SPORTS

He rears back for a corner 3-pointer, stretching his arms high and behind his head, the basketball slightly tilted to the right. He lets it go and grins slightly to greet the swish. “Yes, it’s unorthodox and jenky,” Norwin senior guard Dylan McCullough said of his shooting motion. “I didn’t...

A quick glance at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference men’s basketball statistics shows Saint Vincent is tops in assists per game (16.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52). That makes sense for a team that shares the ball, plays at a breakneck pace and throws alley-oops in transition. Social media videos...

• The Westmoreland County Coaches Association Showcase will take place on Saturday, with boys high school basketball games happening at two sites, Hempfield and Jeannette. • The Clash at New Castle tournament will also occur over the weekend, featuring both boys and girls basketball games on Saturday and Sunday.

Hempfield High School in Lancaster County is set to offer a sports officiating course next fall. The course, aimed at juniors and seniors, will provide practical experience and classroom lessons, with the goal of students becoming certified junior officials to address the current shortage in sports officials.

Corey Smith stepped out of the locker room, took a deep breath and came to the realization his team was fortunate to leave Hempfield with a victory. Fortunate to escape, even. A collective swipe across the brow was in line for Kiski Area after this one. “We went 1-0 today,”...

CARLISLE – Mike Gaffey may have had more than enough intel on the adversary his Mechanicsburg side was about to encounter, but he decided to take one last look – a first-hand look – to be sure. Although Mechanicsburg’s second-year skipper was a bit uneasy after watching...

Saturday is a big day for boys high school basketball fans in the Westmoreland County area with the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Showcase. The event is so big, games will be taking place at two sites. The schedule for games at Hempfield:. • Yough (3-0) vs. Monessen (1-0) at noon.

In a recent change for Derry, we welcome a new athletic director, Mr. Nick Raymond, stepping into the role vacated by Mr. Miller, who returned to Seton Hill this fall. Bringing a wealth of sports experience, Mr. Raymond was a three-sport athlete, coached football for 12 years at Homer Center, where he won two District 6 championships, and served as an athletic director at Forest Hills High School for two years before joining our community.

Claim to fame: Matthews helped lead Yough (3-1) to a fast start, which included a pair of wins and a championship at the Deer Lakes tip-off tournament. She had 13 points in a 53-13 win over Valley, and chipped in eight in a 33-20 win over Deer Lakes. She produced...

Even for a die-hard pickleball fan, the weather is making it difficult to get on a local court and enjoy playing. Jillian Bateman-McIntosh of Murrysville has taken notice and hopes to build a six-court indoor pickleball facility just off Route 22 in Murrysville. “I moved here from Boston where the...

Key Losses: Landon Butler, Dante Basciano, Tyler Mondock, Drew Kozuch. Key Returners: Darius Davis, Ja’Tawn Williams, John Wetzel, Max Butler. Promising Newcomers: Kyle McNeil, Brady Prohovic, Ian DeCerb. Perhaps moreso than any season in recent memory, the success of Greater Latrobe boys basketball will intertwine with what happened through...

Meryn Zangaro will leave a more unique mark on Greater Latrobe and beyond. As a senior, Meryn wanted to challenge herself and live outside the box. She surely does that–at Eastern Westmoreland Career Technical Center, on the track field, and on the wrestling mats. Meryn began going to EWCTC...

The opportunity to develop and practice hobbies and passions is a vital part of a strong community. With the pursuit of hobbies and passions comes a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and confidence, which strengthens both the individual and the community. Such benefits would not be as obtainable without the operations of businesses that provide the medium and resources for community members to practice their hobbies. One such business that provides this opportunity for the community is Mt. Pleasant Martial Arts.

In all of his years in coaching, Doug Kelly was almost certain he had never coached a double-overtime game in a season opener. “Oh, man, I don’t think so,” the Penn-Trafford coach said. He could guarantee he’d never coached two in a row to start a season. Who...

It didn’t take long for new coaches to get their first win. Four local first-year coaches won in their season debut last Friday in Christy Hajjar (Ligonier Valley), Bob Madison (Hempfield), Mackenzie Livingston (Latrobe) and Brian Znavor (Yough). Hempfield, Yough and Latrobe doubled down with wins the following day...

Izak Lenhart, a sophomore at Derry Area High School, has a strong passion for basketball that started when he was just five years old. He joined Derry’s team in seventh grade and has since found solace and creativity in the sport. “When I play basketball, I don’t have to...