Westmoreland County basketball playoff capsules: Games for Monday, Feb. 17, 2020

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, February 16, 2020 | 7:50 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Boys

Class 5A

First round

No. 11 Franklin Regional (11-11) vs. No. 6 South Fayette (15-7)

8 p.m. Monday at Peters Township

Winner plays: No. 3 Mars (17-5) Friday in quarterfinals

Coaches: Steve Scorpion, Franklin Regional; Dave Mislan, South Fayette

Points scored/allowed: Franklin Regional 56.5/53.7; South Fayette 61.9/56.5

Players to watch: Logan Summerhill, Franklin Regional (Sr., G-F); Brandon Jakiela, South Fayette (So., G-F)

About Franklin Regional: The Panthers had to grind down the stretch to get into the postseason, with key Section 3 wins coming against Shaler and Kiski Area to secure their spot. Unlike previous seasons, the team lacks playoff experience. Summerhill, an Edinboro recruit, has become a go-to scorer (17 ppg), but he doesn’t do it all by himself. Junior Luke Kimmich and 6-foot0-7 senior Johnny O’Toole also give the Panthers big minutes, along with a deep bench. The Panthers have won 6 of their last 9.

About South Fayette: The Lions, who took third in Section 2, have won five games in a row and six of their last seven. Jakiela is the top scorer, but balanced scoring is not uncommon with Kade St. Ledger, Connor Mislan and Joey Alcorn all capable of scoring in double figures. The Lions have scored 70 or more points eight times.

Girls

Class 4A

First round

No. 7 Freeport (16-6) vs. No. 10 Belle Vernon (16-6)

6:30 p.m. Monday at North Hills

Winner plays: No. 2 Southmoreland (22-0) Saturday in quarterfinals

Coaches: Fred Soilis, Freeport; Ronnie Drennen, Belle Vernon

Points scored/allowed: Freeport, 55.8/44.4; Belle Vernon, 50.5/39

Players to watch: Sidney Shemanski, Freeport (Sr., G/F); Rachel Wobrak, Belle Vernon (Sr., G/F)

About Freeport: Freeport tied with Knoch for second place in Section 1. The Yellowjackets have a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Shemanski and Harley Holloway. They have the fifth-ranked scoring offense in Class 4A. Freshman Melaina DeZort is a shooting threat from outside.

About Belle Vernon: The Leopards finished third in Section 3 but won eight of their last 10 games, including a victory over second-place McKeesport. They rank third in team defense in Class 4A. Seniors Wobrak and Vienna Bertram and junior Taylor Rodriguez are complemented by a talented freshman crop led by Viva Kreis and Jenna Dawson.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Freeport, South Fayette