By: Bill Beckner Jr.

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 | 11:34 AM

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Franklin Regional’s girls basketball team picked up a big, 45-42 win over Penn Hills on Jan. 26 to stay afloat in the WPIAL Class 5A playoff race.

But the Panthers weren’t finished.

With senior point guard Angelina Brush back and healthy, they dispatched of Kiski Area, 53-38, to move to 5-5 in Section 1-5A (6-13 overall) and take over fourth place by a half-game over Penn Hills.

That Franklin Regional has a shot at the playoffs after a 1-9 start shows the team’s improvement, and the benefit of getting Brush back on the floor.

“It’s nice to be in the playoff hunt this year,” Franklin Regional coach Bernie Pucka said. “We’ve played our share of tough nonsection opponents with the hope that they would make us better for our section rivals, and I believe that’s the case.”

The top four teams (and ties) will make the playoffs. Plum and Indiana are the top two teams in the section.

“As we add these wins, the pressure adds up, too,” said Pucka, whose team travels to play Indiana on Thursday — “To go to Indiana and steal a win would be great,” Pucka added.

In the Penn Hills win, senior Olivia Orndoff had 16 points, junior Madison DeRiggi added 12 and 6-foot junior Toryn Fulton chipped in 10.

Orndoff continued her strong play of late with a game- and career-high 27 points as Franklin Regional (5-13) defeated Belle Vernon, 46-33, in the Shootout at Seton Hill.

In the Kiski Area win, Brush and senior forward Gabby Keough each had 14 points.

Brush tore her ACL during AAU season in April and was just recently cleared to return. The Westminster commit and two-year starter had surgery in May.

“She started back with a strict minute restriction, but as her play continues, those restrictions are loosing,” Pucka said.

Orndoff is having a breakthrough season for the Panthers.

“Olivia Orndoff is really taking off,” Pucka said. “Her athleticism is amazing, and she’s getting to the rim better than she ever has before.”

Playoff teams

With less than on week left in the WPIAL regular season, six county teams have secured playoff spots.

They are: Norwin (6A), Penn-Trafford (5A), Greensburg Salem (4A), Belle Vernon (4A), Greensburg Central Catholic (2A), and Monessen (A).

Gribble nearing 1,000

Erica Gribble is only a sophomore but the standout guard could reach the 1,000-point milestone this season.

After scoring 23 Monday in a home win over Serra Catholic, Gribble has 870 career points. No. 1 GCC (14-5, 10-0) is expected to make some serious noise in the postseason, so Gribble could get plenty of games beyond the regular season.

Is the confident guard thinking about the scoring benchmark?

“Yes,” Gribble said. “Getting to 1,000 (as a sophomore) impresses me. It’s something I wanted to get to. It shows how much growth I’ve had playing here.”

Gribble’s sister, Alayna, scored 1,782 points — and won two WPIAL titles — while playing at Norwin, where she is the all-time scoring leader. She reached 1,000 as a junior.

GCC’s Mya Morgan reached the 1,000-point mark earlier this season, just after the holidays. Morgan is a senior.

First-year Serra Catholic coach Mike Voit is impressed by Gribble.

“A 5-10 point guard at the high school level is tough to go against,” Voit said. “She definitely has some talent.”

Jeannette short-handed

Jeannette had reached a roster of six girls, but two were injured in a vehicle accident, so the team has not been able to go forward with games.

The girls did not sustain serious injuries and are awaiting test results.

The Jayhawks have four section games remaining. If starters Adriana Allison and Venicia Vignoli are cleared to play — one or both of them — the team can resume. By rule, a team cannot start a game with four players.

Athletic director Adrian Batts said the team will try to finish its section schedule next week.

It could feel like cramming for finals week: Jeannette has to play at Riverview, host Hillel Academy and St. Joseph, and travel to Leechburg all before the Feb. 10 section deadline.

Jeannette (6-7, 1-3) is in fourth place in the five-team Section 3-A. The top four make the WPIAL playoffs.

Snyder breaks record

Senior guard Elle Snyder found her way into the Latrobe girls basketball record book this week.

The Evansville commit registered her 16th double-double of the season to break Emma Blair’s program record of 15.

Snyder had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Connellsville.

Layups

Penn-Trafford senior Olivia Pepple notched a career high for points Tuesday in a nonsection win. Pepple finished with 29, making four 3-pointers, as the Warriors defeated Montour, 58-50. … Games to watch Thursday include Hempfield at Norwin, Franklin Regional at Indiana, Penn-Trafford at Oakland Catholic, Greensburg Salem at Knoch, Belle Vernon at Laurel Highlands, Mt. Pleasant at Shady Side Academy, Yough at Waynesburg and Monessen at West Greene.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Bill by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Monessen, Norwin, Penn-Trafford