Westmoreland County boys basketball section recaps from Thursday, February 2nd 2023:

Norwin 48 Hempfield Area 26

Norwin controlled the game from the outset, leading 17-2 through the first quarter, and went on to a 48-26 win in Section 1-6A at Spartan Field House. Lauren Palangio paced the Knights (17-3, 7-1) with 13 points while Sarah Podkul also finished with 13 points for the Spartans (8-11, 2-6). Norwin remains tied with North Allegheny for first place in the section while Hempfield Area is in fifth place, one game behind Pine-Richland.

Indiana 68 Franklin Regional 31

Franklin Regional didn't have an answer for Indiana's Eve Fiala, who poured in 29 points, in a 68-31 victory for the Indians in Section 1-5A play. In addition to Fiala, Katie Kovalchick tallied 21 points for first place Indiana (14-6, 10-0). Sarah Penrod's 10 points led Franklin Regional (6-13, 4-7).

Greater Latrobe 65 Albert Gallatin 46

Four players reached double-figures as Greater Latrobe secured a 65-46 Section 3-5A victory over Albert Gallatin. Ellie Snyder scored a game-high 22 points for the Wildcats (13-7, 5-5) who led 33-20 at halftime. Josie Straigis had 14 points while Carly Berk and Camille Dominick each chipped in with 12. Mya Glisan tossed in 16 points for the Colonials (9-11, 3-8).

Oakland Catholic 77 Penn-Trafford 47   WATCH BROADCAST

Penn-Trafford and Oakland Catholic were tied at 18-18 over two minutes into the second quarter but the Eagles went on an 11-2 run and the Warriors never recovered as Oakland Catholic earned a 77-47 Section 3-5A win. Olivia Pepple put in a game-high 19 points for Penn-Trafford (13-5, 6-4) which was down 34-20 at the break. Halena Hill's 17 points topped the section-leading Eagles (18-2, 11-0). P-T is now one game in front of Greater Latrobe for third place in the section.

North Catholic 70 Valley 24

North Catholic held a 21-8 scoring edge in the first quarter en route to a 70-24 Section 1-4A triumph. Ava Walker had 16 points to lead the Trojans (16-3, 11-0) while Tori Johnson's eight points were the highest on the Vikings (2-17, 0-10).

Knoch 48 Greensburg Salem 43

Despite being outscored 16-3 in the second quarter, the Knights recovered to down Greensburg Salem 48-43 in a Section 1-4A match up. The Golden Lions held a firm 26-17 lead at halftime but the Knights outscored Greensburg Salem 31-17 in the second half. Kaitlyn Mankins racked up 14 points for the Golden Lions (13-7, 5-5) while Naturelle Ewing recorded 15 points for Knoch (13-6, 8-2).

Highlands 50 Derry Area 20

Derry Area was outscored 20-4 in the first quarter and never recovered in a 50-20 loss to Highlands in a Section 1-4A game. Kalleigh Nerone's 17 points paced the Rams (13-6, 8-2). The Trojans fall to (9-12, 2-9).

West Mifflin 68 Southmoreland 27

Southmoreland was overwhelmed early by West Mifflin, down 25-7 after the first quarter, in a 68-27 loss in Section 3-4A play. Regan Carson ended with 11 points for the Scotties (1-19, 0-10) while Emily Beck put up 19 points for the Titans (10-8, 7-3).

Belle Vernon 53 Laurel Highlands 45

A big third quarter vaulted Belle Vernon past Laurel Highlands 53-45 in a Section 3-4A contest. The game was tied at 27-27 but the Leopards outscored the Mustangs 14-6 in the third quarter to take a 41-33 lead. Jenna Dawson collected 17 points for Belle Vernon (14-6, 10-1) with teammate Farrah Reader adding 13. Miyah Harris had a game-best 21 points for Laurel Highlands (10-10, 5-5).

Burrell 49 Ligonier Valley 43

Burrell used a big second half to power past Ligonier Valley 49-43 in a Section 3-3A clash. The Buccaneers were down 27-26 at the halftime break but outscored the Rams 23-16 over the final two quarters. Addy Landowski dropped in 13 points for Burrell (9-11, 3-5) while teammates Riley Sterlitz and Jules Fisher contributed 12 and 10 points respectively. Madison Marinchak poured in a game-high 19 points for Ligonier Valley (2-15, 0-8) with Misty Miller adding 11.

Shady Side Academy 63 Mount Pleasant 38

Maggie Spell's 32 points were too much to handle for Mount Pleasant in a 63-38 Section 3-3A loss at home to Shady Side Academy. Despite the great play of Spell, on the other side Tiffany Zelmore also had a huge game scoring 28 points for the Vikings (13-7, 4-4). The Bulldogs improve to 16-2, 8-0 and remain in first place. Mount Pleasant is in third place two games in front of Burrell and Deer Lakes.

Waynesburg Central 48 Yough 40

Yough's winning streak was halted at four games as first place Waynesburg Central secured a 48-40 win in Section 4-3A action. Kaley Rohanna finished with 20 points for the Raiders (17-2, 7-1) and scored her 1,000th career point on a free throw with just 1.3 seconds left. Mikalah Chewning and Laney Gerdich tallied 14 and 12 points respectively to lead the Cougars (10-9, 5-3) whoe are now tied with South Park for second place.

Riverview 58 Jeannette 27

Jeannette found itself down 23-4 through the first eight minutes in a 58-27 loss to Riverview in a Section 3-1A contest. Jordan Bass came in with 11 points to top the Jayhawks (1-18, 1-5).