Jeannette challenged its big men this week. Be more aggressive, go to the basket, look to score.
The post trio of Xavier Odorisio-Farrow, Lonnie Greene and Noah Sunder responded — Green off the bench — in a 45-25 win over No. 2 seed Sewickley Academy in the WPIAL 2A semifinals.
Now third-seeded Jeannette (22-2) will take on No. 8 Union (19-6) at 5 p.m. Friday in the championship at Petersen Events Center.
The Jayhawks, who have one WPIAL title, in 2008 when Terrelle Pryor was a senior, have not been to the finals since 2015.
Jeannette assistants Julian Batts, Swade Redman and Michael Pompei played on that ’15 team that lost to Monessen.
“Ironically we’re playing another public school,” Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said. “Our guys accepted the challenge. They were going against some big kids, some grown men. We told them they couldn’t be afraid of the moment. They stuck with our game plan.”
Odorisio-Farrow finished with 15 points, and Greene added 12 in the win over Sewickley Academy, which featured two 6-foot-8 players in Mamadou Kane and Adam Ikamba. The former fouled out in the third quarter at Fox Chapel, where the Jayhawks posted their last two playoff wins.
The 6-2 Odorisio-Farrow also fouled out, but not before he left a lasting imprint: a highlight dunk over Kane in the third quarter.
“X” marked the spot.
Jeannette’s defense was clingy, feisty. The Panthers, who averaged 59 points, had nine in the first half.
Jeannette players gathered at midcourt after the semifinal win for a group photo, then swooned over cell-phone video and photos of the dunk.
Oohs and aahs rose from the gaggle of happy Jayhawks.
Said Jayhawks guard Kymon’e Brown of the post players: “They balled out. They came up huge. We knew they could do that all year.”
Kovatch shines for BVA
Trevor Kovatch dashed up and down the court Saturday like he was running the lines in practice, only instead of bending down to touch the floor, he was picking off steals, dribbling around defenders and threading passes to teammates.
The Belle Vernon senior is the ultimate “glue guy,” and his play Saturday helped the top-seeded Leopards avoid an upset in the WPIAL 4A boys basketball semifinals.
Kovatch had a team-high 17 points — and two key assists to senior Dominic Ghilani as part of a key 9-0 run — that led to a 57-56 win over No. 4 Avonworth and WPIAL scoring leader Rowan Carmichael at Peters Township.
Relentless is one way to describe how Kovatch plays.
“Trevor is a dog after the ball,” Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino said. “When he defends, he never quits.”
Kovatch gave the Leopards the lead in the third quarter with a nifty drive and scooping layup with 2 minutes, 5 seconds to play. He scored 12 in the quarter.
Kovatch and Belle Vernon (20-4) will play for a WPIAL title 9 p.m. Thursday against No. 2 North Catholic (19-5) at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.
The Leopards last won a WPIAL title in 1978 and had a runner-up finish in 2020.
Kovatch won a WPIAL title more recently — last fall, in golf.
Also a 100-goal scorer who will continue his soccer career at Pitt-Greensburg, he fell short of WPIAL glory in his main sport. But he has another shot at winning in a game where he is quietly talented.
“Now I want (a title) in basketball,” said Kovatch, who has 772 career points. “I never have really been part of something like this.
“We could have taken over or played into them. We took that game. We didn’t want to go out like that.”
The semifinal was billed as a heavyweight bout between a pair of 2,000-point scorers in Belle Vernon senior star Zion Moore and senior Rowan Carmichael of Avonworth.
Carmichael finished with 31 points, and Moore, slowed some by an ankle injury, had 14.
But everyone forgot about the undercard and arguably toughest player on the court: Kovatch.
“There were two 2,000-point scorers going at it today, but I felt like I had to step up,” Kovatch said. “Coach pulled me aside and said, ‘We need you.’ Nobody would have expected an underdog to come and play like that.”
Last title
Belle Vernon’s boys will play for a championship for a third time.
The Leopards lost 72-54 to Highlands in 2020.
They won their only title in 1978 when they defeated Norwin in the finals 62-58. The late John Russell led Belle Vernon’s charge with 25 points, Tom Parks added 14 and Randy Gianni had 10.
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Doug Arnold led Norwin with 23.
PIAA update
The Southmoreland boys face a must-win situation Wednesday to prolong their season.
The Scotties (18-7), who lost their opening consolation-bracket game Monday to Ellwood City, will visit Keystone Oaks (17-8) in the seventh-place game.
The top seven finishers in the WPIAL in 3A qualify for the PIAA playoffs.
Latrobe (20-5) will travel to Uniontown (21-4) on Wednesday in the 5A boys fifth-place game.
Penn-Trafford (14-11) will travel to Moon (18-7) on Wednesday in the seventh-place game.
Latrobe and Penn-Trafford are already in the state tournament because the top eight advance.