GCC girls, Monessen boys advance

A pair of Westmoreland County basketball teams moved on to the next round of the WPIAL playoffs, as the Greensburg Central Catholic girls and Monessen boys notched victories on Friday. The No. 4 Centurions posted a dominant win, as they overwhelmed California Area 83-23 in a Class 2A clash at Gateway High School. Erica Gribble produced 26 points for GCC, while Mya Morgan scored 22 points, and Avery Davis added 16 points. With the win, the Centurions will battle No. 5 Burgettstown on Wednesday at Peters Township High School. Additionally, the sixth-seeded and host Greyhounds cruised past No. 11 Western Beaver 60-44 in Class 1A. Lorenzo Gardner scored 16 points for Monessen, surpassing the 1,000-point mark in his career. Monessen will play at third-seeded Carlynton on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Westmoreland teams that were eliminated last week included the Penn-Trafford and Kiski Area boys, as well as the Mount Pleasant Area, Burrell, and Yough girls.

All Westmoreland hockey teams are playoff-bound

While nearly two weeks remain in the PIHL regular season, all eight Westmoreland County teams have already secured their spots in the postseason. In Class AA, Greater Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional, and Hempfield Area have all clinched. In the eight-team field, the Wildcats currently are in fourth with 23 points, while the Warriors are tied for fifth with 22 points, the Panthers are seventh with 19 points, and the Spartans are in eighth with 15 points. From Class A, Greensburg Salem, Norwin, and Kiski Area are all headed to the postseason. With a 12-team field, including six from each division, the Golden Lions are second in the Blue Division with 32 points and have secured a first-round bye. Additionally, the Knights are third in the Blue Division with 29 points, while the Cavaliers sit in fourth with 28 points. In Division 2, Burrell has punched its ticket to the playoffs. With an eight-team bracket, including four from each division, the Buccaneers are in fourth in the Gold Division with 20 points.

Westmoreland players litter Cager Classic rosters

The rosters have been announced for the Cager Classic all-star basketball games next month, and nine Westmoreland County standouts have been selected. The 26th-annual event will include both a girls and boys game on March 25 at Highlands High School. In the boys contest, the East team will feature Franklin Regional’s Max Leven and Jake Kimmich, as well as Kiski Area’s Dom DiNinno and LeBryn Smith. In the girls game, the East roster includes Franklin Regional’s Sarah Penrod and Brooke Schirmer, Addy Landowski and Riley Sterlitz of Burrell, and Lexiann Colaianni of Kiski Area. Other schools represented consist of Apollo-Ridge, Armstrong, Butler Area, Deer Lakes, Freeport Area, Fox Chapel Area, Hampton, Highlands, Knoch, Mars Area, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, West Shamokin, and Cheswick Christian Academy.

Hempfield boys bowling snags WPIBL gold

For the second year in a row, Hempfield Area boys bowling proved to be the best team in Western Pennsylvania. The Spartans repeated as the WPIBL champions, edging top-seeded Butler Area 2-1 in the best of three series at Sims Lanes in Beaver Falls last Wednesday. Hempfield Area took the first game 216-213, and after a 196-191 Golden Tornado triumph in the second game, the Spartans narrowly prevailed 208-204 in the decisive third game. To reach the finals, the No. 2 Spartans prevailed in straight games against third-seeded Greensburg Salem, 255-181 and 184-176. Hempfield Area’s Blake Naeger was recognized on the All-Tournament team after rolling a 671 over three games in the qualifying round, while Greensburg Salem’s Justice Payne also made the team with a 643.

GCC soccer coaches step down

Greensburg Central Catholic will be on the search for new head coaches for both boys and girls soccer, as Rob Fabean and Kara Batey have resigned. Fabean guided the Centurions boys for the past two seasons, posting a combined mark of 31-8-0 over those campaigns. Last fall, GCC went 15-3-0, falling in the WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinals against Charleroi. Batey was at the helm of the girls team for just one season, going 15-5-0, including reaching the WPIAL and PIAA semifinals.

SHU softball opens with sweep

After a banner 2022 season, the Seton Hill University softball team started the new campaign by sweeping a doubleheader last week. The Griffins prevailed at home on Tuesday against Wheeling University, winning 7-0 and 12-3. In the first contest, Seton Hill’s Lauren Dellett tossed a shutout, allowing just five hits and one walk, while striking out nine. Grace Paredes was the hitting star, as she went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. In the second game, Abby Smearman went 2-for-2 with five RBIs, including a grand slam that enacted the run rule in the fifth inning. Chloe Elliott earned the W in the circle, surrendering four hits and two earned runs while striking out a pair in five innings. Seton Hill is slated to compete in four games at the Glenville State Invitational this weekend.