Westmoreland high school basketball notebook: Franklin Regional boys continue storybook run

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, February 23, 2024 | 8:21 PM

Jesse Reed was elated after his Franklin Regional boys flattened Gateway, 53-35, in the quarterfinals to keep their title chase on course.

After spending a few minutes with family, the third-year boys basketball coach looked around an emptying gym at Norwin on Thursday night and flashed a face-covering smile.

It wasn’t disbelief or even relief that he was feeling. It was seeing another return on his investment.

“It’s awesome, just awesome,” Reed said, fully realizing that his second-seeded Panthers (22-2) were officially in the WPIAL Class 5A final four. “This is what it’s all about: the big games, the big moments. You can see the joy in their faces. It makes it all worth it. But we’re not done yet.”

Franklin Regional reached the semifinals for the first time in six years after missing the playoffs in Reed’s first two years.

Growth spurts and added muscle in the offseason, Reed said, helped turn Franklin Regional into a sudden WPIAL title contender.

“The guys have been putting in work since I started,” Reed said. “That’s why the consistent results are showing.”

Remember, current senior stars Cam Rowell and Cooper Rankin missed several games late last season because of injuries, which caused a tailspin.

With the pair healthy and a steady-going supporting cast continuing to make plays, the Panthers are a win away from the WPIAL finals.

“It’s like revenge,” said Rowell, the team’s leading scorer and one of the WPIAL’s top fast-break finishers who had a nagging hip injury that cost him 10 games as a junior. “Watching my teammates play and not being able to help them (last year) was the worst experience of my life.”

After beating rival Gateway for a second time in three games this season, Franklin Regional will get another rematch in the semifinals Monday when it faces No. 3 seed Shaler (22-2), a team it defeated 72-62 in double overtime in late January.

The teams will play at 8 p.m. at Mt. Lebanon. The site seems a bit offbeat, but the Panthers are just grateful to still be playing.

“It’s going to be another dogfight with them,” Reed said. “They play well together, and they have won a bunch of games.”

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Playing our song

Norwin had a number of girls who could have earned player-of-the-game honors in Thursday’s convincing 58-20 quarterfinal win over Seneca Valley.

Lauren Palangio. Kendall Berger. Ava Kobus.

But what about … Natasha Bedingfield?

The singer’s hit single “Unwritten” apparently has become a team favorite.

“That song came on at halftime,” coach Brian Brozeski said after Thursday’s home win. “The girls were all hyped to hear it, and they locked in. They have fun with it.”

No. 1 seed Norwin (19-3) will play No. 5 Chartiers Valley (16-6) at 6 p.m. Monday in the 6A semifinals.

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Keeping it loose

As a No. 1 seed, the Greensburg Central Catholic girls are feeling the added pressure that comes with the lofty rating.

But coach Chris Skatell tries to keep it fun.

He might take a tense moment and soften the tension with a joke or say something that makes the girls breathe a little easier.

“Sometimes in the huddle, I’ll try to loosen things up,” Skatell said. “Pull it back a bit and make it light. You don’t want it to be serious all the time.”

GCC (18-5) will play No. 12 South Side (14-9) at 2 p.m. Saturday in the 2A semifinals.

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Consolation prize

The Yough and Derry boys will play in the 3A consolation bracket Saturday as they try to qualify for the PIAA playoffs but not against each other. At least not yet.

If they both win, they will face off next week for seeding.

Yough (19-5) plays Shady Side Academy (16-8) at 2 p.m. at Fox Chapel, and Derry (14-7) visits Ellwood City (16-8) at noon.

The winners qualify for the state tournament and will play for fifth place Wednesday. The top seven finishers in 3A make the state tournament.

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Title games

The WPIAL released starting times for the 12 championship games next week at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.

The schedule is as follows:

Boys: 6A: 7 p.m. March 2; 5A: 9 p.m. March 1; 4A: 9 p.m. Feb. 29; 3A: 5 p.m. March 1; 2A: 1 p.m. March 2; A: 5 p.m. Feb. 29

Girls: 6A: 7 p.m. March 1; 5A: 5 p.m. March 2; 4A: 3 p.m. March 2; 3A: 3 p.m. March 1; 2A: 7 p.m. Feb. 29; A: 11 a.m. March 2.

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Layups

Yough senior Terek Crosby is 27 points away from 2,000 for his career. … Rowell needs 23 points to reach 1,000 for his career. … GCC sophomore guard Erica Gribble needs 20 points for 1,000. … Derry coach Tom Esposito became the program’s all-time wins leader with the upset of No. 5 seed Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the first round. He has 149 wins, one more than Ken Grote.

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

Tags: Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Norwin, Yough