Westmoreland WPIAL boys basketball capsules for Feb. 15-16, 2019

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, February 14, 2019 | 5:57 PM

Friday’s game

Boys

Class A first round

No. 7 Greensburg Central Catholic (16-6) vs. No. 10 Geibel Catholic (11-11)

8 p.m. Friday at Charleroi

Winner plays: No. 2 Cornell (18-4) on Feb. 21 in quarterfinals.

Coaches: Greg Bisignani, GCC; Don Porter, Geibel

Points scored/allowed: GCC, 58.0/49.3; Geibel, 65.3/62.5

Players to watch: Geoff Helm, Sr., G, GCC; Enzo Fetsko, Jr., G, Geibel.

Last WPIAL playoff appearance: GCC, 2016-17 (lost to OLSH, 54-49, in Class 2A semifinals); Geibel, last year (lost to Eden Christian, 66-39, in first round)

About GCC: The senior-led Centurions returned to the playoffs after seeing their 17-year streak of postseason trips end last year. Helm is a Shippensburg recruit who averages 19 points Joel LoNigro also helps steer the backcourt, and Max Pisula is tough on the low block. GCC has nine straight wins.

About Geibel: Fetsko averaged 19.8 for the Gators, including a 38-point game against Aquinas Academy. Junior Cole Kendall is another proven scorer for Geibel (17.8 ppg), which is coached by former Mt. Pleasant coach Don Porter.

Saturday’s games

Boys

Class 2A first round

No. 6 Jeannette (12-10) vs. No. 11 Springdale (12-8)

2:30 p.m. Saturday at Gateway

Winner plays: No. 3 Sewickley Academy (12-8) on Feb. 22 in quarterfinals.

Coaches: Adrian Batts, Jeannette; Aaron Epps, Springdale

Points scored/allowed: Jeannette, 53.4/51.5; Springdale, 56.1/52.3

Players to watch: Anthony Sharp, Jr., PG, Jeannette; Michael Zolnierczyk, Sr., G, Springdale

Last WPIAL playoff appearance: Jeannette, 2018 (lost to OLSH, 72-64, in semifinals); Springdale, 2018 (lost to OLSH, 73-46, in quarterfinals)

About Jeannette: Jeannette and Springdale are former section opponents. Both lost to OLSH in consecutive rounds in last year’s playoffs. The Jayhawks have never missed the playoffs or finished worse than second in their section in 10 seasons under Batts. Sharp has two games with eight 3-pointers this season.

About Springdale: The Dynamos are coached by first-year Aaron Epps, the former girls coach at Hempfield. They needed a buzzer-beating win over Summit Academy and a late rally to get past Riverview to assure a playoff berth in Section 1. Starters Roman Liberati and Logan Dexter are injured.

Class 3A

No. 13 Southmoreland (12-9) vs. No. 4 Seton LaSalle (17-4)

1 p.m. Saturday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of No. 5 Washington (13-8)/No. 12 Keystone Oaks (12-10) on Feb. 21 in quarterfinals.

Coaches: Frank Muccino, Southmoreland; Mark Walsh, Seton LaSalle

Points scored/allowed: Southmoreland, 56.9/55.6; Seton La Salle 69.9/51.8

Players to watch: Riley Comforti, Jr., G, Southmoreland; Trevor O’Donnell, Sr., G, Seton LaSalle

Last WPIAL playoff appearance: Southmoreland, 2017 (lost to Shady Side Academy, 40-37, in 3A quarterfinals); Seton LaSalle, 2018 (lost to Lincoln Park, 62-47, in 3A championship)

About Southmoreland: The Scotties have shown vast improvement over last year’s four-win team. Comforti is an athletic, open-court scorer, and Ronnie Robinson is a key cog in the backcourt. The Scotties have wins over No. 5 seed Washington and Class 4A playoff team Belle Vernon.

About Seton LaSalle: Graduating five senior starters might hurt most teams, but it did not slow down the high-scoring Rebels. They only lost by four to 4A No. 1 seed New Castle and beat 5A No. 9 McKeesport.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.