Norwin girls fall in championship

Playing in the WPIAL Class 6A Championship for the third year in a row, Norwin girls basketball settled for silver for the second straight time. The Knights suffered a 50-38 loss against top-seeded Canon-McMillan on Saturday at the Petersen Events Center. Second seed Norwin faced a 27-15 deficit at the half, but used a 15-0 run in the third quarter to pull within four points. However, the Big Macs outpaced the Knights 14-8, including hitting a dozen foul shots, in the fourth to seal the first title in program history. Ava Christopher scored nine points to pace Norwin, while Liz Yarosik scored five points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Madison Clair netted 15 points to lead the Big Macs. Norwin was in pursuit of its fourth WPIAL championship.

Seven Westmoreland teams enter state playoffs

With the WPIAL Championships in the rear-view mirror, seven Westmoreland County basketball teams now begin their trek to a state crown. On the boys side, Ligonier Valley, Jeannette, and Monessen qualified in 3A, 2A, and 1A, respectively. The Rams, who earned the seventh and final spot from the district, will play at District 6 Champion Bishop Guilfoyle on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The runner-up Jayhawks will host Northern Cambria, the third-place finisher from District 6, on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Greyhounds, who took third from the WPIAL, will play Elk County Catholic, the District 9 Champion, at St Mary’s on Friday at 6:30 p.m. On the girls side, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Belle Vernon Area, and Greensburg Central Catholic are in the PIAA tournament. In 6A, the runner-up Knights will play at District 6 Champion Altoona Area on Friday at 6 p.m. In the 5A bracket, the third-place Warriors will host West York, the sixth-place team from District 3, on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Leopards, who finished in fifth place in Class 4A, will play at District 9 Champion Clearfield on Saturday at 1 p.m. Lastly in 3A, the runner-up Centurions play District 9 runner-up Cranberry at Hampton High School on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Spartans garner top spot in PIHL playoffs

Although the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs commenced in Class A last week, the rest of the classifications begin the postseason tonight. Hempfield Area, Penn-Trafford, and Greater Latrobe made the cut in Class AA, while Burrell is in the Division 2 tournament. The Spartans achieved the top seed in Class AA, going 16-3-1-0 for 50 points. As a result, they will host No. 8 Cathedral Prep tonight at 7:15 p.m. at the Kirk Nevin Arena. The Warriors finished third, going 15-5-0-0, for 45 points. PT hosts sixth seed Shaler Area tonight at 7 p.m. at the Palmer Imaging Arena. The Wildcats went 7-10-2-1, and with 26 points, came in seventh. Thus, GL will play at second-seeded Armstrong on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Belmont Ice Complex. In Division 2, the Buccaneers compiled a mark of 12-4-0-4, racking up 40 points in the Blue Division. As a result, Burrell received the five seed and will play at No. 4 Connellsville Area on Thursday at 9 p.m. at the cfsBank Event Center.

Westmoreland swimmers show out at WPIAL event

The WPIAL held the boys and girls swimming championships last week at Trees Pool in Oakland, and a handful of Westmoreland County standouts claimed gold. In the Class 3A boys 200 freestyle, Franklin Regional junior Thomas Westerman took first with a time of 1:40.91. Greater Latrobe’s Chris Heese finished first in the boys 100 breaststroke, timing 54.49. Leah Kunkle of Kiski Area stood atop the podium in the Class 3A girls 100 breaststroke, registering a time of 1:05.02. In the 2A girls 200 freestyle relay, Franklin Regional finished first. The Panthers relay team was comprised of Magdalena Hull, Jamie Kociela, Anna Tomasic, and Scarlett Zolnak. Meanwhile, the Mount Pleasant Area boys captured gold in the Class 2A 200 freestyle relay, with the team consisting of Cody Fusco, Colby Emerick, Lucas Poole, and Gunnar Probst.

Bobcats ousted in AMCC title game

The University of Pitt-Greensburg men’s basketball came up just short in pursuit of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championship on Saturday, as the Bobcats lost 66-61 at Penn State Behrend. Third-seeded UPG held a 32-27 lead at the half, but the No. 1 seed and homestanding Lions outscored them 39-29 in the second half. As a result, the Bobcats were denied their fourth conference title, and first since 2016. Jackson Byer led UPG with 19 points, while Matthew Marinchak tallied 13 points. Jacob Dunkle paced the Lions with 21 points and 15 rebounds. As a result, Pitt-Greensburg’s record dipped to 22-5, as the Bobcats await their postseason fate.