Familiarity won’t be a problem for Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinals.
The Warriors know Indiana well, which could be very beneficial as they go for their first semifinal trip since 2013-14, the year they won their only WPIAL championship.
The Section 2 co-champs will tip at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin, a favorable site for Penn-Trafford, which played Thomas Jefferson in last year’s quarterfinals on the same floor.
The matchup between No. 6 seed Penn-Trafford (18-5) and No. 3 Indiana (20-3) features teams with similar styles. Both like to penetrate the lane and kick out passes to perimeter shooters and also attack the rim.
“We have to pick up our defense,” Penn-Trafford guard Olivia Weishaar said. “They like to drive a lot.”
Indiana was no match for the Warriors in the first matchup, falling 59-38 in Harrison City. But a late-season trip to Indiana produced a much closer result with the Little Indians winning 45-40.
“It was a grinder,” Penn-Trafford coach Chuck Fontana said. “We need to be ready. They like to play man. We have to shoot it well and score in transition. Mike (Franciscus) does a great job and always has his girls ready to play.””
Penn-Trafford was undefeated (22-0) heading into the quarterfinals last year but fell to Thomas Jefferson in overtime, 65-60.
“We don’t talk about the past,” Fontana said. “We’re focused in this year and this team.”
Greensburg Central Catholic (17-6) also will get a rematch in the 3A quarterfinals. The Centurions will take on Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, which beat them 36-35 in last year’s PIAA second round at Peters Township. That came after GCC routed the Chargers in the WPIAL semifinals, 41-18.
A lot of wins
You would be hard pressed to find a WPIAL playoff game that features three coaches with 400 wins.
It happened last Friday night at Hopewell when Greensburg Salem played the Vikings.
Hopewell won, 74-49, giving coach Doug Biega his 400th career win — many of them at Beaver Falls.
Greensburg Salem coach Paul Sapotichne has over 450 wins, while his assistant, Gene Brisbane, won 366 games coaching the Hempfield girls, Derry girls and Jeannette boys. Brisbane has 416 wins including his time coaching the Westmoreland County Community College women’s team.
Three-match
Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward will meet for a third time this season in Thursday’s Class 4A girls quarterfinals.
Belle Vernon won both section matchups, 70-56 and 55-53. The Leopards are on a 14-game winning streak.
Belle Vernon, which is looking more like a title contender with its youthful talent, tied the 1997-98 team’s school record for wins in a season, and won the team’s first section title since 1999.
Husenits to UPG
Hempfield leading scorer Danny Husenits announced his commitment to Division III Pitt-Greensburg.
Husenits is averaging 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Spartans (15-7), who open the Class 6A playoffs Thursday at Seneca Valley (13-9). It is a quarterfinal game.
Bench support
Jeannette has another WPIAL title contender and has all five starters back from last year’s championship team. But coach Adrian Batts knows his bench, which has tightened for another playoff run, is going to play an important role.
The Jayhawks appear to be using a seven-player lineup in the postseason. The two reserves are juniors McAlister Steel and Noah Clary, both of whom saw minutes in a 70-49 win over Brentwood on Monday.
“Clary and Steele have been doing that for us all year,” Batts said. “We have counted on them and need them. They are going to be crucial for our success.”
Miles to go
The Greensburg Central Catholic girls are hitting the road for another quarterfinal game. And once again, they will have a longer trip than their opponent despite being the better seed.
GCC’s average quarterfinal trip the last four seasons is 44.3 miles.
The third-seeded Centurions (17-6), who have won back-to-back WPIAL titles, will play Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Wednesday night at Bethel Park.
GCC did not have a home game in the first round like it did in three of the last five years and played Mohawk at Fox Chapel.
Last year, the Centurions played Quaker Valley at Mt. Lebanon as the No. 2 seed. And two years ago, as a No. 1 seed, they played Rochester at Chartiers Valley.
In 2023, as the No. 4 seed, they played Burgettstown at Peters Township.
First for everything
Three local coaches have something in common: They all won their first WPIAL playoff game.
Boys coaches Ricky Tyburski of Belle Vernon and Tim O’Rourke of Greensburg Central Catholic were victorious in their initial attempt in the postseason, as was Penn-Trafford’s Chuck Fontana.
Tyburski and Fontana were assistants during playoff runs last year. Belle Vernon won its first WPIAL title since 1978.
State teams
The WPIAL will once again use play-back games to determine seeding for the PIAA playoffs.
The numbers of state qualifiers for girls are as follows: three in Class 6A, eight in 5A, five in 4A, seven in 3A, eight in 2A and four in A. Qualifiers for boys are: four in 6A, eight in 5A, five in 4A, seven in 3A, eight in 2A and four in A.
Penn-Trafford’s girls have clinched a spot.