High school boys roundup for Dec. 11, 2021: McDonough powers North Allegheny to OT win

By: Tribune-Review
Saturday, December 11, 2021 | 11:33 PM

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Matt McDonough drove the length of the court and scored in the lane with five seconds left in overtime to put North Allegheny ahead by two, then came up with a steal with two seconds remaining to lift the Tigers past Penn-Trafford, 56-54, in the Hempfield Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday.

McDonough finished with 17 points for the Tigers (2-0) a day after he scored 41 and made 7 of 12 3-pointers in a win over Hempfield. Teammate Joey Dopirak scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the second half and overtime for the Tigers.

Sabol hit a wide-open 3 with 47 seconds left in regulation, but Dopirak answered with a layup with 25.7 to send it to overtime.

Nick Crum had 22 points and made five 3s for Penn-Trafford (1-1), while Jason Sabol chipped in 16.

Avella 66, Frazier 48 — Brandon Samol scored 30 points to lead Avella (1-1) over Frazier (0-2) in the consolation game of the McGuffey Tournament. Brennen Stewart recorded 14 points for Frazier.

Baldwin 68, Albert Gallatin 30 — James Wesling scored 27 points as Baldwin (1-1) downed Albert Gallatin (0-2) in the Baldwin/Peters Township Tournament. Chad Cochran added 11 points for Baldwin, which led 40-11 at halftime.

Beaver 61, Northgate 39 – Sawyer Butler led the way for Beaver (1-1) with 20 points in a win over Northgate (0-2) in the consolation game of the Brentwood Tournament. Daunte Christie scored 10 points for the Flames.

Belle Vernon 58, Thomas Jefferson 44 – Quinton Martin scored 17 points, Daniel Gordon added 13 and Devin Whitlock just missed a triple-double as Belle Vernon (2-0) won at the MVI Shootout. Whitlock had 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Evan Berger led Thomas Jefferson (1-1) with 14 points.

Bethel Park 58, East Allegheny 23 — In the championship game of the South Park Tournament, Jaden Goodman scored 13 points and Austin Caye and Anthony Watson added 12 points each as Bethel Park (2-0) beat East Allegheny (1-1).

Blackhawk 52, Beaver Falls 39 – Carson Heckathorn registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds for Blackhawk (1-0) in a win over Beaver Falls (0-1) at the Midland Tournament at Geneva College. Lorenzo Jenkins scored 15 points for the Cougars and Ryan Jones added 10 points.

Burgettstown 34, California 30 – Caleb Russell scored nine points and was named the California Tournament MVP after helping Burgettstown top the host Trojans in the championship game. James Leuice also had nine points for the Blue Devils (2-0). Fred Conrad led California (1-1) with seven points.

Butler 70, Cathedral Prep 35 – Devin Carney’s 27 points helped Butler (0-2) take the championship game of its tournament over Cathedral Prep (1-1). Raine Gratzmiller added 16 points for the Golden Tornado.

Carlynton 41, Hopwell 31 – Austin Milliner’s 13 points and a stifling defense aided tournament host Carlynton (2-0) to a win over Hopewell (1-1).

Central Catholic 46, Bishop Canevin 43 – Dante DePante scored 29 points and made four 3-pointers to lead tournament host Central Catholic (2-0) past Bishop Canevin (0-2). Kai Spears had 11 points for the Crusaders and Jalen Gales scored 10.

Charleroi 51, Clairton 36 — Will Wagner scored 27 points and Jake Caruso added 12 to help Charleroi (2-0) to a win at the MVI Shootout. Kaden Smith scored 14 for Clairton (0-2).

Delaware County Christian 54, Eden Christian 43 – Damon Astorino had 13 points and Daniel Batch scored 11, but Eden Christian (1-1) fell to tournament host Delaware County Christian.

Derry 52, Homer-Center 23 – Tyson Webb had 15 points, eight rebounds and six steals to pace Derry (1-1) to a win over Homer-Center (0-2) in the consolation game of the Burrell Tip-Off Classic. Nate Papuga had 12 points for the Trojans.

Fort Cherry 63, McGuffey 49 – Owen Norman had 25 points and received McGuffey Tournament MVP honors for helping Fort Cherry (2-0) down the host Highlanders (1-1) in the championship game. Jantzen Durbin and Grayson Wallace tallied 10 points each for McGuffey.

Gateway 83, Chartiers Valley 65 – The Gators (1-1) had five players score in double figures led by Will Kromka’s 16 points in a win over Chartiers Valley (0-2) in the consolation game of the Upper St. Clair Tournament. Taili Thompson and MJ Stevenson netted 14 points each, Jaydon Carr scored 12 and Ryan Greggerson had 10. Chartiers Valley was led by Jayden Davis’ 21 points.

Greensburg Central Catholic 74, Greensburg Salem 25 — Greensburg Central Catholic jumped out to a 28-0 lead after one quarter and blew past neighboring Greensburg Salem in the Hempfield Tip-Off Tournament. Anthony Semelka (15 points), Tyree Turner (12), Brevan Williams (11) and Ryan Appleby (10) all reached double figures for the Centurions (1-1), who extended their lead to 43-9 at the half. Ryan Burkart led the Golden Lions (0-2) with eight points.

Hampton 66, Perry 46 — Matt DeMatteo scored 16 points and Liam Mignogna added 10 points as Hampton (1-1) beat Perry (0-2) in the consolation game of the North Hills Tournament. Kareem Adams paced Perry with 11 points.

Hempfield 63, Franklin Regional 62 – Joe Fisher and Sean Gordon had 16 points each and tournament host Hempfield (1-1) staved off a late Franklin Regional (0-2) rally. The Panthers outscored the Spartans 23-10 in the fourth quarter and were led by Caden Smith’s game-high 20 points.

Jefferson-Morgan 64, Mapletown 33 — Tajhere Jacobs scored 25 points to lead Jefferson-Morgan (1-1) to a win at the Mapletown Tournament. Cohen Stout scored 17 for the Maples (0-1).

Keystone Oaks 68, Steel Valley 60 – Owen Minford scored 21 points for tournament host Keystone Oaks (2-0) in a win over Steel Valley (1-1). Makai Valentine had 40 points for the Ironmen.

Kiski Area 53, Burrell 47 — Kiski Area rallied from a four-point deficit after three quarters to knock off the hosts at the Burrell Tip-Off Tournament. Isaiah Gonzalez paced Kiski Area (2-0) with 16 points. John Lucas had 11 points and Lebryn Smith had 10. Brandon Coury led Burrell (1-1) with 18 points and Travis Bitar scored 13. Kiski Area outscored Burrell 19-9 in the fourth quarter.

Knoch 66, Latrobe 52 – Ryan Lang scored 39 points en route to surpassing 1,000 points for his career and Knoch (1-1) took down Latrobe (0-2) in the consolation game of the Butler Tournament. Keegan Fraser added 13 points for the Knights.

Laurel 53, Mercer 42 – Labon Barber netted 24 points for tournament host Laurel (2-0) in a win over Mercer (1-1). Woody Nickel had 13 points for the Mustangs.

Laurel Highlands 83, Peters Township 58 — Keondre DeShields scored 32 points to lead Laurel Highlands (2-0) over Peters Township (1-1) in the Baldwin/Peters Township Tournament. Rodney Gallagher added 22 points for Laurel Highlands while Brandon Davis scored 21 points. Gavin Cote led Peters Township with 24 points.

Leechburg 67, Apollo-Ridge 49 – Behind 21 points from Braylan Lovelace and 20 points by Eli Rich, Leechburg (2-0) defeated Apollo-Ridge (1-1) in the championship game of its tournament. Gage Johnston had 17 points for the Vikings.

Ligonier Valley 78, Valley 72 — In the consolation game of the Plum Tournament, Matthew Marinchak scored 36 points — including his 1,000th career point — hit four 3-pointers and grabbed 12 rebounds as Ligonier Valley (1-1) defeated Valley (0-2) in double overtime. Jaicob Holkick added 21 points and nine rebounds for Ligonier Valley. Xavier Wilson led Valley with 28 points while Ben Aftaras and Nate Clarke added 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Lincoln Park 71, Kennedy Catholic 44 – LA Pratt scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half as Lincoln Park (1-0) cruised past Kennedy Catholic (0-2) at the Midland Tournament at Geneva College. Brandin Cummings and freshman Meleek Thomas had 14 points each for the Leopards.

Mars 70, West Middlesex 20 – Zach Schlagel scored 17 points and Mars (2-0) trounced West Middlesex (1-1) in the championship game of the Sharon Tournament. Austin Cote added 13 points for Mars.

McKeesport 75, Monessen 49 – Dustin Strom netted 15 points and Travarese Rowe scored 10 to help McKeesport (1-1) beat Monessen (0-2) at the MVI Tournament. Lorenzo Gardner had 16 for the Greyhounds.

Moon 67, Mt. Pleasant 37 — The Tigers (1-1) jumped out to a 24-8 lead after one period and cruised to the victory in the Highlands Tip-off Tournament consolation. Moon was led by sophomore guard Elijah Guillory’s 24 points. The Vikings (0-2) received 10 points each from Aden Wisniewski and Dante Giallonardo. Guillory and Wisniewski were named to the all-tournament team.

Neshannock 37, Mercyhurst Prep 32 – Michael Sopko scored 10 points to lead tournament host Neshannock to a win over Mercyhurst Prep (1-1) in the first game of a doubleheader for the Lancers.

Neshannock 58, Shenango 42 – Jay Corey led the Lancers with 19 points en route to a win over Shenango (0-2) in Neshannock’s second game of the day. Sopko added 14 points. Brady Ziegler had 19 points for Shenango and Brody McQuiston scored 11. Corey, Sopko, Ziegler and McQuiston were all named to the All-Tournament team.

New Castle 76, Sto-Rox 49 — Mike Wells scored 30 points and Isaiah Boice added 17 to lead New Castle (2-0) to a win at the tournament it hosts. Cahmari Perkins had 13 and Da’Juan Young contributed 11. Corey Simmons led Sto-Rox (1-1) with 14 points. Tre’Shaun Barron had 10.

North Hills 87, Fox Chapel 57 — Royce Parham and Alex Smith scored 21 points each as North Hills (2-0) won the championship game of its tournament by defeating Fox Chapel (1-1). Matt Seidl added 20 points for North Hills while Logan Johnson chipped in 11 points. Eli Yofan and Russell Fenton scored 13 points each for Fox Chapel.

Norwin 54, Obama Academy 41 – Michael Fleming scored 19 points to help Norwin (2-0) get past Obama Academy (1-1) in the championship game of the St. Joseph tournament. Adam Bilinsky recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds and Ty Stecko had 12 points. Damon Givner led Obama (1-1) with 21 points.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 77, Connellsville 33 — Jake DiMichele poured in a game-high 38 points a day after scoring 33 as the Class 2A Chargers (2-0) took care of Class 5A Connellsville (1-1) at the Hempfield Tournament. DiMichele made six 3-pointers. Dawson Summers added 17 points and Rocco Spadafora had 13 in the win, which saw OLSH build a 53-25 lead at halftime.

Penn Charter 60, Allderdice 53 – Kevin Cotton scored 17 points and Trey Shinholster added 13 to lead Penn Charter to a win at its tip-off tournament. Holden Eagles led Allderdice (0-2) with 16 points.

Penn Hills 49, Mt. Lebanon 42 — Daemar Kelly had 25 points as Penn Hills (2-0) defeated Mt. Lebanon (0-2) in overtime in the Central Catholic Tournament. Michael Pfueffer had 18 points for Mt. Lebanon.

Plum 46, Riverview 43 — Cameron Moss scored 17 points as Plum (2-0) won the championship game of its tournament by defeating Riverview (1-1). Seth Favero added 11 points while Micah Black scored a game-high 22 points for Riverview.

Ringgold 56, Serra Catholic 51 – Nick Peccon hit for 31 points and Zion Moore added 10 to lead Ringgold (2-0) at the MVI Shootout. Isaiah Petty had 12 points and Brendan Cooley and Alexavier Saunders added 11 for Serra Catholic (0-2).

Riverside 45, Wilmington 35 – Nate Kolesar scored 22 points and sank six 3-pointers to pace Riverside (1-1) to a win over Wilmington (0-2) at the Laurel Tournament.

Shady Side Academy 69, Freeport 40 – Eli Teslovich had 21 points and Peter Kramer scored 20 to lead Shady Side Academy past tournament host Freeport (0-2). Ben Lane had 16 points for the Yellowjackets.

Shaler 87, Winchester Thurston 60 — In the Avonworth Tournament, Logan Bernesser had 15 points and 12 rebounds as Shaler (2-0) beat Winchester Thurston (0-2). Keegan Smetanka added 14 points and Dylan Schlagel contributed 12 points.

South Allegheny 53, Elizabeth Forward 29 – Bryce Epps racked up 21 points and Dillon Hines added 11, hitting three 3-pointers, to lead South Allegheny (2-0) at the MVI Shootout. Charlie Meehleib led Elizabeth Forward (1-1) with nine points.

South Fayette 49, Canon-McMillan 46 — Led by 12 points from Alex Hall, 11 from Brandon Jakiela and 10 from Logan Yater, South Fayette (1-1) won at the Canon-McMillan Tournament. Gavin Miller scored 14 and Jacob Samosky added 12 for the Big Macs (1-1).

South Side 62, Freedom 42 — Brody Almashy scored 22 points to lead tournament host South Side (1-0) to victory over Freedom (0-2). Dusty McCall added 19 points for South Side while Carter Slowinski led Freedom with 12 points.

South Side 58, Western Beaver 57 – Brody Almashy scored 17 points and Aidan Roach added 16, including a pair of free throws with 11.9 seconds left, as South Side (2-0) swept a pair of games at the tournament it hosts. Dusty Mackall added 11 points. Thad Gray had 17 points and Levi Gray added 14 for Western Beaver (1-1).

St. Joseph 65, Propel Braddock Hills 32 – Ethan Zale scored 14 points and Jimmy Giannetta added 12 as St. Joseph (1-1) picked up a win in the consolation game at its tip-off tournament. Ben Mayhew scored 12 points for Propel Braddock Hills (0-2). Anthony Scott added 10.

Trinity 67, Seneca Valley 63 — Connor Roberts scored 25 points and Kyle Fetchko chipped in 22 as Trinity (1-1) won at the Canon-McMillan Tournament. Jameson Grieco led Seneca Valley (1-1) with 22 points.

West Allegheny 79, West Mifflin 56 – Scott Bilovus led six West Allegheny players in double figures with 15 points and was named the West Mifflin Tournament MVP. Tyler Blatz scored 10 points for the Indians (2-0). Joey Pustover had 11 points and Nodin Tracy, Brandon Bell and Ryan Herman netted 10 points each. Nolan Stephenson had 17 points to lead West Mifflin (1-1).

Yough 55, Indiana 46 – Terek Crosby scored 32 points to lead Yough (2-0) to the championship of the Indiana tournament. Crosby scored 68 points in the two-game tournament. Hunter Martin and Stanford Webb had 11 points apiece for Indiana (-1-1).

Wrestling

Chartiers-Houston Tournament – Levi Donnell won the 145-pound title, Cooper Baxter (189) and Jake Pomykata (285) were runners-up and Ana Malovich (106) was one of three third-place finishers for Butler, which took the team title.

Burgettstown took second in the team race, led by 113-pound champ Parker Sentipal. Pine-Richland finished third and crowned two champs – Anthony Ferraro at 132 and Kelin Laffey (152). Chartiers Valley also had two champs in Dylan Evans (160) and Joshua Sarasnick (215).

South Fayette’s Luke Dunlap (120), Bentworth’s Chris Vargo (126), Beth-Center’s Kyle McCollum (138), Mars’ Christian Scheller (172), Central Valley’s Brenan Morgan (189) and Washington’s Cam Carter-Green (285) also won championships.

Eastern Area Invitational – Evan Petrovich (113), Chad Ozias (138) and Hunter Claycomb (172) won championships as Connellsville took the team title in the annual tournament at Gateway. Ethan Ansell (152) and Jared Keslar (160) were runners-up for the Falcons.

Kiski Area took second place, claiming two individual titles – Enzo Morlacci (160) and Carter Dilts (215). Morlacci was named oustanding wrestler after beating Keslar in the finals.

Returning state champ Finn Solomon (145) of Franklin Regional and 2020 WPIAL champ Mac Stout (189) of Mt. Lebanon also won titles, as did Indiana’s Nico Fanella (106), Bethel Park’s Mason Kernan (120), Penn-Trafford’s Troy Hohman (126), Plum’s Vince Citrano (132), West Allegheny’s Nico Taddy (152) and Trinity’s Ty Banco (285).

Hampton Dawg Duals – Norwin defeated Mt. Pleasant, 47-34, in the finals of the dual meet tournament after both teams reached the finals undefeated. The Knights defeated Fox Chapel, 52-21, Altoona, 40-27, Yough, 69-6, and Quaker Valley, 34-30. The Vikings beat Thomas Jefferson, 42-24, Hampton, 60-12, Central Catholic, 54-22, and General McLane, 44-30. Chase Kranitz and Nate Campbell went 5-0 for Norwin. Luke Passarelli, Conner Henning and Josh Page were 4-1 and Gabe Conboy was 3-1.

Hickory Invitational – Latrobe had five champions and seven wrestlers in the finals, winning the team title in a rout over Fort LeBoeuf. Luke Willochell (106), Vincent Kilkeary (120), Jacob Braun (126), Jack Pletcher (152) and Wyatt Held (285) won titles for the Wildcats. Leo Joseph (113) and Corey Boerio (215) were runners-up. Laurel’s Grant Mackay took the 160-pound title.

Ironman – Waynesburg’s Rocco Welsh won the 165-pound title at the prestigious national event at Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio, defeating Lorenzo Norman of Blair Academy in the finals, 1-0. Teammate Mac Church took second at 132 pounds, falling to Rich Township’s Nasir Bailey by fall in 6:28 in the finals.