After making a run in the state playoffs the previous season, Jeannette boys basketball entered the 2024-25 campaign with heightened expectations. The Jayhawks more than lived up to those expectations, winning a WPIAL crown for the first time since Terrelle Pryor donned a Jeannette jersey.

The Jayhawks commenced the season by winning their first 11 contests, and after a loss to rival Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette followed with a six-game surge. Although Jeannette again fell short against GCC, the Jayhawks compiled a record of 19-2 during the regular season, earning the No. 3 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A bracket.

Jeannette opened the postseason with a dominant home victory against Brentwood, 91-42. Against perennial title-contender Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals, the Jayhawks used a second-half surge to overcome a sizable deficit, claiming a 55-50 triumph. In the subsequent round against second-seeded Sewickley Academy, another decorated program, Jeannette left no doubt, stifling the Panthers for a 45-25 win.

Back in the WPIAL title game for the first time in a decade, Jeannette overmatched Union 63-39 to capture the second district crown in program history, joining the 2008 team. A balanced attack resulted in three Jayhawks scoring in double figures in the triumph, as Jayce Powell posted a team-best 14 points, while Markus McGowan scored a dozen, and Xavier Odorisio-Farrow contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Avoiding a championship hangover, Jeannette also won a pair of games in the PIAA postseason, edging Mercyhurst Prep 61-54 and ousting Northern Cambria 70-54. The historic campaign ended with another loss to the rival Centurions in the state quarterfinals.

Jeannette, which achieved a record of 25-3, featured a starting lineup consisting of juniors Kymon’e Brown, McGowan, Odorisio-Farrow, and Noah Sunder, along with Powell, a sophomore. A trio of seniors – Lonnie Greene, Stone Markham, and Jerry Davis – were vital pieces off the bench for head coach Adrian Batts, who has guided the program for 16 seasons.

Because of their championship season, the Jeannette boys basketball team is recognized as Shining Stars which earns the program a $500 donation courtesy of Smail Kia in Greensburg and the Westmoreland Sports Network.

ABOUT SHINING STARS: Shining Stars is a program formed by Westmoreland Sports Network and Smail Kia in Greensburg to recognize and support Westmoreland County student-athletes whose academics, community and athletic excellence shines the brightest. Two teams will be chosen as Shining Stars each season throughout the year with both receiving funding to assist their booster groups. The program has now donated over $12,000 to local teams.