High school roundup for Dec. 29, 2023: South Allegheny surges past Norwin in 2OT thriller

By: Tribune-Review
Friday, December 29, 2023 | 11:30 PM

Cam Epps had 21 points to help tournament host South Allegheny to a 67-57 victory over Norwin in double overtime Friday night.

Drew Cook added 16 points for the Gladiators (8-1) and Josh Jackowski scored 14, including eight in the second overtime. Mario Csukas led the Knights (5-4) with 17 points and Noah Wilson scored 16. Norwin connected on a dozen 3-pointers.

Abington Heights 57, Chartiers Valley 53 – Mason Fedoris scored 18 points to lead Abington Heights at the CV Roundball Holiday Classic. Julian Semplice and TJ Kubiscek scored 12 points each and Jake Lewis added 10 for Chartiers Valley (5-5).

Allderdice 79, Shady Side Academy 47 – Logan Golle had 34 points for Allderdice (6-2) at the Pete Sauer Memorial Tournament hosted by Shady Side Academy. Eli Teslovich scored 17 for the Bulldogs (4-5).

Aquinas Academy 88, Springdale 79 – Sam Duer led with 23 points, Jake Guillen added 19 and Jonah Burchill had 17 for Aquinas Academy (7-1) in a win at the Aquinas Academy tournament. Mason Gent led Springdale (8-2) with 28 points and Chase Weihrauch had 15.

Archbishop Spalding (MD) 84, North Catholic 74 – Wills Kontul and Jude Rottmann scored 20 points apiece, but North Catholic (4-4) fell at the Governor’s Challenge in Maryland. Holden Williamson had 24 for Archbishop Spalding.

Baldwin 57, Kiski Area 49 – Nathan Wesling scored 17 points, Matthew Schnek followed with 16 and Nathan Richards added 10 to lead Baldwin (7-2) to a win at the Pete Sauer Memorial Tournament at Shady Side Academy. Colin Keller led Kiski Area (7-2) with 14 points and Owen Pearson had 12.

Belle Vernon 74, Charleroi 42 – Zion Moore put up 21 points and Curtis Wade followed with 20 to help Belle Vernon (5-1) cruise to a win at the Charleroi tournament. Jackson Keranko scored 12 points for the Cougars (4-6).

Bethel Park 68, Ambridge 55 – Ben Lentz totaled 12 points on four 3-pointers, Michael Bruckner added 11 points and Shawn Davis had 10 to lead Bethel Park (4-4) to a win over Ambridge (3-6) in the Bridgers’ tournament. Jared Astrorino scored 14 points and Julien Hubbard chipped in with 11 for Ambridge.

Blackhawk 65, New Brighton 40 – Tyler Heckathorn scored 22 points, Juston Shanor added a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds and Dontae Campagna had 10 points to lead Blackhawk (4-5) to a win over New Brighton (2-7) in the Ambridge tournament.

Central Catholic 48, Pennsbury 31 – Vernon Settles led Central Catholic (4-3) with 21 points as the Vikings defeated Pennsbury in the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood, N.J.

Central Valley 52, Mohawk 50 – Jude Coombs hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead Central Valley (6-2) at the CV Roundball Holiday Classic. Isaiah Jeter added 16 and Mikel Anderson had 10. Bobby Fadden led Mohawk (3-6) with 18 points.

East River (FL) 58, Seneca Valley 43 – Gian-Paul Anderson scored 18 points to pace East River in a win over Seneca Valley (3-8) at the KSA Holiday Tournament in Orlando. Owen Congdon put up 20 points and Tyler Pepin finished with 13 points for the Raiders.

Elizabeth Forward 55, Clairton 39 – Tyler Basic led three Warriors in double figures with 14 points in a victory at the South Allegheny tournament. Cy Herchelroath added 13 and Charlie Meehleib scored 12 for Elizabeth Forward (8-1). DeShawn Hines scored 10 for Clairton (5-6).

Fort Cherry 59, Chartiers-Houston 40 – Derek Errett put up 19 points and Matt Seig added 11 as Fort Cherry (5-2) beat Chartiers-Houston (7-2) in the Avella tournament. Avery Molek had 15 points for the Buccaneers.

Fox Chapel 48, Neighborhood Academy 40 – Will Siegel scored 17 points and Asher White had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win for Fox Chapel (5-6) at the Pete Sauer Memorial Tournament at Shady Side Academy. Courtney Wallace led Neighborhood Academy (6-3) with 21 points.

Frazier 81, California 72 – Dalian McManus scored 22 points to lead Frazier (6-4) to a win at the Charleroi tournament. Brennan Stewart added 17 and Trey Whitehead had 16. Vinny Manzella scored 26 and Jacob Ziolecki 25 for California (0-9).

Highlands 64, Sto-Rox 41 – Bradyn Foster had a double-double with 29 points and 15 rebounds to lead Highlands (4-3) at the Ambridge tournament. Cam Reigard added 14 points for the Golden Rams. David Johnson led Sto-Rox (2-6) with eight points.

Indiana 68, St. Joseph 46 – Jaden Petrovich scored 19 points to lead Indiana (3-4) at the St. Joseph tournament. Aaron Webb added 14 and Evan Brocious had 10. Charlie Ross scored 14 and Anthony Zavolta added 11 for St. Joseph (0-7).

Johnstown 83, Beaver Falls 37 – Donte Tisinger hit seven 3-pointers and scored 36 points to lead Johnstown at the CV Holiday Roundball Classic. Dion Dixon added 16 points. Marshall Clerici, Pete Pugh and Braylon Pitts each scored eight for Beaver Falls (2-5).

Keystone Oaks 67, Geibel 34 – Keystone Oaks (3-6) got 17 points from Erond Jakupi and 12 from Muhammad Umar in a win over Geibel (0-9) in the South Allegheny tournament. Jude Clark and Bruno Onate each scored 10 points for the Eagles. Gary Tarbuick had the bulk of the Gators’ points with 25, sinking five 3-pointers.

Laurel 60, Wilmington 29 – Luca Santini had 17 points, Jayden Iorio scored 12 and Anthony Ziccardi added 10 to help tournament host Laurel (2-5) secure a win.

Mars 65, Lawrence County (TN) 62 – Ryan Ceh scored 26 points to lead Mars (5-4) at the Pensacola Beach tournament in Florida. Austin Campbell added 12 and Drew Navetta 11 for the Fightin’ Planets.

McGuffey 56, Avella 36 – Aiden Cunningham scored 16 points, Grayson Wallace followed with 15 and Ryan Keith chipped in with 14 as McGuffey (6-3) earned a win in the Avella tournament. Rylan Bell led the Eagles (5-4) with 10 points.

Moon 54, James Madison (VA) 51 – Aiden Reesman scored 22 points and Elijah Guillory added 11 to lead Moon (7-2) at the Pensacola Beach tournament in Florida.

Penn-Trafford 51, Elkins (WV) 33 – Tyler Freas led Penn-Trafford (6-4) with 13 points in a nonsection win. Levi Wanless scored 12 points for Elkins.

Pittsburgh Christian Academy 74, Trinity Christian 66 – Aaron Powers and Timothy Nicklas scored 24 points apiece and Mason Swauger added 14 for Pittsburgh Christian. Darnell Kyte put up 20 points, David Blackburn had 16 and Benjamin Butler finished with 12 for Trinity Christian.

Plum 64, OLSH 28 – Will Beckner and Jack Anderson scored 14 points apiece to lead Plum (5-4) past OLSH (5-3) in the tournament hosted by the Mustangs.

Rochester 55, Nazareth Prep 47 – Xavier Rigby finished with 23 points and Jayvin Hemer scored 14 to help Rochester (3-4) to a win at the Ambridge tournament. Micah Caldwell and Michael Keyes scored 10 each for Nazareth Prep (3-3).

River Valley 56, Apollo-Ridge 33 – Jayden Whitfield had 19 points to propel River Valley in the championship game of the Apollo Trust Company Tournament. Karter Schrock and Breydon Orvash scored nine apiece for Apollo-Ridge (1-10).

Riverview 57, Brentwood 56 – Nate Sprajcar scored 24 points, including the game-winning basket with three seconds left, to lead Riverview (5-4) past Brentwood (2-9) at the Plum tournament. Alex Schultheis added 14 points and Jack Loughren had 10 for the Raiders.

Royal Palm Beach (FL) 57, Mt. Lebanon 55 – Jayden Coney scored 23 points to lead Royal Palm Beach at the Sunshine State Explosion in Coconut Creek, Fla. Brody Barber scored 17 points and Liam Sheely had 15 for Mt. Lebanon (8-1).

Seton LaSalle 61, Menifee County (KY) 48 – Patrick Weldon had 25 points and Hayden Merchant scored 13 as Seton LaSalle (6-3) picked up a win at the Mountain Schoolboy Classic in Kentucky.

Shaler 60, Avonworth 30 – Brandon London scored 14 points and Keegan Smetanka added 10 as Shaler (10-0) defeated Avonworth (6-3) in the championship game of the State College tournament.

Shenango 61, Hopewell 46 – Jimmy Roe scored 20 points, Brody McQuiston finished with 17 and Joey Campoli added 14 for Shenango (6-2) at the Laurel tournament. Zach Kovell scored 19 for Hopewell (6-3).

Southmoreland 67, Ringgold 38 – Wyatt Richter finished with 17 points and Noah Felentzer scored 12 for Southmoreland (10-0) in a win at the Charleroi tournament. Chris Wilson scored 12 for Ringgold (3-7).

South Side 65, Burgettstown 60 – Brody Almashy hit for 25 points to lead South Side (4-5) at the Avella tournament. Andrew Corfeld added 18 and Carter Wilson had 16. Zack Schrockman scored 21 for Burgettstown (8-2). Carson Tkalcevic added 18 and James Leiuce finished with 10.

Summit Academy 52, Leechburg 51 – Abkikadir Hassan scored 13 points to help Summit Academy (2-3) edge Leechburg (2-8) in the consolation game of the Apollo Trust Company Tournament. Jayden Floyd had 22 points for the Blue Devils and Brady Rolinger scored 16.

Uniontown 53, Aliquippa 42 – Notorious Grooms scored 16 points, Jasmine Braxton added 14 and Calvin Winfrey had 13 for Uniontown (9-0) in a win at the CV Roundball Classic. Demarkus Walker led Aliquippa (4-3) with 10 points.

Upper St. Clair 63, Peters Township 52 – Christian Ito had 17 points to help the Panthers (6-3) take the win over the Indians (6-3) in the Upper St. Clair/Peters Township tournament. Tyler Robbins added 13 points, Brett Meinert finished with 12 points and Jake Foster scored 11 for Upper St. Clair.

Wheeling Central Catholic 75, Waynesburg 32 – Eli Dean scored 21 points to lead Wheeling Central Catholic to a win at the Todd Kalivoda Holiday Showcase in Ohio. Cole Headlee had six points for Waynesburg (2-7).

Girls basketball

Altoona 59, Armstrong 45 – Melana Eyer scored 17 points and Zaelinh Moore-Nguyen added 13 to lead Altoona to a win at the Butler tournament. Emma Paul scored 16 and Kyla Fitzgerald finished with 12 for Armstrong (5-4).

Avonworth 56, Butler 49 – Rebecca Goetz scored 22 points, hitting 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, to lead Avonworth (7-1) at the Butler tournament. Greta O’Brien added 16 for the ‘Lopes. Jessica Chwalik and Sydney Patterson scored 11 each and Amelia McMichael added 10 for the Golden Tornado (2-7).

Blackhawk 43, Union 35 – Alena Fusetti hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points and Aubree Hupp added 15 points for Blackhawk (8-2) at the tournament hosted by the Cougars. Kelly Cleaver scored 16 for Union (5-5).

Burrell 59, Valley 9 – Anna Clark scored 16 points to lead four players in double figures for Burrell (7-0) in a win over Valley (0-9) at the St. Joseph tournament. Julianna Fisher added 15, Casey Brancato 14 and McKenna Miller 10.

Charleroi 47, Albert Gallatin 42 – Bella Carroto scored 23 points and Ella Sypolt contributed 13 to help Charleroi (5-2) to a win at the Laurel Highlands tournament. Mya Glisan scored 23 for Albert Gallatin (2-8). Grayce Panos added 14 and Mikayla Shea had 11.

Derry 54, East Allegheny 13 – Jane Huss scored 17 points and Rachelle Marinchek finished with 14 for Derry (4-6) in a victory in the consolation game of the Apollo Trust Company Tournament. Ronniya Lawrence led East Allegheny (0-9) with six points.

East Fairmont (WV) 59, South Park 39 – Kenley Rogers scored 21 points to lead East Fairmont at the Deep Creek tournament. Ella Clifford scored 12 and Hayley Bennett 10 for South Park (4-5).

Eden Christian 62, Laurel 29 – Hope Haring scored 16 points, Emmie Smith had 15 and Lanie Brogdon added 13 to lead Eden Christian (5-5) to a win at the Laurel tournament. Tindall Shaun led Laurel (2-7) with 12 points.

Frederick Douglass (MD) 82, South Fayette 70 – Juliette Leroux scored 29 points in a loss for South Fayette (5-3) at the Carolina Invitational. Haylie Lamonde added 17 and Lainey Yater had 12 for the Lions.

Grove City 49, Hopewell 42 – Izzie Gamble scored 22 points and Maddie Osborn added 12 to lead Grove City to a win at the Laurel tournament. Caylee Sundy led Hopewell (5-5) with 21 points.

Hampton 71, Southwest El Centro (CA) 14 – Meghan Murray had a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists and Kat Milon led the Talbots with 21 points in a win at the Gold Crown tournament in San Diego.

Jeannette 40, Mapletown 33 – Adriana Allison and Venicia Vignoli scored 13 points apiece as Jeannette (5-3), with its six-player roster, won the Mapletown tournament championship game. Allison was named tournament MVP. Isabella Garnek led all scorers with 18 points for the host Maples (3-6).

Keenan (SC) 61, Imani Christian 46 – Avery Wesley scored 12 points, but Imani Christian (1-3) fell at the Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina.

Kiski Area 43, Fox Chapel 33 – Abbie Johns scored 23 points and Gianna DeVito added 13 to lead Kiski Area (4-6) past Fox Chapel (3-7) in the Pete Sauer Memorial Tournament hosted by Shady Side Academy.

Latrobe 52, Plum 45 – Elle Snyder put up 13 points and Carley Berk had 10 as Latrobe (3-6) beat Plum (6-3) in the tournament hosted by the Wildcats. Megan Marston scored 17 points and Pascale Olczak finished with 10 for the Mustangs.

Laurel Highlands 67, Beth-Center 28 – Led by 19 points from Miya Harris, 15 from Ayrianna Sumpter and 13 from Aierra Jenkins, Laurel Highlands (9-0) topped Beth-Center (4-5) at the tournament hosted by the Mustangs.

McKeesport 49, Mt. Lebanon 30 – Getting 16 points from Maddie Hertzler, 13 from Rachael Manfredo and 11 from Kaylee Charles, McKeesport (7-1) defeated Mt. Lebanon (4-5) at the Pine-Richland tournament.

Moniteau 66, Sewickley Academy 24 – Catherine Kelly dropped 30 points and Kendall Sankey produced 12 to lead Moniteau to a win in the Moniteau tournament. Emma Eannarino paced Sewickley Academy (3-3) with 17 points.

Moon 48, Aliquippa 39 – Jaedin Griggs scored 18 points and Leiana Rucker added 12 as Moon (7-1) defeated Aliquippa (6-1) in the championship game of the CV Roundball Holiday Classic.

Peters Township 62, North Oconee (GA) 41 – Natalie Wetzel scored 22 points and Brianna Morreale added 18 to power Peters Township (9-0) at the Carolina Invitational. Gemma Walker chipped in 11.

Pine-Richland 61, McDowell 56 – Catherine Gentile hit for 24 points and Madison Zavasky followed with 23 as Pine-Richland (1-6) won at the tournament hosted by the Rams. Amaiya Nelson and Leah Major each scored 12 for McDowell.

River Valley 57, Apollo-Ridge 22 – Tournament MVP Ava Persichetti scored 15 points while Rylee Kitner and Emilee Staats had 12 points apiece for River Valley in a victory over Apollo-Ridge (4-6) in the Apollo Trust Company Tournament championship game. Sophie Yard finished with 11 points for the Vikings and was named to the all-tournament team.

Riverview 64, Deer Lakes 32 – Lola Abraham led with 22 points, Katerina Tsambis followed with 18 and Juliette Brun and Lily Bauer added 10 points apiece for Riverview (7-1) in a nonsection win. Layne Loper scored 10 points for Deer Lakes (4-5).

Rochester 66, Central Valley 51 – Kamryn Newman scored 17 points to lead Rochester (6-4) in the consolation game at the CV Holiday Roundball Classic. Tia Yellock added 13 points and Marque Taylor and Aleaya Mercier each had 11 for the Rams. Dominique Douglas led Central Valley (5-3) with 14 points.

State College 44, Shaler 37 – Carley Donnell scored 10 points to lead State College in the championship game of the tournament hosted by the Little Lions. Bayleigh Perez scored 13 for Shaler (4-6).

Trinity 67, Mountain Ridge (MD) 46 – Ruby Morgan made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead Trinity (6-1) at the Deep Creek tournament. Maddy Roberts added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sydney Snyder led Mountain Ridge with 11 points.

Waynesburg 43, North Royalton (OH) 30 – Kaley Rohanna scored 22 points and Addison Blair chipped in nine for Waynesburg (9-1) at the KSA tournament in Kissimmee, Fla. Brooklyn Gambino led North Royalton with 12 points.

Westmont Hilltop 63, Ligonier Valley 31 – Christina Gordon put up 28 points, Beth Buettner added 15 and Zoe Lynch finished with 13 to lead Westmont Hilltop to a win in the tournament hosted by the Hilltoppers. Marlee Miller had 13 points and Maddy Marinchak scored 11 for Ligonier Valley (3-6).

Yough 40, Southmoreland 31 – Autumn Matthews scored 24 points to power Yough (5-4) to a nonsection victory. Beatrix Pawlikowsky led Southmoreland (0-8) with eight points.

Wrestling

Steve DeAugustino Holiday Classic – Charlie Colantonio (121), Brooks Blasko (127), Andrew Price (133), Nezumiiro Green (189) and Roman Thompson (215) took titles as Central Catholic finished atop the team standings at West Mifflin. Dustin Kerr (139) and Alan Danner (160) won titles for Hampton, which finished second in the team race. McKeesport’s Colton Kotouch (145), West Mifflin’s Cooper Dietz (152), South Park’s Wyatt Markovich (172) and Washington’s Joe Wilson (285) also earned first-place finishes.

Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic – Latrobe’s Luke Willochell was runner-up at 121 pounds, falling 8-4 to Northern Lebanon’s Aaron Seidel in the finals. Latrobe’s Hunter Snyder (172) and North Allegheny’s Aidan Buggey (215) took third and Latrobe’s Jacob Braun (127) finished fourth.