February 6, 2023 3:49 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – The Boston Bruins are atop the NHL standings and running away with the Atlantic Division going into the second half of the season. But the playoff races are hot in the Metropolitan, Central and Pacific with roughly 30 games left to go down the stretch. There are 11 teams in the mix for eight playoff spots in the Eastern Conference and 10 in the West. All three New York-area teams could make it with the Rangers, Islanders and New Jersey Devils jockeying for position. And out west the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights are among the top contenders.
February 6, 2023 3:49 am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – On a day of wild weather at Pebble Beach, Justin Rose was a steady presence. Rose was 9 under in the 19 holes he played Sunday in the weather-delayed AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. That gives him a two-shot lead going to the Monday finish and a good chance to win for the first time in four years. Rose still has the back nine to play. He leads by two over Denny McCarthy, Peter Malnati and Brendon Todd. The day featured rain, wind, hail and sunshine, sometimes all in one hour. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the pro-am.
February 4, 2023 12:08 am
Some playoff hopes have been realized, others dashed as we move to one week left in the boys basketball regular season. Most teams have two games left in section play. The top four teams in each section qualify for the playoffs plus any unbreakable ties. Here’s a look at the Washington & Greene County boys teams (section records):
Class 6A Canon-McMillan (0-8). The Big Macs have been been eliminated after 1 & 2 point losses the first time through ballooned to double-digit setbacks the second time around.
Class 5A Peters Township (7-1). The Indians share the section lead with Bethel Park. The two meet Feb. 10, the final night of the season, at Peters Township. Trinity (3-5) holds the final playoff spot, having swept Connellsville and beating Ringgold (1-7) the first time through. Trinity has clinched despite winning only once since beating Ringgold the first time through. The Rams will qualify with wins over Connellsville and at Trinity Feb. 10.
Class 3A Wash High (8-2). The Little Prexies have clinched a playoff spot but suffered back-to-back section losses to Brownsville and Yough. Wash High’s game at Waynesburg (1-8) was postponed Friday. McGuffey (5-5) sits in the final playoff position and can clinch with any win. Charleroi (4-6) is one game back of McGuffey but the Highlanders swept the season series. The Cougars must beat Brownsville and Yough and get two McGuffey losses to qualify. Waynesburg has been eliminated.
Class 2A Ft. Cherry (10-0). The Rangers have clinched a share of the section championship and a playoff bid, riding a 16-game win streak into the final two games. Chartiers-Houston (9-2) has also clinched a post-season spot with one game left. Burgettstown (7-3) is comfortably in third place, having lost only to the leaders and has a playoff spot in hand. Carmichaels (5-5) clinched a playoff spot with Friday’s win at Frazer. Bentworth (4-7) sits in fifth place, needing to beat Beth-Center (0-10) and see Carmichaels lose to Ft. Cherry and Chartiers-Houston. Beth-Center has been eliminated.
Class 1A Section 1 Avella (3-5). The Eagles are in fourth place, one game up on Western Beaver. Avella clinches a spot with wins against either of the top two team (Union, Cornell) or with a Western Beaver loss to Rochester or Cornell. Avella and Western Beaver split their home-and-home section series. If they finished tied, both qualify as fourth-place finishers.
Class 1A Section 2 Jeff-Morgan (5-3). The Rockets are in third place with a playoff spot clinched. Mapletown (3-5) is currently fourth with games against Monessen (7-1) and West Greene (1-6). West Greene had Jeff-Morgan, Geibel and the Maples left on the schedule. Mapletown & West Greene split their season series. California (1-7) has been eliminated.
February 5, 2023 7:44 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin got to play together at NHL All-Star Weekend for the first time since 2018. Ovechkin set up Crosby for two goals in the lone game of the 3-on-3 tournament the Metropolitan Division got to play. The longtime rivals and respective captains of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are no stranger to sharing the ice in the same uniform at this event. But with each star in his mid-30s Crosby and Ovechkin understand any All-Star trip could be their last. That made them soak in the event in South Florida a little more than earlier in their careers.
February 3, 2023 12:01 am
The WPIAL Wrestling Team Tournaments are set for semifinals & finals Saturday. 3A #1 Waynesburg & #2 Canon-McMillan and 2A #1 Burgettstown all look to continue their win streaks, each having beaten a pair of opponents in Wednesday’s opening rounds. The Raiders and Big Macs have separate semifinal matches: Waynesburg against Connellsville, Canon-Mac taking on Hempfield moving toward the 3A championship. The Blue Devils face Frazier, Burrell and defending champion Quaker Valley for the 2A title. The 3A Semifinals/Finals are set for Peters Township Saturday with a 10 am start. Chartiers-Houston hosts the 2A Semifinals/Finals, Saturday, starting at 12 noon. We’ll have all of Saturday’s action on WJPA and online. WPIAL Brackets CLICK HERE
Saturday, Feb. 4
Class 3A Semifinals at Peters Township (10:00 am) WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
#1 Waynesburg vs. #4 Connellsville
#2 Canon-McMillan vs. #11 Hempfield
Class 3A Finals (11:30) WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
Championship Semifinal winners
Third-Place Semifinal losers
Class 2A Semifinals at Chartiers-Houston (12 noon) WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen Here
#1 Burgettstown vs. #5 Frazier
#2 Quaker Valley vs. #3 Burrell
Class 2A Finals (1:30 pm) WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen Here
Championship Semifinal winners
Third-Place Semifinal losers
February 4, 2023 3:22 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – The NHL took advantage of holding All-Star Weekend in South Florida by holding two Skills Competition events outside in the sun. A handful of players took turns hitting golf and hockey shots on a par-4 course. Others shot pucks at foam surfboards to splash opponents into dunk tanks on the beach with plenty flying into the ocean. Sidney Crosby got dunked steps from the beach, while Montreal’s Nick Suzuki holed a birdie with a hockey stick. Inside, Connor McDavid reminded the rest of hockey why he leads the league in goals by going 8 for 8 in the accuracy shooting competition.
February 4, 2023 3:21 am
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – The Denver Broncos made it official in announcing Sean Payton as their new head coach. He will be formally introduced at team headquarters Monday. The Broncos and New Orleans Saints agreed on a compensation package for Payton this week and he has already been busy interviewing candidates for his coaching staff. Payton won a Super Bowl and posted a .631 winning percentage during his 15 seasons as head coach of the Saints. He replaces Nathaniel Hackett, who flopped so badly that he became just the fifth head coach in NFL history not to make it through his first season.
February 4, 2023 3:19 am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Kurt Kitayama has a one-shot lead at Pebble Beach and now comes the hard part. It’s not that Kitayama is going after his first win on the PGA Tour. The conditions figure to be the toughest over the weekend. The starting times for Saturday already have been moved up one hour because of high wind in the forecast. Kitayama has come close to winning. He battled Rory McIlroy in South Carolina and Jon Rahm in Mexico. Only four players from the top 10 at Pebble have won. But with the ever-changing weather, the next 36 holes could be wide open.
February 2, 2023 2:50 am
Most girls basketball teams have two games left in section play. The top four teams in each section qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, plus any unbreakable ties. Here’s an up-to-date look at the 19 Washington & Greene County girls teams (section records):
Class 6A Peters Township (3-6) was in good shape until the current three-game losing skid. The Indians now find themselves a half-game out of the playoffs with three games to play. Canon-McMillan (1-8) staved off elimination with a win over Bethel Park earlier this week.
Class 5A Trinity (7-1) has a playoff spot in hand with games remaining against section leader South Fayette and #3 Lincoln Park.
Class 4A Ringgold (2-8) was eliminated from the playoff chase with Thursday’s setback against Uniontown.
Class 3A Waynesburg (7-1) has clinched a share of the section title and a playoff spot. Charleroi (4-4) is in fourth place, one game ahead of McGuffey (3-5). Charleroi plays winless Brownsville before hosting McGuffey. The Highlanders have to beat Yough (5-3) to have the final game of the season matter.
Class 2A Section 2 Burgettstown (8-0) has clinched a berth and will clinch at least of the section title with any win (at Brentwood, vs. Carlynton). Fort Cherry (4-4) has clinched a playoff spot.
Class 2A Section 4 Wash High (10-0) has clinched a share of the section title and a playoff berth. Chartiers-Houston (9-2), California (7-3) and Carmichaels (5-5) have all clinched while Bentworth (2-9) and Beth-Center (1-9) have been eliminated.
Class 1A West Greene (6-2) had won 70+ straight section games before losing to Avella last week. Now, the Pioneers have dropped two in a row and fallen out of first place. West Greene has clinched a berth along with Avella (5-3). Mapletown (2-6) and Jeff-Morgan (0-8) have been eliminated.
February 2, 2023 2:56 am
Semifinal matchups are set for the WPIAL Wrestling Team Tournaments. 2A-#1 Burgettstown, 3A-#2 Canon-McMillan and 3A-#1 Waynesburg rolled through Wednesday night’s qualifiers. McGuffey & Jeff-Morgan (both 2A) and Trinity & Peters Township (3A) were all eliminated. Chartiers-Houston hosts the 2A Semifinals/Finals, Saturday, starting at 12 noon. The 3A Semifinals/Finals are set for Peters Township Saturday with a 10 am start. We’ll have all of Saturday’s action on WJPA and online. WPIAL Brackets CLICK HERE
Saturday, Feb. 4
Class 3A Semifinals at Peters Township (10:00 am) WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
#1 Waynesburg vs. #4 Connellsville
#2 Canon-McMillan vs. #11 Hempfield
Class 3A Finals (12 noon)
Championship Semifinal winners
Third-Place Semifinal losers
Class 2A Semifinals at Chartiers-Houston (12 noon) WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen Here
#1 Burgettstown vs. #5 Frazier
#2 Quaker Valley vs. #3 Burrell
Class 2A Finals (2:00 pm)
Championship Semifinal winners
Third-Place Semifinal losers
