February 24, 2024 12:01 am
Fort Cherry used its tenacious defense and balanced scoring to beat Bishop Canevin Friday night. Alan Tarolli had 16 points to lead the Rangers. Jack Katzmiller scored 13 while Blake Sweder added 12. Fort Cherry scored the first five points of the game and never trailed, earning a trip to Tuesday’s 2A boys semifinals against #1 Aliquippa. South Fayette took control of its 5A girls game against Trinity late in the first quarter, eventually crushing the Hillers with a 22-3 run. The defending WPIAL champion Lions cruised through the second half to clinch a state playoff berth and a date with #2 McKeesport in Tuesday’s semifinals. Trinity will play Indiana Monday in the first round of the state qualifier consolation bracket. Canon-McMillan’s season came to an end with a loss to #2 Central Catholic. Only the top three 6A boys teams reach the state playoffs.
We’ll have semifinal games for Peters Township girls Monday and Fort Cherry boys Tuesday on the WJPA Sports Network. Our audio stream is free to all. The video, when possible, will be streamed through WPIAL partner NFHS Network (subscription required, links provided). For WPIAL brackets, CLICK HERE.
Friday, Feb. 23
Quarterfinals
2A Boys #4 Fort Cherry 59, #5 Bishop Canevin 44 Listen/Watch Here
5A Girls #6 South Fayette 53, #3 Trinity 39 Listen/Watch Here
6A Boys #2 Central Catholic 53, #7 Canon-McMillan 27
Consolation Round I
2A Girls Rochester 69, Fort Cherry 39 (Fort Cherry to play Tuesday for 7th place)
1A Boys Monessen,64, West Greene 44 (Monessen to play Tuesday for 5th place, West Greene eliminated)
Saturday, Feb. 24
Consolation Round I
1A Girls Monessen 34, West Greene 30 (Monessen to play Wednesday for 5th place. West Greene eliminated)
Monday, Feb. 26
WPIAL Semifinals
6A Girls #2 Peters Township vs. #3 North Allegheny, 5:45 pm at Mt. Lebanon, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
Consolation Round I
5A Girls Trinity vs. Indiana, 6:45 pm at Trinity, WJPA-AM (1450) Listen/Watch Here (winner clinches PIAA berth)
Tuesday, Feb. 27
WPIAL 7th place
2A Girls Fort Cherry vs. Winchester-Thurston, 5:45 pm at Chartiers Valley, WJPA-AM (1450) Listen/Watch Here
WPIAL Semifinals
2A Boys #4 Fort Cherry vs. #1 Aliquippa, 7:45 pm at Chartiers Valley, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
February 24, 2024 3:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers released veteran center Mason Cole to create nearly $5 million in salary-cap space. Cole had one year left on the three-year, $15.75 million deal he signed in 2022. He had issues snapping in shotgun formation and clearly would have cost more than the Steelers were willing to pay him in 2024. Now they will head into free agency and the NFL draft looking for a starter at the position. Cole started all 34 regular-season games for Pittsburgh over the last two seasons. He was scheduled to count $6.27 million against the cap.
February 24, 2024 3:49 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL’s salary cap for 2024 will be $255.4 million, up a record $30.6 million from last year. The cap number has gone from $198.2 million in 2020 to $182.5 million in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic. It increased to $208.2 million in 2022 and $224.8 million last year. Teams are heading into next week’s NFL combine and preparing for the free agency period to open March 13 with an opportunity to spend more freely. The increased cap total could impact how teams use the franchise tag. The 15-day window to apply the tag to impending free agents began on Feb. 20.
February 23, 2024 12:01 am
Natalie Wetzel scored 30 points, leading #2 Peters Township to its win over Pine-Richland. Gemma Walker added 13 points for the Indians who advance to the WPIAL semifinals for the first time since their 2019 state championship run. PT will take on #3 North Allegheny Monday at a site/time to be announced. The West Greene girls lost to #1 Union. The Pioneers enter the Round I consolation bracket but must win two straight to qualify for the PIAA tournament.
Friday, three more Washington County teams face quarterfinal opponents, including two that we’ll feature on the WJPA Sports Network. The Trinity girls take on South Fayette for the third time, having swept the defending champion Lions in their Section 4 series. Fort Cherry boys, the #4 seed in the 2A bracket, faces #5 Bishop Canevin. Both games are at Peters Township with pregame for the double-header starting at 5:45 pm on WJPA-FM (95.3) and online. And, as we move through the brackets, we’ll have live coverage of as many games as we can, on-air and online. Our audio stream is free to all. The video, when possible, will be streamed through WPIAL partner NFHS Network (subscription required, links provided).
Other Friday action includes the 6A boys quarterfinals with #7 Canon-McMillan traveling to Gateway to face #2 Central Catholic. The Fort Cherry girls and West Greene boys have Round I consolation games. For WPIAL brackets, CLICK HERE.
Quarterfinals
Thursday, Feb. 22
6A Girls #2 Peters Township 58, #7 Pine-Richland 46 Listen/Watch Here
1A Girls #1 Union 59, #8 West Greene 14
Friday, Feb. 23
6A Boys #7 Canon-McMillan vs. #2 Central Catholic, 7 pm at Gateway
5A Girls #3 Trinity vs. #6 South Fayette, 5:45 pm at Peters Township, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
2A Boys #4 Fort Cherry vs. #5 Bishop Canevin, 7:45 pm at Peters Township, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
Consolation Round I
Friday, Feb. 23
2A Girls Fort Cherry vs. Rochester, 6 pm at Montour (winner to 5th place game, loser to 7th place game)
1A Boys West Greene vs. Monessen, 7 pm at Monessen (winner to 5th place game, loser eliminated)
Saturday, Feb. 24
1A Girls West Greene vs. Monessen, 12 noon at Monessen (winner to 5th place game, loser eliminated)
Semifinals
Monday, Feb. 26
6A Girls #2 Peters Township vs. #3 North Allegheny 5:45 pm at Mt. Lebanon, WJPA-AM (1450) Listen/Watch Here
February 23, 2024 4:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Rust and Drew O’Conner scored 21 seconds apart in the second period to break open a tie game and the Pittsburgh Penguins gave their flagging postseason hopes a boost with a 4-1 win over the reeling Montreal Canadiens. Pittsburgh won for just the second time in its last seven games behind 31 saves from Tristan Jarry. Kris Letang scored twice for the Penguins. Mike Matheson notched his eighth goal of the season for Montreal. The Canadiens have lost six of seven.
February 23, 2024 12:00 am
Washington & Jefferson College women’s basketball team lost to #5 Geneva, 89-75, Thursday night in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference semifinals. The Presidents struggled over the final two quarters after building a nine-point lead at the half. Wash/Jeff rallied midway from seven points down midway through the fourth to take a one-point lead only to see Geneva score the next 15 points. W&J blew out Geneva twice in the regular season but lost in the League semifinals for the second straight year. W&J falls to 23-3 and has to hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
February 23, 2024 1:36 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates and All-Star pitcher Mitch Keller have agreed to a five-year contract worth $77 million. The deal, which starts this year and runs through 2028, was officially signed on Friday. Keller, 27, is coming off a breakthrough season in 2023 in which he went 13-9 with a 4.21 ERA and made the All-Star team for the first time in his career.
February 22, 2024 2:15 am
Fort Cherry struggled through three quarters, scrambled back close in the fourth only to fall to South Side in the 2A girls quarterfinals. Trailing by 16 through three, the Rangers twice got within 4 points but couldn’t close the deal, dropping into the consolation bracket. Rainey Staub led the rally, scoring 10 of her game-high 19 points in the final 8 minutes. Fort Cherry, with a state tournament berth in hand, will face Rochester in the Round I consolations Friday as the four quarterfinal loser play to determine their seeds in the state bracket. The West Greene boys lost to #1 Imani Christian. The Pioneers also enter the Round I consolation bracket but must win two straight to qualify for the PIAA tournament.
In dramatic fashion, a group of Washington & Greene County teams that numbered 24 has been cut down to five as the WPIAL Basketball playoffs move through quarterfinal round action. After Wednesday’s action, girls teams from Peters Township, Trinity and West Greene are still alive in the championship brackets along with boys teams from Fort Cherry and Canon-McMillan. Quarterfinals in the remaining eight brackets are scheduled over the next two nights. We’ll have the Peters Township & Trinity girls and Fort Cherry boys quarterfinal games on the WJPA Sports Network, both on-air and online. And, as we move through the brackets, we’ll have live coverage of as many games as we can, on-air and online. Our audio stream is free to all. The video, when possible, will be streamed through WPIAL partner NFHS Network (subscription required, links provided).
PIAA tournament spots will also be claimed over the next several days. So far, the Fort Cherry girls are the only team from the two-county area to have wrapped up a spot in the state tournament that begins March 8th. A Boys (Fort Cherry) and 5A Girls (Trinity) each send the top seven teams to the PIAA meaning they’ll each clinch with one more win, and they’ll have three chances to get that win. 6A Girls sends the top four teams meaning Peters Township must win Thursday to clinch. Only the top three advance to the state tournament in 6A Boys so Canon-McMillan will have to win twice, including Friday night’s quarterfinal against Central Catholic. Only the top 5 advance in 1A Boys and 1A Girls. For WPIAL brackets, CLICK HERE.
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Feb. 21
2A Girls #12 South Side Area 50, #4 Fort Cherry 42 Listen/Watch Here
1A Boys #1 Imani Christian 60, #8 West Greene 26
Thursday, Feb. 22
6A Girls #2 Peters Township 58, #7 Pine-Richland 46 Listen/Watch Here
1A Girls #1 Union 59, #8 West Greene 14
Friday, Feb. 23
6A Boys #7 Canon-McMillan vs. #2 Central Catholic, 7 pm at Gateway
5A Girls #3 Trinity vs. #6 South Fayette, 5:45 pm at Peters Township, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
2A Boys #4 Fort Cherry vs. #5 Bishop Canevin, 7:45 pm at Peters Township, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
Consolation Round I
Friday, Feb. 23
2A Girls Fort Cherry vs. Rochester, 6 pm at Montour (winner to 5th place game, loser to 7th place game)
1A Boys West Greene vs. Monessen, 7 pm at Monessen (winner to 5th place game, loser eliminated)
February 22, 2024 4:39 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The struggling Pittsburgh Penguins may be sellers at the trade deadline for the first time in decades. Pittsburgh currently sits near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with two weeks to go before the March 8 deadline. General manager/director of hockey operations Kyle Dubas says he wants to give the team plenty of opportunities to show it can contend. Still, time is running out if the Penguins want to avoid missing the playoffs for a second straight season following a streak of 16 consecutive postseason berths.
February 22, 2024 4:37 am
HOBE SOUND, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Woods is taking the first step toward trying to play on the PGA Tour. The 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods is in the pre-qualifier Thursday for the Cognizant Classic. Roughly the leading 25 players advance to the Monday qualifier. Only four players get into the tournament. Charlie Woods is no stranger to the spotlight. He’s been playing with his father in the PNC Championship the last four years. That’s the 36-hole event in which major champions team up with a family member. Charlie Woods will be on his own this time at Lost Lake Golf Club.
