WPIAL players selected to USA Basketball 3×3 teams

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, April 5, 2019 | 2:52 PM

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Some of the rising stars in WPIAL basketball that will take the court next season will test their skills against talent from around the country next weekend in Colorado.

Fifteen WPIAL players were selected to play in the USA Basketball 3×3 U-18 National Championships at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Players were picked either through a qualifying tournament or by invitation.

District boys set to play are Butler junior Ethan Morton, who will suit up for Team Pursuit; sophomores Joey Petash of Pine-Richland and Brayden Reynolds of Chartiers Valley, on Team Cure; and four more juniors in Highlands’ Luke Cochran, Shenango’s Colin McQuiston, Latrobe’s Michael Noonan and Patrick Shanahan of Pine-Richland, all of whom will play for Cubs Hoops.

Local girls include juniors Jordan Kauffman of Butler, Maddie Dziezgowski of Bethel Park and Isabella Pelaia of Mars, along with sophomore Bella Hunt (Team Bruins); and juniors Kylee Lewandowski and Tess Myers of North Catholic and Jayla Wehner of Norwin, plus sophomore Lizzy Groetsch of North Allegheny (Team Western PA Elite).

The competition will be April 13-14 with 12 teams on each side. Teams will be seeded out of Saturday pool play.

Most teams have four players but a few only have three.

There are 22 states represented on the girls’ side and 10 from the boys’. Pennsylvania has the most players with 19.

All players will be evaluated for possible selection to the USA 3×3 U-18 World Cup Teams.

Rules include a 10-minute game clock and a 12-second shot clock. The first team to 21 points, or the team ahead at the end of regulation, wins each game.

Full boys’ rosters: https://www.usab.com/3×3/3×3-u18-men-nc/roster.aspx

Full girls’ rosters: https://www.usab.com/3×3/3×3-u18-women-nc/roster.aspx

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

Tags: Bethel Park, Butler, Chartiers Valley, Highlands, Latrobe, Mars, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Norwin, Pine-Richland, Shenango