Westmoreland County girls basketball game recaps from Thursday, January 8th, 2026:

Upper St. Clair 49 Hempfield Area 39   WATCH BROADCAST

Hempfield Area couldn't capitalize on a first quarter lead, dropping a Section 2-6A battle to Upper St. Clair 49-39 at home. The Spartans were on top 11-7 through the first eight minutes but by halftime, the Panthers went ahead 20-17 and did not relinquish the lead. Reagan Fisher collected 12 points for Hempfield Area (9-4, 1-3) with Gabby Coccia putting in 10. Kat Polstyanko tallied 16 points for Upper St. Clair (5-7, 2-2).

Greater Latrobe 54 Greensburg Salem 39

With three players scoring in double figures, Greater Latrobe bested homestanding Greensburg Salem 54-39 in Section 1-5A action. Maggie Maiers produced 15 points to lead the Wildcats (7-4, 4-2), while Bri Havrilla added 14 points and Morgan Maiers scored 10 points. In the setback, Mya Heasley lead the Golden Lions (5-8, 0-5) with 16 points.

Franklin Regional 44 Armstrong 18

Franklin Regional stifled Armstrong in a 44-18 home victory in Section 1-5A play. Chloe Pucka and Katherine Yaniga each tallied 10 points in the win for the Panthers (6-6, 3-2). The River Hawks (6-8, 1-5) were paced by Sophia Shoemaker, who scored eight points.

Belle Vernon 52 Mount Pleasant 16

Belle Vernon raced out to a 33-8 lead and cruised to a 52-16 triumph over Mount Pleasant in Section 3-4A. Lyla McConnell scored 11 points and Aubrey Brown tossed in 10 for the Leopards (9-3, 5-1). Morgan Gesinski put in six points for the Vikings (6-7, 3-3).

Elizabeth Forward 69 Yough 26

Yough trailed 23-4 through the opening quarter in a 69-26 loss to Elizabeth Forward in Section 3-4A action. Abby Cosalter's nine points topped the Cougars (6-7, 1-5) while Kaelynn Settles racked up 19 points for the Warriors (9-4, 5-1).

South Park 56 Southmoreland 21

Southmoreland didn't have an answer for South Park's Nika Contakos, as the Scotties dropped a 56-21 decision to the Eagles in Section 3-4A. Contakos finished with a game-high 33 points for first place South Park (8-5, 6-0) while Leah Moore's seven points lead Southmoreland (1-13, 0-6).

Shady Side Academy 66 Greensburg Central Catholic 59   WATCH BROADCAST

Greensburg Central Catholic forged a fourth-quarter rally to trim a double-digit deficit to three, but GCC came up short in a 66-59 home loss in a first-place matchup against Shady Side Academy in Section 2-3A. Erica Gribble poured in 26 points, including a dozen in the opening quarter, in the loss for the Centurions (8-4, 5-1), while Jayla Peterson scored 11 and Nolan Althof tallied 10 points. Karis Thomas paced the Bulldogs (11-2, 6-0) with 28 points, including 14-of-15 at the foul line to preserve the victory in the rematch of last season’s WPIAL Class 3A Championship.

Ligonier Valley 40 East Allegheny 27

Ligonier Valley opened up a 14-4 lead after one quarter and went on to earn a 40-27 Section 2-3A win at East Allegheny. Ruby Smith finished with nine points for the Rams (4-9, 3-4) while Ivy Barnett had 10 for the Wildcats (1-10, 0-6).

Winchester Thurston 59 Jeannette 28

Jeannette was unable to slow Winchester Thurston in a Section 4-2A clash, as the Bears claimed a 59-28 victory. Navarah Smith led the host Jayhawks (8-4, 0-2) with 13 points. DaShae Cochran netted 22 points in leading the Bears (8-1, 3-0). Jeannette had not permitted more than 44 points in a game previously this season.

BOYS

Gateway 53 Penn-Trafford 48

Penn-Trafford dropped a Section 1-5A game at Gateway 53-48. The Warriors were up 28-27 at halftime but were outscored 26-20 in the second half. Peyton Mastro's 13 points paced Penn-Trafford (5-6, 4-2) while Mykel Bruce-McCrommon came in with 16 points for the Gators (6-4, 5-1).