RECAP: 2/7/23

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BOYS BASKETBALL

6A SECTION 1

Central Catholic 65, Butler 43

Central Catholic (12-8, 6-3) used a 28-11 second quarter to jump on Butler (14-6, 5-4) to pull out the road victory Tuesday night. Both teams had already clinched a playoff berth coming in. Debaba Tshiebwe led Central Catholic with 16 points. Dante DePante added 14 points and Randy Wilkerson pitched in 10. Braylon Littlejohn had 21 points for Butler.

New Castle 72, Pine-Richland 51

An offensive explosion in the second and third quarter is all New Castle (18-2, 8-1) needed to handle Pine-Richland (5-15, 1-8) at home. The win clinched the section outright for New Castle. Isaiah Boice had 22 points. Jonathan Anderson had 18 points while Dajuan Young added 15. Andrew Lamendola led Pine-Richland with 16 points while Josh Gimbel had 13 points.

Seneca Valley 70, North Allegheny 49

Seneca Valley (9-10, 4-5) clinched a playoff berth while eliminating North Allegheny (8-11, 3-6) in the process with a 70-49 win at North Allegheny Tuesday night. Seneca Valley was up four at halftime and used a big second half to pull away. Kai West led the way for Seneca Valley with 18 points. Luke Lawson pitched in 14 points and Connor Oros added 13. Joey Dopirak had 19 points for North Allegheny.

6A SECTION 2

Baldwin 55, Hempfield 53

They played tight all night long but it was Baldwin (12-8, 5-4) who made just a couple more plays than Hempfield (8-13, 3-6) to come away with the 55-53 victory. Baldwin had already clinched a playoff spot coming in. Hempfield will need to beat Norwin on Friday in order to make the playoffs. Nate Richards and Nate Wesling each had 12 points for Baldwin. Matt Schenk had 10 points. Drew Gordon led Hempfield with 18 points while Harry Sowers added 17.

Norwin 58, Mt. Lebanon 46

Norwin (12-8, 4-5) picked up a massive section win at home on Tuesday night over Mt. Lebanon (13-7, 7-2) 58-46. The win clinched a playoff berth for Norwin. With the loss, Mt. Lebanon now sits a game behind Upper St. Clair for the section lead with one game to go. The best Mt. Lebanon can do is be co-section champions. Adam Bilinsky led the way for Norwin with 30 points. Jackson Pons had 10 points. Michael Pfeuffer had 12 points for Mt. Lebanon.

Upper St. Clair 68, Canon-McMillan 43

Upper St. Clair (13-8, 8-1) used a big second and fourth quarter to run away from Canon-McMillan (3-18, 0-9) 68-43. With Mt. Lebanon losing to Norwin, Upper St. Clair has clinched at least a share of the section title. Nick SUkernek led Upper St. Clair with 14 points. Matthew Gaither added 12 points. Eamon O’Donoghue had 10 points for Canon-McMillan.

5A SECTION 1

Peters Township 77, Trinity 58

In a back-and-forth contest, Peters Township (17-3, 8-1) outscored Trinity (8-12, 3-6) 20-10 in the fourth quarter en route to a 77-58 victory on the road. Peters Township is now a half-game up on Bethel Park for the section lead. Trinity has already clinched a playoff berth and is in fourth place. Jack Dunbar led all scorers with 33 points for Peters Township. Cam Mills added 15. Drew Collins had 18 points for Trinity while Jacob Dunkle added 10.

Ringgold 57, Connellsville 54

Ringgold (4-17, 2-7) kept their playoff hopes alive with a 57-54 victory over Connellsville (0-21, 0-9) Tuesday night on the road. It is simple for Ringgold, if they beat Trinity on Friday they are in, if they lose they are out. Aiden Angotti led Ringgold with 17 points. Daryl Tolliver had 13 points, Lorenzo Glasser had 12 points and Jake Pehowic added 11. Anthony Piasecki had 29 points for Connellsville.

5A SECTION 2

Woodland Hills 56, Fox Chapel 47

Woodland Hills (13-8, 4-5) used great defense in the first half to pick up another big win, this one against Fox Chapel (13-7, 5-4) 56-47 on the road. The win clinched a playoff berth for Woodland Hills. Fox Chapel is in third place and had already clinched a playoff berth. Scoop Smith led the way for Woodland Hills with 15 points. Shanier Pinkney added 13 points and Chaz Cobbs had 10. Kam Greil had 14 points for Fox Chapel while Jefferson Moorefield-Brown and Will Siegel each had 12 points.

Shaler 50, Armstrong 45

Shaler (15-6, 6-3) grabbed the lead in the second quarter and would not give it back as they took down Armstrong (11-9, 2-7) 50-45. Shaler is in second place in the section and had already clinched a playoff berth. Armstrong’s loss along with Woodland Hills’ win eliminates them. Kaden Orga had 13 points while Keegan Smetanka added 11. Cadin Olsen had 20 points for Armstrong.

Penn Hills 72, Plum 44

Penn Hills (16-2, 9-0) used a 30 point second quarter to continue to show their dominance in Section 2-5A with a 72-44 win over Plum (6-15, 1-8) Tuesday night. Penn Hills has already clinched the section title outright. Daemar Kelly led Penn Hills with 28 points. Noah Barren, Julian Dugger, Rob Thomas and Lamire Redman all had 11 points each. Will Beckner had 13 points for Plum. Adam Kotvas added 12 points while Max Grice had 10.

5A SECTION 3

Gateway 62, Franklin Regional 43

Gateway (14-5, 8-1) used great defense in the first and fourth quarters to come away with a 62-43 victory over Franklin Regional (9-11, 3-6) on the road. Gateway has already clinched the section title outright. Franklin Regional now falls into a 3-way tie for the final playoff spot in Section 3-5A with Latrobe and Penn-Trafford with one section game to go. Jaydon Carr had 21 points for Gateway. Kaleb Pryor had 17 points and Tra Williams added 12. Cooper Rankin had 30 points for Franklin Regional.

Penn-Trafford 64, Latrobe 62

Penn-Trafford (6-15, 3-6) kept their playoff hopes alive pulling off a 64-62 win over Latrobe (8-13, 3-6) on Tuesday night. Penn-Trafford, Latrobe and Franklin Regional are now all tied for the final playoff spot in the section with one section game remaining. Tyler Freas had 19 points for Penn-Trafford while Jason Sabol added 14 points. Landon Butler had 28 points for Latrobe.

Kiski Area 63, McKeesport 44

Kiski Area (11-10, 5-4) jumped on McKeesport (8-10, 5-4) early then used a massive third quarter to pull away 63-44. Kiski Area and McKeesport are now tied for second place in the section. They have both already clinched playoff berths. Jason Flemm and Noah Thimons each had 15 points for Kiski Area. Travarese Rowe had 21 points for McKeesport while Shayne McGraw added 13.

5A SECTION 4

South Fayette 48, North Hills 45

South Fayette (11-9, 4-5) picked up a massive victory to keep their playoff hopes alive taking down section champion North Hills (16-5, 7-2) 48-45 at home Tuesday night. South Fayette clinches a playoff berth with a win at West Allegheny on Friday. North Hills has already clinched at least a share of the section title and can win it outright with a win against Chartiers Valley on Friday.

Mars 79, Chartiers Valley 77

Mars (14-6, 6-3) got outscored 35-23 in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough as they were able to hang on to beat Chartiers Valley (15-6, 4-5) 79-77. Mars sits in second place in the section and can be co-section champions with a win on Friday and a North Hills loss. Chartiers Valley falls into a tie for the final playoff spot in the section with South Fayette. They clinch a playoff berth with a win at North Hills on Friday.

Moon 54, West Allegheny 45

Moon (11-9, 5-4) clinched a playoff berth with a 54-45 win over West Allegheny (8-13, 1-8) Tuesday night. Moon was down one heading into the fourth quarter and outscored West Allegheny 21-11 in the final frame. Elijah Guillory led all scorers with 26 points for Moon. Brandon Bell had 20 points for West Allegheny. Justin Manns had 13 points and Tyler Blatz added 10.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

6A SECTION 1

North Allegheny 48, Seneca Valley 34

North Allegheny (15-4, 8-1) held serve to keep pace with Norwin atop Section 1-6A with a 48-34 victory over Seneca Valley (5-15, 1-8) Tuesday night at home. Lydia Betz had 14 points for North Allegheny. Kellie McConnell added 10. Natalie Hambly had 10 points for Seneca Valley.

6A SECTION 2

Upper St. Clair 67, Canon-McMillan 33

Upper St. Clair (18-2, 11-0) jumped out to a 25-6 lead after a quarter and coasted to a 67-33 win over Canon-McMillan (5-14, 1-10). Upper St. Clair has already clinched the section title outright. Mia Brown led Upper St. Clair with 20 points. Rylee Kalocay added 17. Nadia Davis had 12 points for Canon-McMillan. Kelsey Wander had 11 points and Lauren Borella added 10.

5A SECTION 1

Franklin Regional 57, Gateway 39

Franklin Regional (7-13, 5-7) ramped up the defense in the second half and pulled away from Gateway (4-15, 0-11) 57-39 on the road. Franklin Regional is now a half-game behind Plum and Penn Hills for the final playoff spot. Franklin Regional will need some help as they have finished their section schedule. Sarah Penrod had 12 points for Franklin Regional. Avery Musto and Brooke Schirmer each had 10 points. Marina Grado had 16 points for Gateway.

5A SECTION 2

Armstrong 49, Fox Chapel 37

 It was a low scoring affair but Armstrong (18-3, 9-3) made a couple more shots when it mattered to pull off the 49-37 victory over Fox Chapel (12-8, 6-5) 49-37. The win clinches at least a share of the section title for Armstrong. The loss puts Fox Chapel into a tie with Shaler for the final playoff spot in Section 2-5A. Emma Paul had 17 points for Armstrong while Kayla Fitzgerald added 16 points.

5A SECTION 3

McKeesport 47, Penn-Trafford 32

McKeesport (18-3, 10-1) used great second half defense to dominate Penn-Trafford (13-6, 6-5) 47-32 on Tuesday night. Both teams have already clinched playoff berths. Rachael Manfredo led McKeesport with 14 points. Lilly Palladino had 11 points for Penn-Trafford.