Westmoreland County boys basketball section recaps from Monday, February 6th 2023:

Hempfield Area 59 Butler 49

Three Hempfield Area players reached double-figures in a 59-49 Section 1-6A victory at Butler. Brooke McCoy scored 18 points to lead the trio of Spartans who outscored the Golden Tornado 17-9 in the second quarter. Ashley Hosni had 15 points and Sarah Pokul 10 for Hempfield Area (8-11, 2-6). Justine Forbes led all scorers with 23 points for Butler (10-9, 4-4) which remains in third place. The Spartans are currently one game out of a playoff spot and would need to upset North Allegheny on Thursday to have a shot at the postseason.

Norwin 62 Pine-Richland 29   WATCH BROADCAST

Norwin built up an 36-9 lead at halftime and secured a dominating Section 1-6A victory over visiting Pine-Richland by a final of 62-29. Lauren Palangio tallied 16 points for the Knights (17-3, 7-1) while Kendall Berger added 14 points. Madison Zavasky put in a game-high 23 points for the Rams (9-10, 3-5). With a win at Seneca Valley on Thursday, Norwin would clinch at least a share of the section title.

Kiski Area 49 Plum 35

Kiski Area earned a key 49-35 Section 1-5A victory over Plum to clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. The Cavaliers move into third place with the win and are now a game above Plum and Penn Hills which are tied for fourth. Abbie Johns finished with 15 points for Kiski Area (9-11, 6-5) while Rikiya Garcia-Broaden and Lexi Colaianni had 12 and 10 points respectively.

Greater Latrobe 39 Thomas Jefferson 30

Josie Straigis and Camille Dominick each scored 10 points to lead Greater Latrobe to a 39-30 Section 3-5A victory over visiting Thomas Jefferson. The Wildcats sit in fourth place in the section, a half-game behind Penn-Trafford who they play on Friday.

Highlands 46 Greensburg Salem 34

Highlands turned in a big third quarter to sink Greensburg Salem 46-34 in a Section 1-4A contest. The game was tied at just 11-11 at halftime before the Golden Rams outscored the Golden Lions 23-11 in the third quarter. Kaitlyn Mankins came in with 10 points to pace Greensburg Salem (13-8, 5-6). Kalleigh Nerone and Jocelyn Bielak both tossed in 16 points a piece for Highlands (13-7, 8-3).

Knoch 57 Valley 24

Valley fell behind 38-11 at halftime and fell at Knoch 57-24 in Section 1-4A. Tori Johnson's eight points topped the Vikings (2-18, 0-11) while Hattie McGraw collected 16 points for the Knights (14-6, 9-2).

Freeport 54 Derry Area 20

Freeport kept its playoff hopes alive beating Derry Area 54-20 in a Section 1-4A tilt. Jane Huss scored six points for the Trojans (9-13, 2-10) while Melaina DeZort ended with 17 for the Yellowjackets (8-13, 4-7). Freeport needs to defeat Greensburg Salem on Thursday to clinch a spot in the WPIAL postseason.

Elizabeth Forward 58 Belle Vernon 26

Elizabeth Forward stormed out to a surprising 41-7 lead at the half and downed Belle Vernon 58-26 in a match up between the top teams in Section 3-4A. Kaelynn Settles and Julia Resnik each scored 12 points for the Warriors (16-4, 11-0) while Farrah Reader's eight points were the high mark for the Leopards (14-7, 10-2).

Southmoreland 62 Ringgold 53

Maddie Moore exploded for 28 points to lead Southmoreland to its first Section 3-4A victory of the season, as the Scotties topped Ringgold 62-53. In addition to Maddie Moore's 28 points, Lynsee Moore chipped in with 10 points for Southmoreland (2-19, 1-10) which trailed 21-17 at halftime. The Rams fall to (4-16, 2-9).

Mount Pleasant 55 Ligonier Valley 41

Tiffany Zelmore poured in a game-high 36 points leading Mount Pleasant to a 55-41 triumph at Ligonier Valley in Section 3-3A play. The Vikings (14-7, 5-4), who were also led by Riley Gesinski's 14 points, outscored the Rams in every quarter. Lyla Barr put in 14 points for Ligonier Valley (2-16, 0-9). Mount Pleasant clinches a WPIAL playoff spot with the victory.

Apollo-Ridge 58 Burrell 22

Burrell couldn't muster much offensively, scoring just nine points in the second half, in a 58-22 Section 3-3A loss at Apollo-Ridge. Riley Sterlitz came in with a team-best six points for the Buccaneers (9-12, 3-6) while Sophie Yard tallied 20 points for the Vikings (18-3, 7-2). Burrell can clinch a WPIAL playoff spot with a victory over Deer Lakes Thursday.

McGuffey 45 Yough 41

A poor third quarter cost Yough in a 45-41 loss to McGuffey in a Section 4-3A contest. The Cougars held a 36-33 lead through three quarters of play but the Highlanders finished the game on a 12-5 run. Autumn Matthews (13), Mikahla Chewning (11) and Hailey Bock (10) all finished in double-figures for Yough (10-10, 5-4). Libby Mallah's 12 points paced McGuffey (14-7, 4-5).

Greensburg Central Catholic 78 Clairton 40   WATCH BROADCAST

The first time Greensburg Central Catholic and Clairton met this season, the Centurions earned a nine-point victory. In the second meeting, however, GCC was much more dominant in a 78-40 win over the visiting Bears in Section 3-2A play. Mya Morgan poured in 28 points for Central (17-4, 10-1) while teammate Erica Gribble collected 21 points and Cadie Peter finished with 11. Iyanna Wade, who scored her 1,000th career point in the game, racked up a game-high 35 points for Clairton (9-8, 7-5).

Jeannette 53 Hillel Academy 11

Jeannette won its second game of the season, downing Hillel Academy 53-11 in a Section 3-1A game. Zoey Vincent's 14 points powered the Jayhawks (2-18, 2-5) while Frankie Crosby and Venicia Vignoli each tallied 12.