News

Photo Credit: @CharValleyHoops

BOYS BASKETBALL

6A SECTION 1

Seneca Valley 57, Pine-Richland 37

Seneca Valley (8-10, 3-5) picked up a big win Friday night against Pine-Richland (5-14, 1-7) 57-37. The win coupled with a North Allegheny loss now puts North Allegheny and Seneca Valley tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in Section 1-6A. Seneca Valley and North Allegheny will play on Tuesday. Pine-Richland was eliminated with the loss. Connor Oros led the way with 17 points for Seneca Valley. Andrew Roy and Kai West both had 10 points. Emery Moye led Pine-Richland with 11 points.

Butler 66, North Allegheny 55

Butler (14-5, 5-3) used a big third quarter to defeat North Allegheny (8-10, 3-5) 66-55 at home and jump back into a tie for second place with Central Catholic. North Allegheny is now tied for the final playoff spot with Seneca Valley. Those two teams will face off Tuesday at North Allegheny. Braylon Littlejohn led all scorers for Butler with 32 points. Ryan Porch had 14 points. Joey Dopirak led North Allegheny with 22 points. Ty Iwanonkiw added 13.

New Castle 67, Central Catholic 53

In a matchup between the top two teams in the section it was New Castle (17-2, 7-1) that made a statement in a dominant 67-53 victory over Central Catholic (11-8, 5-3). The win clinched at least a share of the section title for New Castle with them being able to clinch it outright with one more win. Central Catholic sits tied for second place with Butler. Da’Juan Young had 22 points for New Castle. Jonathan Anderson and Isaiah Boice (who returned from injury) each had 18 points. Debaba Tshiebwe led Central Catholic with 21 points. Cole Sullivan added 15 points while Dante DePante added 11.

6A SECTION 2

Hempfield 67, Canon-McMillan 45

Hempfield (7-13, 2-6) used great defense in the first half and a big offensive third quarter to run away from Canon-McMillan 67-45. Hempfield sits a game behind Norwin for the final playoff spot in the section. The loss eliminated Canon-McMillan from playoff contention. Harry Sowers had 20 points for Hempfield. Aaron Woodley had 13 points and Drew Gordon added 12. Michael Dixon led Canon-McMillan with 21 points. Eamon O’Donoghue had 10 points.

Upper St. Clair 37, Mt. Lebanon 36

Upper St. Clair (12-8, 7-1) overcame a 10-1 deficit at the end of the first quarter to comeback in a defensive slugfest, 37-36 over Mt. Lebanon (13-6, 7-1). The two teams are now tied for the section lead with two games to go. Devin Hall had 14 points for Upper St. Clair.

Baldwin 63, Norwin 50

Baldwin (12-7, 5-3) was down double digits early but used a huge second half to comeback and defeat Norwin (11-8, 3-5) 63-50 Friday night. Baldwin sits comfortably in third place for the time being while Norwin is now only a game up on Hempfield for the final playoff spot. Nathan Wesling had 23 points for Baldwin. Adam Bilinsky led Norwin with 23 points.

5A SECTION 1

Thomas Jefferson 72, Trinity 68 (OT)

Thomas Jefferson (13-7, 6-2) trailed by 11 heading into the fourth quarter but was able to storm back, force overtime, and complete the victory in the extra frame 72-68 over Trinity (8-11, 3-5). Thomas Jefferson currently sits in third place but a game behind the pacesetters in Section 1-5A. Trinity is in the fourth and final playoff spot but clinched a playoff spot with a Ringgold loss. Evan Berger led Thomas Jefferson with 28 points. Sean Sullivan had 13 points, Ryan Lawry added 11 points and Noah Prosser and Brody Evans each pitched in 10 points. Jacob Dunkle led the way for Trinity with 18 points. Owen Wayman and Tim Hodges each had 13 points and Drew Collins added 11.

Bethel Park 78, Connellsville 45

Bethel Park (12-6, 7-1) kept pace with Peters Township at the top of the section with a 78-45 win over Connellsville (0-20, 0-8). Mike Mathias had 14 points for Bethel Park while Jack Bruckner added 13. Jayden Mickens and Jayden McBride each had 13 points for Connellsville.

Peters Township 89, Ringgold 39

Peters Township (16-3, 7-1) jumped out to a 53-14 lead at halftime and rolled to a 89-39 victory over Ringgold (3-17, 1-7). The win keeps Peters Township tied with Bethel Park for first place in the section. Ringgold still has an outside shot at the playoffs if they win their last 2 section games and Trinity loses their last 2 section games.

5A SECTION 2

Fox Chapel 51, Armstrong 30

Fox Chapel (13-6, 5-3) got the defense going from the second quarter on and was able to pull away from Armstrong (11-8, 2-6) with a 51-30 victory on Friday night. Fox Chapel officially clinched a playoff berth with the win. Armstrong is now a game out of a playoff spot since Woodland Hills won. Jefferson Moorefield-Brown led all scorers with 19 points for Fox Chapel. Cadin Olsen had 13 points for Armstrong.

Penn Hills 58, Shaler 41

Penn Hills (15-2, 8-0) wrapped up the section for good Friday night with a 58-41 victory over Shaler. Shaler sits tied for second place with Fox Chapel and has already clinched a playoff berth. Julian Duggar had 14 points while Daemar Kelly and Robert Thomas each had 13 points for Penn Hills. Joey DeSabato had 12 points for Shaler.

Woodland Hills 63, Plum 48

Woodland Hills (12-8, 3-5) picked up a huge section victory on Friday night over Plum (6-14, 1-7) The Woodland Hills win with an Armstrong loss now put Woodland Hills in the drivers seat for the fourth and final playoff spot in Section 2-5A. Plum can still make the playoffs but a lot needs to happen. Chaz Cobbs led the way for Woodland Hills with 22 points. Scoop Smith, Austin Wells and Lamar Williams all added 10 points each. Will Beckner had 15 points for Plum while Griffin Oresic pitched in 10.

5A SECTION 3

Penn-Trafford 60, McKeesport 58

Penn-Trafford (5-15, 2-6) got a much needed section win keeping their playoff hopes alive for the moment winning 60-58 over McKeesport (8-9, 5-3). Penn-Trafford is now only a game back of the final playoff spot in the section. McKeesport sits in second place. Tyler Freas had 24 points for Penn-Trafford. Jason Sabol added 12 poitns and Carmen Metcalfe pitched in 10. Travarese Rowe led McKeesport with 30 points.

Latrobe 66, Franklin Regional 53

In a contest that was back-and-forth all night, Latrobe (8-12, 3-5) took control in the fourth quarter en route to a 66-53 win over Franklin Regional (9-10, 3-5) Friday night. The win was huge for Latrobe as now them and Franklin Regional are tied for the final playoff spot in the section. John Wetzel led the way for Latrobe with 20 points. Landon Butler had 19 points and Max Butler added 10. Cooper Rankin had 26 points for Franklin Regional.

Gateway 66, Kiski Area 53 (OT)

Gateway (13-5, 7-1) was down 23-5 after the first quarter but fought all the way back to force overtime and then outscored Kiski Area (10-10, 4-4) 16-3 in the extra frame to win 66-53. The Gateway win along with the McKeesport loss clinched at least a share of the section title for Gateway. Kiski Area is in third place a game up on Franklin Regional and Latrobe. Kaleb Pryor led all scorers with 22 points for Gateway. Jaydon Carr had 19 points while Leonard Sherrod added 14. Isaiah Gonzalez had 20 points for Kiski Area.

5A SECTION 4

North Hills 61, West Allegheny 48

North Hills (16-4, 7-1) just stayed consistent throughout the night and was able to fend off West Allegheny (8-12, 1-7) 61-48. The North Hills win along with Mars’ loss clinches at least a share of the section title for North Hills. The loss eliminated West Allegheny from playoff contention. Royce Parham had 30 points for North Hills while Jayden Thomas added 10. Brandon Bell and Justin Manns led West Allegheny with 16 points.

Chartiers Valley 62, Moon 56

Chartiers Valley (15-5, 4-4) used a 23-10 third quarter to hold off Moon (9-9, 4-4) for good with a 62-56 victory on Friday night. The win for Chartiers Valley puts them in a tie for third place with Moon and both teams are a game up on South Fayette for the final playoff spot in Section 4-5A. Julian Semplice had 15 points for Chartiers Valley while Jayden Davis had 14. Elijah Guillory led Moon with 15 points. Aiden Reesman added 14 points.

South Fayette 77, Mars 72 (OT)

South Fayette (10-9, 3-5) picked up a huge 77-72 overtime victory over Mars (13-6, 5-3) to keep their playoff hopes alive. South Fayette currently sits a game behind Chartiers Valley and Moon for the final playoff spot. Mars sits in second place, two games behind North Hills with two games to go. Elijah Hill led all scorers with 36 points. Michael Plasko had 19 points and Nico Lamonde added 14 points. Tasso Sfanos led Mars with 25 points. Ryan Ceh and Remi Black each added 13 points.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

6A SECTION 2

Baldwin 55, Canon-McMillan 30

Baldwin (9-11, 5-6) allowed 3 points total in the second and third quarter combined en route to a 55-30 victory Friday night. Baldwin is currently in the last playoff position and is a game up on Bethel Park for it. Katie Lucarelli had 28 points for Baldwin. Gia Schoeb added 14. Nadia Davis led Canon-McMillan with 15 points.

Mt. Lebanon 53, Peters Township 49

Mt. Lebanon (14-6, 8-3) shut out Peters Township (9-10, 3-7) 10-0 in the fourth quarter and came back to win 53-49 on Friday night. Mt. Lebanon currently sits in second place and can’t catch Upper St. Clair for first. Peters Township is 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. Payton Collins had 14 points for Mt. Lebanon while Jenny Smith had 12. Natalie Wetzel led Peters Township with 15 points. Gemma Walker added 14 points while Brianna Morreale pitched in 10.

5A SECTION 1

Kiski Area 50, Woodland Hills 45

Kiski Area (8-11, 5-5) used a defensive third quarter to pick up a big win over Woodland Hills (10-10, 7-3) to keep them on the inside track for the final playoff spot. The win keeps Kiski Area a half-game up on Penn Hills for fourth place. Woodland Hills is comfortably in second place in the section. Lexi Colaianni led all scorers with 20 points. Abbie Johns added 19 points. Hope Hawkins led Woodland Hills with 13 points.

5A SECTION 2

Mars 38, Shaler 35

It was a defensive battle but Mars (14-4, 8-2) pulled out a gutsy 38-35 win over Shaler (14-6, 5-5) on Friday night. The win put Mars a half-game ahead of Armstrong for the top spot in the section. Shaler is currently a full game behind Fox Chapel for the final playoff spot.