WPIAL boys basketball semifinal game recaps from Tuesday, February 27th 2024:

Greensburg Central Catholic 60 Northgate 43 (5A)   LISTEN BROADCAST

Tyree Turner was too much for Northgate to handle as he helped Greensburg Central Catholic take down the Flames, 60-43, in the WPIAL Class 2A Semifinals at Gateway. The second-seeded Centurions lead 24-15 at halftime and extended the advantage to 40-23 midway through the third. But third-seeded Northgate responded with an 11-0 run to get to within six points late in the third. That's when GCC's Sean Walker hit a jumper to end the run and Turner took control of the game to will Greensburg Central Catholic to the victory. Turner finished with 21 points for the Centurions (23-2) who will play in their first WPIAL final since losing to OLSH in 2021. In addition to Turner, Franco Alvarez tossed in 16 points and Liam Gallagher had 11. Josh Williams came in with 10 points for the Flames (18-6).

WPIAL boys basketball semifinal game recaps from Monday, February 26th 2024:

Franklin Regional 69 Shaler Area 40 (5A)   LISTEN BROADCAST

A hot start fueled the Panthers, as second-seeded Franklin Regional cruised to a 69-40 win against No. 3 Shaler Area in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals at Mount Lebanon High School. The Panthers outpaced the Titans 17-5 in the opening quarter, and after Shaler Area trimmed the deficit to eight at half, FR responded by winning the third quarter 18-7. The Panthers capped off the convincing win by scoring 25 points in the final quarter. Fin Hutchison led four Panthers in double figures, as he posted a game-best 16 points. Connor Crossey produced 14 points, Cooper Rankin scored 11, Colin Masten contributed 10 points, and Cam Rowell notched nine points. In the setback, Keegan Smetanka led the Titans with 15 points. Franklin Regional (23-2) will face top seed Moon Area in the WPIAL Championship on Friday at the Petersen Events Center. The Tigers edged Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals.

Burrell 51 Mohawk 34 (3A)

A suffocating defensive effort carried the Buccaneers to a 51-34 upset of No. 2 Mohawk in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals at North Allegheny High School. Burrell, the No. 11 seed, permitted just three points in the first quarter, and 11 total in the opening half. Staked to a 15-point lead at the intermission, the Buccaneers outscored the Warriors in the third quarter to create an insurmountable advantage. Macky Bennis led the way for Burrell, as he netted 20 points. Tucker Bitar added 11 points, and Esau King-Buchak tallied nine points for the Bucs. In the defeat, Mohawk was led by Jay Wrona, who scored 25 points. Burrell (16-8) will match up against top-seeded and defending champion Deer Lakes on Friday in the WPIAL title game at the Petersen Events Center. The Lancers advanced courtesy of their win against Neshannock in the semis.

WPIAL boys basketball first round playoff game recaps from Tuesday, February 20th 2024:

Greensburg Central Catholic 57 Frazier 22 (2A)   WATCH BROADCAST

The Centurions jumped out to a 26-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, scoring a dominant wire-to-wire 57-22 win at home against Frazer in the WPIAL Class 2A first round. Tyree Turner was the catalyst for No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic, as he scored 10 points in the first stanza and finished with a game-leading 18 points. Meanwhile, the GCC defense was suffocating, forcing myriad turnovers and limiting the No. 15 Commodores to single-digits in every quarter. Staked to a 43-15 halftime lead, the Centurions scored early in the third to enact the running clock. In addition to Turner, Franco Alvarez also reached double figures for GCC, with 11 points, while Dailan McManus led Frazier with a dozen points. With the victory, GCC improved to 21-2, and will move on to the 2A quarterfinals against No. 10 Eden Christian Academy on Friday.

Jeannette 52 Sewickley Academy 47 (2A)   WATCH BROADCAST

Markus McGowan's three-pointer with under two minutes left in the third quarter gave sixth-seeded Jeannette a lead it never relinquished in a 52-47 victory over No. 11 Sewickley Academy in a WPIAL Class 2A first round match up. The long-awaited trey put the Jayhawks ahead 27-25 and it spurred a 10-0 run which swelled Jeannette's advantage to 31-25 midway through the fourth quarter. Jeannette put the game away at the foul line. Kymon'e Brown's 17 points paced the Jayhawks (15-7) while Jayce Powell put in 13 points and Markus McGowan added 10. Nolan Donnelly scored 16 points for the Panthers (13-10). Jeannette will match up against No. 3 Northgate in the quarterfinals on Friday at 6 p.m. at Mount Lebanon High School.

WPIAL boys basketball first round playoff game recaps from Monday, February 19th 2024:

Franklin Regional 67 Mars Area 50 (5A)   WATCH BROADCAST

Colin Masten exploded for a team-high 20 points, while Cooper Rankin and Cam Rowell posted 19 and 18 points, respectively, in leading the host Panthers to a 67-50 victory against Mars Area in the WPIAL Class 5A first round. Second-seeded Franklin Regional outscored the No. 15 Fightin’ Planets in every quarter, including 16-10 in the second quarter to take a nine-point edge into the locker room. FR, which played its first postseason game since a loss to Mars Area in 2021, improved to 20-2, and advances to the quarterfinals to face section foe No. 7 Gateway on Thursday. In the setback, Mars was paced by senior Ryan Ceh, who scored 26 points, reaching the 1,000-point milestone in the process.

Thomas Jefferson 72 Penn-Trafford 53 (5A)

No. 13 Penn-Trafford couldn't keep pace with No. 4 Thomas Jefferson in the second half in a 72-53 loss to the Jaguars in a WPIAL Class 5A first round game. The Warriors were down by a single point at the halftime break, 30-29, but Thomas Jefferson outscored P-T 42-24 over the final two quarters. Evan Gross scored a team-high 12 points for Penn-Trafford (11-12). Evan Berger collected 18 points to power the Jaguars (20-3) who will play No. 12 Kiski Area on Thursday.

Kiski Area 58 Peters Township 51 (5A)

The Cavaliers jumped out to a halftime lead, and held off a late surge to edge homestanding Peters Township 58-51 in the Class 5A first round. Kiski Area received 15 points from Isaiah Gonzalez, while Noah Thimons netted 14 for the No. 12 Cavs. Kiski Area led by a dozen after three quarters, but the No. 5 Indians trimmed the lead to five points near the midway point of the fourth. Gonzalez responded, however, allowing the Cavaliers to maintain their advantage. Cam Mills netted a team-high 15 points for Peters Township. Kiski Area, which improved to 15-7, moves on to the quarterfinals on Thursday, and will battle No. 4 Thomas Jefferson.

Derry Area 54 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 53 (3A)   WATCH BROADCAST

The Trojans outscored Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 11-7 in the fourth quarter, as Derry Area edged the Chargers 54-53 in the WPIAL Class 3A first round at Fox Chapel Area High School. In scoring the upset, the No. 12 Trojans snapped fifth-seeded OLSH’s run of seven-consecutive appearances in the WPIAL championship game. Nate Papuga boosted the Trojans with a game-best 25 points, while freshman Stanley Ratkjovich added 16 points for DA. Tiernan McCullough tallied 19 points to pace the Chargers. The Trojans, who improved to 14-6, will battle fourth-seeded Neshannock on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Yough 53 South Park 30 (3A)

Yough's Terek Crosby went off for 25 points and powered the seventh seeded Cougars to a 53-30 triumph against No. 10 South Park in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. Yough led 11-8 through the first eight minutes and extended the advantage to 28-16 at the half. In addition to Crosby, his teammate Austin Matthews chipped in 14 points for the Cougars (19-4) who advance to play No. 2 Mohawk on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Luke Scarff tossed in 14 points for South Park (13-9).

Neshannock 66 Mount Pleasant 40 (3A)

No. 4 Neshannock outscored No. 13 Mount Pleasant in every quarter going on to a 66-40 victory in a WPIAL Class 3A first round match up. The Lancers led 10-6 after one and 25-13 at halftime. Luke Rivardo put in 10 points to pace the Vikings (8-13) while David Kwiat racked up 22 points for the Lancers (19-3). Neshannock will next play Derry Area in the WPIAL quarterfinals on Thursday.

Burrell 55 Seton-LaSalle 50 (3A)

Led by Tucker Bitar’s 21 points, the Buccaneers upset Seton-LaSalle 55-50 in the Class 3A first round at Thomas Jefferson High School. The No. 11 Bucs led throughout most of the contest, but the sixth-seeded Rebels deadlocked the score with less than two minutes left in regulation. However, Burrell converted seven of eight foul shots over the final minutes to secure the victory. In addition to Bitar’s stellar outing, Mackey Bennis produced 15 points for the Buccaneers, and Esau King-Buchak netted a dozen points. Pat Weldon led Seton-LaSalle with 15 points. As a result of their win, the Buccaneers (14-5) will square off against section opponent No. 3 Shady Side Academy on Thursday in the 3A quarterfinals.

WPIAL boys basketball first round playoff game recaps from Friday, Feburary 16th 2024:

South Allegheny 71 Belle Vernon Area 62 (4A)

Despite three Leopards scoring in double figures, including 22 points from Zion Moore, No. 10 Belle Vernon Area fell 71-62 at seventh-seeded South Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 4A first round. Alonzo Wade added 16 points for BVA, while Tommy Davis posted 15 points. The Gladiators received 22 points from Mike Michalski, while Cam Epps amassed 19 points in the win. While the Leopards concluded the season with a record of 12-9, the Gladiators moved to 17-6 and advance to the quarterfinals to play Hampton on Wednesday.

Montour 71 Southmoreland 44 (4A)

A lopsided third-quarter proved the difference, as the Scotties were overmatched in a 71-44 loss at Montour in the WPIAL Class 4A first round. The third-seeded Spartans outpaced No. 14 Southmoreland 25-6 in the third stanza to seal the outcome. In the loss, Wyatt Richter paced the Scotties with 18 points, while Ty Keffer tallied 11 points. Ama Sow, a 6-foot-11 junior, scored a game-high 19 points in the win for Montour (20-3), which advances to the quarterfinals on Wednesday to battle Avonworth. The Scotties, meanwhile, concluded the campaign at 16-7.