Davis’s foul shot lifts BVA to title game

Tommy Davis hit a free throw in the final seconds to propel Belle Vernon Area to a 57-56 victory against Avonworth in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals on Saturday at Peters Township High School. As a result, the top-seeded Leopards advance to the WPIAL Championship, and they aim for their first crown since 1978. Trevor Kovatch paced the Leps with 17 points, including 14 in the second half, while Zion Moore tallied 14 points, and Davis and Dom Ghalani each added 11 points. BVA, which improved to 20-4 and has won 14 games in a row, will face No. 2 seed North Catholic on Thursday at 9 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.

GCC girls punch ticket back to the Pete

A year after claiming WPIAL gold in Class 2A, the Greensburg Central Catholic girls assured themselves a chance to win gold in Class 3A. On Saturday at Peters Township High School, the No. 2 seed Centurions stifled Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 41-18 in the semifinals. Greensburg Central Catholic limited the Chargers to just five field goals in the contest, including a drought of more than 20 minutes of game time. Erica Gribble paced the GCC offense with 16 points, while Avery Jones tallied 14 points and Jayla Peterson added 10 points. The Centurions, who moved to 20-5, will face top-seeded Shady Side Academy on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The Bulldogs won the two previous meetings this season.

Humbert steps down as Leopards football coach

After 11 years at the helm of the Belle Vernon Area football program, winning two WPIAL and two PIAA titles, Matt Humbert stepped down as head coach last week. Humbert announced his decision last week, citing his desire to spend more time with his wife and family, while noting that he’ll remain as the athletic director for BVA. During his tenure with the Leopards, Humbert became the winningest coach in program history. In both 2022 and 2023, the Leopards captured district and state gold in Class 3A. This past fall, Belle Vernon went 4-5, qualifying for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs, but losing to McKeesport Area in the quarterfinals. Including his four years guiding Ringgold, Humbert amassed a career mark of 124-36.

Derry trio captures wrestling individual gold

Six Westmoreland County wrestlers, including a trio from Derry Area, won WPIAL individual titles over the weekend. In Class 3A, Hempfield Area’s Nico Kapusta, Leo Joseph of Greater Latrobe, and Belle Vernon Area’s Elijah Brown stood atop the podium Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School. Meanwhile, the Trojans triumvirate of Anthony Mucci, Mason Horwat, and Brady Brown claimed gold in Class 2A at Chartiers Valley High School on Saturday. Kapusta won his crown at 114 pounds, as he edged Penn-Trafford’s Dylan Barrett via a 13-12 decision. At 121, Joseph outlasted Connellsville Area’s Nolan Rice 6-3 in sudden victory. Brown took first at 215 pounds, as he bested Kiski Area’s Cooper Roscosky via a 6-4 decision. Moreover, GL’s Luke Willochell and Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson took silver at 133 and 172, respectively. In Class 2A, Mucci narrowly defeated Bentworth’s Drake McClure with a 3-2 decision at 133 pounds. Horwat left no doubt at 152, claiming a 21-5 tech fall against Jonah Erdely of Frazier. Similarly, Brown notched a 19-4 tech fall against South Side Beaver’s Slayton Williams in the 189-pound bracket. Other Westmoreland County finalists included Burrell’s Carter Thomas (121), Julian Bertucci (139), and Isaac Lacinski (172).

DA’s Hauser wins diving title

For the first time in school history, Derry Area has produced a WPIAL diving champion. Jake Hauser, a senior, won the WPIAL Class 2A Boys Diving Championship on Friday at North Allegheny High School. The Trojan achieved a score of 405.45 over 11 rounds, easily outpacing runner-up Matthew Blystone of Indiana Area, who totaled 339.10. Hauser led for the majority of the event, holding the top spot after the preliminary rounds, as well as the semifinal rounds. Meanwhile on the girls side, the Trojans had four divers advance to the state competition. Derry Area senior Chaeli Keenan placed third with a score of 414.30, while classmate Ella Sylvis came in fourth at 372.85. Moreover, sophomores Genavieve Hoyle and Lidia Gamble placed sixth and seventh, respectively, all punching their ticket to Bucknell University.

Hempfield’s Bensur wins bowling crown

Ashley Bensur of Hempfield Area captured bowling gold last Thursday. Bensur, a junior, outpaced Thomas Jefferson’s Annalise Williams 207-157 in the WPIBL Girls Singles Championship at AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes. Bensur advanced to the semifinals with a qualifying three-game score of 628, which ranked second behind Kiski Area’s Veronica Flanagan. In the semifinals, Bensur edged Norwin’s Kali Siegel 189-181, while Williams knocked off Flanagan 202-188.

Bobcats MBB earns postseason bye

Courtesy of a thrilling victory on Saturday, the University of Pitt-Greensburg men’s basketball team earned a bye in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) postseason. The Bobcats garnered the No. 2 seed, and thus, a spot in the semifinals on Friday, as they will face the winner between Hilbert College and Penn State Altoona. Keyed by a nine-game winning streak to conclude the regular season, UPG finished with a record of 12-4 in the AMCC. On Saturday, the Bobcats notched a 90-88 home win against the first-place team, the University of Pitt-Bradford. UPG’s Matthew Marinchak netted the winning basket with 13 seconds left, scoring 15 points, while Trent Rozich paced Pitt-Greensburg with 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists.