High school roundup for Jan. 12, 2024: Pine-Richland beats New Castle in unpredictable Class 6A

By: Tribune-Review
Friday, January 12, 2024 | 11:51 PM

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Andrew Mendelovich scored 16 points as Pine-Richland evened its record with a 62-49 victory over New Castle in Section 1-6A boys basketball Friday night.

Eli Wentz added 13 and Zach Kenney contributed 10 for the Rams (6-6, 2-2). Ralphie Blundo led New Castle (10-4, 1-3) with 24 points. Damian Harrison had 12 and Kyrell Harris added 11.

Aliquippa 77, Laurel 23 – Joshua Pratt put up 20 points, Qa’lil Goode and Quentin Goode each scored 11, and Cameron Lindsey finished with 10 as Aliquippa (7-3, 3-0) cruised to a Section 1-2A win against Laurel (2-10, 0-4).

Allderdice 100, Westinghouse 21 – Logan Golle scored 26 points to lead four players in double figures for Allderdice (9-2, 3-0) in a City League win. Major Rainey added 18, Lukas Stead had 12 and Azerick Jetter finished with 11. Terrell Wofford led Westinghouse (1-5, 1-2) with 12 points.

Ambridge 60, Beaver 56 – Jared Astorino scored 21 points, Adam Fernandez followed with 18 points and Julian Hubbard added 10 to lead Ambridge (6-8, 3-2) past Beaver (7-6, 3-2) in Section 2-4A. Brady Mayo finished with 25 points and Nick Krzeczowski had 19 for the Bobcats.

Baldwin 68, Hempfield 47 – Nate Wesling scored 19 points, Caden Cherico added 17 and Max Marzina had 12 and Baldwin (10-3, 3-1) took control with a 24-8 scoring edge in the third quarter of a Section 2-6A win. Max Williams scored 18 for Hempfield (3-11, 0-4).

Bentworth 54, Beth-Center 48 – Lucas Bert recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, Christopher Harper scored 14 points and Ben Hays added 10 to lead Bentworth (3-9, 2-4) to a Section 4-2A victory. Brody Tharp drained four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points for Beth-Center (3-9, 1-3).

Bishop Canevin 65, Eden Christian 62 – Michael Vaughn scored 18 points and Drew Allen added 14 to lift Bishop Canevin (6-5, 3-0) past Eden Christian (4-7, 1-1) in Section 2-2A. Nathan Garrett nailed seven 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 33 points for the Warriors. Luke Gronbeck added 13.

Brashear 56, Carrick 53 – Titus Gillett scored 33 points to lift Brashear (5-7, 2-1) to a City League win. Brayden Fisher scored 25 and Kelenn Ward added 12 for Carrick (407, 1-2).

Burgettstown 57, Frazier 47 – Zack Schrockman hit for 30 points and James Leuice finished with 19 to power Burgettstown (12-3, 5-0) to a Section 4-2A win. Dalian McManus scored 19 points and Brennan Stewart added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Frazier (8-6, 3-2).

Burrell 62, Apollo-Ridge 36 – Macky Bennis scored 12 points, going over the 1,000-point mark for his career, as Burrell (9-1, 4-1) won in Section 3-3A. Joey Discello scored a game-high 18 for the Bucs. Breydon Orvosh scored 17 points to lead Apollo-Ridge (1-14, 0-6).

California 61, Geibel 52 – Noah Neil put up 21 points and Vinny Manzella followed with 20 as California (3-10, 3-1) beat Geibel (0-14, 0-4) for a Section 2-A victory. Gary Tarbuk scored 21 points and Tommy Kolencik added 14 for the Gators.

Central Catholic 66, Butler 42 – Bradley Gompers led all scorers with 27 points and Enzo Khalil finished with 13 for Central Catholic (7-4, 3-1) in a Section 1-6A victory. Braylon Littlejohn put up 22 points and Donovan Carney posted 11 for Butler (10-2, 3-1).

Connellsville 70, Ringgold 61 – Anthony Piasecki led all scorers with 23 points, Kace Shearer scored 14, Bruce Giles followed with 12 and Jayden Mickens had 11 as Connellsville (2-12, 1-3) defeated Ringgold (3-11, 0-4) in Section 1-5A. Daryl Tolliver put up 20 points, Szyair Dungee put up 11 and Aidan Angotti had 10 for the Rams.

Deer Lakes 78, Valley 36 – Billy Schaeffer scored 22 points and Collin Rodgers added 18 as Deer Lakes (10-2, 5-0) beat Valley (4-6, 2-2) in Section 3-3A.

Ellwood City 66, Beaver Falls 41 – Joe Roth dropped 24 points and Colton Crizer scored 17 for Ellwood City (7-6, 3-2) in a Section 1-3A. Di’Nari Harris posted 15 points and Braylon Pitts netted 10 for Beaver Falls (3-8, 3-3).

Fort Cherry 68, Carmichaels 35 – Derek Errett scored 13 points and Blake Sweder posted 11 to pace Fort Cherry (8-4, 4-0) in a Section 4-2A win. Aydan Adamson dropped 17 points for Carmichaels (3-9, 0-4).

Fox Chapel 49, Woodland Hills 44 – Asher White and Will Siegel led Fox Chapel (9-6, 4-0) with 12 points apiece and Caden Kaiser added 10 in a Section 2-5A win for the Foxes. Scoop Smith scored 23 points for Woodland Hills (5-9, 2-2).

Freeport 50, Greensburg Salem 42 – Brady Sullivan scored 20 points and Gavin Glista contributed 18 to lead Freeport (3-10, 1-3) to a Section 1-4A victory. Ryan Burkart scored 17 for Greensburg Salem (2-12, 0-4).

Highlands 74, Indiana 62 – Bradyn Foster scored 23 points and Jordyn Tavarez added 20 for Highlands (8-4, 3-1) in a Section 1-4A win. Cam Reigard added 17. Aaron Webb led Indiana (5-6, 1-2) with 23 points. Stanford Webb added 13 and Evan Brocious had 10.

Imani Christian 88, Summit Academy 40 – Nate Brazil put up 21 points, Avery Wesley added 14 and Markus Williams and Dayshaun Burnett scored 12 points apiece as Imani Christian (5-4, 4-0) cruised to a Section 3-A win over Summit Academy (3-5, 1-2).

Jeannette 66, Springdale 54 – Jayce Powell led all scorers with 23 points and Kymone Brown followed with 21 to boost Jeannette (9-4, 4-1) past Springdale (9-4, 1-3) in Section 3-2A. John Hughes scored 16 points to lead the Dynamos.

Jefferson-Morgan 44, West Greene 40 – Max Ivanusic led Jefferson-Morgan (10-4, 3-1) with 11 points in the Rockets’ Section 2-A win over West Greene (6-6, 1-2). Lane Allison scored 15 points and Parker Burns followed with 11 for the Pioneers.

Kiski Area 70, McKeesport 59 – Isaiah Gonzalez led all scorers with 21 points to lift Kiski Area (9-4, 1-3) over McKeesport (3-8, 0-4) in Section 3-5A. Colin Keller scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and Owen Pearson added 12 for the Cavaliers. Brian Jones sank six 3s for 18 points, Lamont Perkins put up 16 points and Dom Cochran finished with 13 for the Tigers.

Lincoln Park 67, Central Valley 61 – Brandon Cummings led all scorers with 30 points and Mikey Crawford added 12 as Lincoln Park (10-3, 4-0) beat Central Valley (7-5, 2-3) in Section 2-4A. Isaiah Jeter dropped 28 points and Mikel Anderson followed with 18 for the Warriors.

Mars 57, Chartiers Valley 45 – Mars (8-5, 3-1) put together a balanced scoring effort as Ryan Ceh scored 15 points, Remi Black added 13 and Austen Wroblewski finished with 12 in a Section 4-5A win over Chartiers Valley (6-8, 1-3). Julian Semplice scored 19 and TJ Kubiscek added 10 for the Colts.

Mohawk 75, New Brighton 34 – Bobby Fadden hit five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, Mason Hopper sank four 3s and had 16 points, and Keigan Hopper added 10 points for Mohawk (7-6, 5-0) in a Section 1-3A win. Dash Graham finished with 12 points for New Brighton (2-11, 0-5).

Monessen 80, Mapletown 36 – Led by 24 points from Lorenzo Gardner, 14 from Tim Kershaw and 11 from Roger Gradek, Monessen (9-1, 3-0) beat Mapletown (1-9, 0-3) in Section 2-A.

Moon 58, West Allegheny 42 – Elijah Guillory dropped 21 points and Aiden Reeseman followed with 19 for Moon (11-2, 4-0) in a Section 4-5A victory. Justin Manns scored 13 points and Brady Miller added 12 for West Allegheny (9-5, 0-4).

Mt. Lebanon 66, Norwin 35 – Brody Barber scored 26 points and Liam Sheely added 16 as Mt. Lebanon (11-2, 3-1) earned a Section 2-6A win. Stefano Giannikas scored 10 to lead Norwin (5-8, 0-4).

Mt. Pleasant 70, Waynesburg 53 – Connor Pavlochak led all scorers with 28 points, Dante Giallonardo posted 17 and Chase McCloy hit for 11 for Mt. Pleasant (4-7, 3-1) in a Section 4-3A win over Waynesburg (2-9, 0-4). Dane Woods scored 17 points while Austin Surber and Alex Van Sickle each scored 11 for the Raiders.

Nazareth Prep 71, Propel Braddock Hills 31 – Will Evans scored 17 points and Khylil Johnson added 16 to lead Nazareth Prep (4-6, 1-2) to a Section 2-2A win over Propel Braddock Hills (3-9, 0-3). Michael Keyes finished with 12 and Leon Harrison had 11 for Nazareth Prep.

Neighborhood Academy 77, St. Joseph 15 – Courtney Wallace scored 21 points, Shamar Simpson added 17 and Dre’Air Mack finished with 11 to lead Neighborhood Academy (9-4, 3-1) past St. Joseph (2-11, 2-3) in Section 3-A.

North Catholic 77, Blackhawk 51 – Max Hurray led all scorers with a season-high 30 points and made five 3-pointers, Wills Kontul scored 12 points and Jason Siket had 10 as North Catholic (8-5, 4-1) rolled to a Section 2-4A win. Tyler Heckathorn finished with 18 points, Justin Shanor added 15 and Nate Franitti chipped in with 10 for Blackhawk (4-9, 1-4).

North Star 66, Ligonier Valley 35 – Ethan Smith put up 22 points and Brady Weimer added 18 to lead North Star to a nonsection win. Parker Hollick scored 14 points and buried four 3-pointers to lead Ligonier Valley (3-9).

Northgate 78, South Side 41 – Josh Williams scored 19 points, Desmond Wiliams and Kaden Kemp scored 12 points apiece and Tylan Daniels added 11 for Northgate (8-3, 3-1) in a Section 1-2A win over South Side (6-8, 1-3). Brody Almashy led the Rams with 14 points.

Penn Hills 72, Plum 46 – Lamire Redman scored 20 points to lift Penn Hills (7-4, 2-2) to a Section 2-5A win. Amon Hawthorne added 13, Robert Thomas had 11 and Cody Hunt finished with 10. Max Grice led Plum (5-8, 0-4) with 18 points and Owen Proskin added 10.

Penn-Trafford 83, Latrobe 56 – Ian Temple scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures for Penn-Trafford (8-6, 2-2) to a Section 3-5A win. Tyler Freas and Evan Gross each scored 16 and Carmen Metcalfe added 12. Max Butler led Latrobe (6-7, 2-2) with 25 points. John Wetzel had 13 and Ja’Tawn Williams finished with 12.

Peters Township 82, Trinity 43 – Jack Dunbar scored a game-high 23 points, Ben Miller and Cam Mills each scored 16 and Sean Thelk had 12 as Peters Township (9-4, 3-1) used a balanced attack to beat Trinity (6-7, 1-3) in Section 1-5A. Dante DeRubbo and Jacob Dunkle scored 14 points apiece and Kaden Hathaway added 10 for the Hillers.

Quaker Valley 54, South Allegheny 51 (2OT) – Zachary Washington scored 21 points and Dominic Cox-Giles and Dana Kromah each added 10 to lead Quaker Valley (7-6, 2-2) to a double overtime win in Section 4-4A. The Quakers led by six at halftime but trailed by five heading into the fourth quarter. Cam Epps scored 17, Drew Cook added 12 and Mike Michalski had 10 for South Allegheny (9-4, 1-3).

Riverside 42, Freedom 23 – McCartney Plassmeyer scored 15 points and Logan Young added 13 for Riverside (5-9, 2-3) in a Section 1-3A win. Dakota Roberts led Freedom (0-13, 0-5) with 10 points.

Riverview 81, Leechburg 60 – Nate Sprajcar scored a school-record 45 points, including a 12-of-13 night from the free-throw line, to lead Riverview (6-6, 1-4) to a Section 3-2A win. Holden Deasy added 12 for the Raiders. Jayden Floyd led Leechburg (2-11, 0-4) with 25 points.

Seton LaSalle 51, OLSH 41 – Hayden Merchant and Patrick Weldon scored 14 points apiece to spark Seton LaSalle (10-3, 5-0) to a Section 2-3A win. Greg Mineard scored 12 points and Tiernan McCullough added 11 for OLSH (9-4, 4-1).

Shady Side Academy 78, Derry 63 – Eli Teslovich put up 26 points while Andreas Patterson and Ryan Frohlich each scored 19 to lead Shady Side Academy (6-5, 3-1) to win in Section 3-3A. Nate Papuga led all scorers with 27 points, Stan Rajkovich had 14 and John Wasnick finished with 10 for Derry (6-4, 1-3).

Shaler 73, Armstrong 62 – Kaden Orga hit for 22 points, Kagan Smetanka added 14, Brandon London followed with 11 and Sam Himrod scored 10 for Shaler (13-1, 3-1) in a Section 2-5A win over Armstrong (8-6, 1-3). Isaiah Riggle put up 19 points, Jacob Szep had 16 and Ian Olsen posted 10 for the River Hawks.

South Fayette 60, North Hills 51 – Michael Plasko hit for 30 points to pace South Fayette (7-6, 3-1) in a Section 4-5A win. Nathan Schanbacher scored 14 points, Jackson Long added 11 and Logan Johnson followed with 10 for North Hills (6-6, 1-3).

South Park 47, Sto-Rox 18 – Cooper Hochendoner led all scorers with 23 points and Luke Scarff followed with 18 as South Park (7-6, 2-3) defeated Sto-Rox (3-8, 1-3) in Section 2-3A.

Southmoreland 59, Laurel Highlands 53 – Ty Keffer scored 20 points and Ty Whoric added 11 for Southmoreland (12-1, 2-1) in a Section 3-4A win. Shane Cayton scored 14 for Laurel Highlands (2-12, 0-4). Ethan Koffler added 13 and Antwan Black had 12.

Union 50, Rochester 36 – Lucas Stanley scored 16 points and Braylon Thomas added 15 for Union (6-8, 3-1) in a Section 1-A win. Jayvin Hemer and Xavier Rigby each scored seven points for Rochester (7-5, 3-1).

Uniontown 78, Elizabeth Forward 65 – Jamire Braxton dropped 30 points, Notorious Grooms put up 21 and K’Adrian McLee added 11 for Uniontown (12-0, 3-0) in a Section 3-4A matchup. Cy Herchelroath hit for 22 points, Isaiah Turner finished with 16 and Daniel Spence scored 12 for Elizabeth Forward (9-3, 1-2).

Upper St. Clair 65, Canon-McMillan 49 – Ryan Robbins scored 19 points and Brett Meinert finished with 12 to lead Upper St. Clair (10-3, 4-0) to victory in Section 2-6A. Roman Koenemund paced Canon-McMillan (7-7, 2-2) with 12 points.

West Mifflin 58, East Allegheny 57 – Braeden Walker scored 14 points, Daven Reynolds and David Fleming each scored 11 and Jose Perez added 10 as West Mifflin (8-5, 2-2) edged East Allegheny (3-11, 0-4) in Section 4-4A. Brennan Ruttledge led all scorers with 20 points, Cedrick Mack followed with 18 and Damar Young had 11 for the Tigers.

Yough 55, McGuffey 42 – Terek Crosby scored 24 points and Austin Matthews and Ryan Westerman added 12 each for Yough (8-4, 3-1) in a Section 4-3A win. Westerman hit four 3-pointers. Ayden Cunningham scored 17 and Grayson Wallace added 15 for McGuffey (10-4, 1-3).

Girls basketball

Armstrong 74, Fox Chapel 49 – Emma Paul hit for 29 points to lead Armstrong (9-4, 4-2) to a Section 2-5A victory. Sarai Weaver added 13, Kali Allensworth had 11 and Kyla Fitzgerald finished with 10. Natalia Schaffer and Bella Urso each scored 12 for Fox Chapel (3-11, 1-4).

Baldwin 61, Bethel Park 56 (OT) – Katie Lucarelli scored 16 points while Lynsey Bernotas and Mary Vargo added 13 apiece as Baldwin (7-7, 1-5) defeated Bethel Park (4-9, 1-4) in overtime in Section 2-6A. Ella Harmon put up 13 points, Julia Benlock followed with 11 and Sadie Orie and Ella Sabatos each had 10 for the Black Hawks.

Brownsville 62, Charleroi 47 – Skyler Gates hit for 32 points and Ava Clark finished with 17 to lead Brownsville (8-5, 1-1) in Section 4-3A. Bella Carroto scored 22 and Ella Sypolt added 13 for Charleroi (5-7, 0-4).

Canon-McMillan 40, Upper St. Clair 26 – Samantha Miller finished with 14 points while Lauren Borella produced 10 points to lead Canon-McMillan (10-4, 3-2) to a Section 2-6A win over Upper St. Clair (7-8, 1-4). Meredith Huzjak scored six points for the Panthers.

Chartiers-Houston 47, Monessen 35 – Amelia Brose put up 16 points, Ava Capozzoli scored 13 and Allison Wingerd added 10 as Chartiers-Houston (9-4) defeated Monsessen (6-3) in nonsection play. MyAsia Majors paced the Greyhounds with eight points.

Franklin Regional 52, Gateway 24 – Toryn Fulton led Franklin Regional (3-9, 3-3) with 10 points in a Section 1-5A victory over Gateway (2-11, 0-5). Anayla Jordan led the way for the Gators with nine points

Greensburg Central Catholic 64, Springdale 16 – Erica Gribble scored 18 points, Avery Davis added 13 and Greensburg Central Catholic (9-4, 5-0), playing its third game in three days, picked up a Section 3-2A win over Springdale.