim.

Bilinsky scored 30 and 24 points in his first two starts of the season, and Crosby had a pair of 29-point games, in the first of which he hit six 3-pointers.

Less is Moore

Belle Vernon is awaiting the return of 10 football players who also play basketball. But a transfer has kept the Leopards competitive in the meantime.

Zion Moore, a 6-foot-2 point guard who transferred from Ringgold, has been impressive for the Leopards.

Moore had 32 points in his Belle Vernon debut, an 83-63 loss to Thomas Jefferson, then netted 25 in a 66-46 loss to South Allegheny in the MVI Classic at Ringgold and had 29 more in a 58-35 win over Steel Valley.

Little coaching

When Penn-Trafford fans showed up at the Hempfield tip-off tournament, they might have spotted a familiar face on the Greensburg Salem bench.

Denny Little, the softball coach at Penn-Trafford, is working as an assistant this season for the Golden Lions under rookie head coach Cam Auld.

Little teaches at Greensburg Salem.

Greensburg Salem and Auld picked up their first win on the second day of the Hempfield tournament as the Golden Lions defeated Connellsville, 62-53.

New Jayhawk

A former Penn-Trafford guard is playing in the backcourt at Jeannette.

Giovonni Merola, a 6-foot senior, transferred in the offseason. He had 10 points in the Jayhawks’ first win of the season, 53-35 over Steel Valley.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, Yough