Six county basketball teams earn PIAA berths

While no Westmoreland County boys or girls basketball teams reached the WPIAL championships games, six area teams have punched their ticket to the state playoffs. On the girls side, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Greensburg Central Catholic, and Monessen qualified, while Yough and Greensburg Central Catholic have secured their spot on the boys side. The Knights, who finished third in Class 6A, will play against host Central Dauphin on Friday at 6 p.m. In Class 5A, the Warriors secured the seventh and final spot from the WPIAL, and will battle homestanding Greencastle-Antrim on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Centurions, who placed fifth in Class 2A, play at Windber on Friday at 7 p.m. Lastly, Monessen clinched the fifth spot in Class 1A and will play at Otto-Eldred on Saturday at 3 p.m. In boys play, the Cougars snagged the seventh and final spot from the district in Class 3A, and will play at Penn Cambria on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Centurions finished third in Class 2A and will travel to face Otto-Eldred on Saturday at 4:30.

County wrestlers advance from 2A Southwest Regional

Eight Westmoreland County wrestlers qualified for the state championships as a result of their performances at the Class 2A Southwest Regional on Friday and Saturday in Altoona. Burrell produced a pair of runners up in Cam Baker and Cooper Hornack. Baker lost via major decision 12-4 to Dominic Deputy of Chestnut Ridge in the 107-pound bracket. Hornack lost a 1-0 decision to Bentworth’s Chris Vargo in the 127 final. Mount Pleasant Area’s Jamison Poklembo also claimed silver, as he lost via 1-0 decision against Peter Chacon of Montour in the 133 title bout. With the top six finishers in each weight class securing spots in the PIAA Class 2A tournament in Hershey this weekend, other qualifiers from Westmoreland County included Burrell’s Niko Ferra (139 pounds) and Isaac Lacinski (172), Mount Pleasant’s Sean Cain (121) and Dylan Pitzer (215), and Greensburg Salem’s Christian McChesney (215).

Westmoreland teams litter PIHL quarterfinals

The PIHL quarterfinals rounds take place this week, and all eight Westmoreland County teams are in the mix. In Class AA, No. 4 Penn-Trafford hosts fifth-seeded Thomas Jefferson at the Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont tonight at 6 p.m., which will be broadcast on the Westmoreland Sports Network. Also tonight, the seventh-seeded Panthers will play against No. 2 South Fayette at the Mount Lebanon Ice Center at 9:10 p.m. On Tuesday, No. 6 Greater Latrobe travels to play third seed Bishop McCort at the 1st Summit Arena at 7 p.m., while eighth-seeded Hempfield Area plays on the road against top-seeded Armstrong at the Belmont Ice Complex at 7:30 p.m. The winning teams advance to the semifinals at the RMU Island Sports Center on March 14. In Class A, Kiski Area will play against Gold Division winner North Hills tonight at 6 p.m. at the RMU Island Sports Center. On Tuesday, Norwin hits the road to face McDowell, the second-place team from the Gold Division, at Erie Bank Rink at 6:30 p.m. Greensburg Salem, which placed second in the Blue Division, hosts Shaler Area on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. at the Kirk Nevin Arena in Greensburg. The victorious teams advance to the semis at the RMU Island Sports Center on March 15. In Division 2, Burrell, which was the fourth-place team in the Gold Division, will play against the Blue Division winner Ringgold on Thursday at the Rostraver Ice Gardens, with the winner moving on to the semis at the RMU Island Sports Center on March 16.

Mount Pleasant Area girls, Kiski Area boys win swimming titles

The Mount Pleasant Area girls and Kiski Area boys each claimed team gold at the WPIAL Swimming Championships on Thursday and Friday at Trees Pool in Oakland. The Vikings paced Class 2A with a team total of 290, which easily surpassed second-place Northgate, which scored 198. The Vikings repeated as girls champs. Individually, Lily King of Mount Pleasant Area won gold in the 200 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. Meanwhile, teammate Kiersten O’Connor captured first in the 50 freestyle. Kiski Area’s Eliza Miller won the 500 freestyle. Meanwhile, the Vikings took gold in the 200 medley relay, the 200 freestyle relay, and the 400 freestyle relay. The Kiski Area boys claimed the Class 2A team title, as the Cavaliers scored 228 points, edging Indiana Area, which had 206. It marked the first crown for Kiski Area in team history. Individually, Henry Miller of Southmoreland won the 50 freestyle and the 100 butterfly, Parker Sterlitz of Kiski Area won the 500 freestyle, and Mount Pleasant’s Joseph Gardner won the 100 backstroke. Kiski Area finished first in the 400 freestyle relay. Individually in the Class 3A boys competition, Penn-Trafford’s Patton Graziano won the 100 freestyle, while Hempfield Area’s Dominic Falcon claimed gold in the 50 freestyle.

SHU’s Tabe, Frye named All-PSAC

Two Seton Hill University basketball players garnered all-conference acclaim last week, as Christiane Frye was named First-Team PSAC West, while Samuel Tabe received Second-Team West honors. Frye, a junior, paced the Griffins in scoring at 16.0 points per game, adding 3.5 rebounds per contest, along with 82 assists and 46 steals. She received conference accolades for the second year in a row, as Frye was named the PSAC West Rookie of the Year and PSAC West Second-Team last campaign. The Seton Hill women’s team went 18-14, falling to Edinboro 79-61 in the PSAC Tournament first round. Tabe, meanwhile, provided team-bests with 16.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest, while adding 52 assists and 29 steals. It was the first all-conference recognition for the senior. The Griffins men posted a mark of 16-13, losing to California University of Pennsylvania 84-69 in the first round of the PSAC Tournament.