High school roundup Feb. 8, 2020: South Fayette win cements playoff berth for West Allegheny

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, February 8, 2020 | 9:19 PM

Brandon Jakiela scored 18 points and South Fayette knocked Trinity out of playoff contention with a 77-63 boys basketball victory Saturday afternoon.

Kade St. Ledger added 14 points, Connor Mislan had 12 and Joey Alcorn 11 for the Lions (13-7, 9-5), who clinched sole possession of third place in Section 2-5A.

Michael Koroly led Trinity (12-9, 7-7) with 26 points. Trinity’s loss allowed West Allegheny (12-10, 7-7) to claim the fourth and final playoff spot in the section in a tiebreaker.

Gateway 56, McKeesport 53 — R.J. Stevenson scored 16 points and Will Kromka added 11 as Gateway (10-10, 6-6) defeated McKeesport (11-10, 8-4) and knocked Woodland Hills (8-13, 5-7) out of playoff contention in Section 1-5A. Gateway trailed by 10 at halftime. Deamontae Diggs had 21 for McKeesport, which closed the first half on a 12-0 run.

New Castle 60, Avonworth 50 — New Castle’s victory put an end to a wild playoff chase in Section 2-4A. With the win, the Red Hurricane (13-7, 8-4) took sole possession of third place. Ambridge (11-8, 7-5) won a fourth-place tiebreaker over Central Valley (12-7, 7-5), which was eliminated from contention despite a late-season surge. Quaker Valley (16-5, 9-3) and Blackhawk (10-10, 9-3) finished tied for first.

South Allegheny 57, East Allegheny 44 — Bryce Epps’ 18 points led South Allegheny (21-1, 12-0) to a Section 3-3A win, knocking East Allegheny (10-11, 5-7) out of playoff contention. Ethan Kirkwood added 10 points while Omar Faulkner had nine points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots. Cam Burton scored 12 points for East Allegheny.

OLSH 81, Sewickley Academy 41 — Jake DiMichele scored 25 points as OLSH (20-1, 12-0) downed Sewickley Academy (7-12, 6-6) in Section 3-2A. Dante Spadafora added 19 points for OLSH while Max Belt paced Sewickley Academy with 15. Sewickley Academy’s loss allowed South Side (11-10, 6-6) to tie for fourth place in the section and earn a WPIAL playoff berth.

California 72, Bentworth 44 — Malik Ramsey scored 32 points as California (11-9, 6-6) locked up sole possession of fourth place in Section 2-2A, eliminating Chartiers-Houston from playoff contention. Jerzy Timlin led Bentworth (1-21, 0-12) with 14 points.

Chartiers-Houston 78, Carmichaels 62 — Seth Dunn scored 20 points as Chartiers-Houston (11-10, 5-7) did its part to claim a playoff spot in Section 2-2A but did not get the help it needed. Austin Arnold added 19 points, Evan Simpson had 18 and Alijah Vaden 15. Christopher Barrish and Al Cree had 20 points each for Carmichaels (9-13, 2-10).

Imani Christian 93, Aquinas Academy 57 — Senique Jenkins and Maliq Shannon scored 25 points apiece as Imani Christian (14-8, 12-2) won to secure a share of the Section 3-A title with Greensburg Central Catholic (16-5, 12-2). Vinnie Cugini had 36 for Aquinas Academy (6-15, 3-11).

Blackhawk 66, Seneca Valley 61 — Tyler Fedison had 31 points to lead Blackhawk (11-10) to a nonsection victory at Seneca Valley (3-17). Ryan Heckathorn added 12 points for Blackhawk, which trailed by three at halftime. Cole Brooks scored 18 points to lead Seneca Valley while Mason Bush added 15 points.

Mt. Lebanon 54, Allderdice 52 — In nonsection play, Joey King scored 16 points as Mt. Lebanon (16-5) slipped past Allderdice (17-5). Andy Sapp added 13 points for Mt. Lebanon. Tony Henderson led Allderdice with 22 points while teammate Rob Jones scored 19 points.

Peters Township 64, Connellsville 59 — Connor Duane scored eight of his 11 points in overtime as Peters Township (12-9) defeated Connellsville (7-14) in nonsection play. Colin Cote led Peters Township with 22 points while Sam Petrarca added 20 points. Kade Musgrove scored a game-high 32 points for Connellsville.

Mt. Pleasant 80, Geibel 67 — Jake Johnson scored 30 points to lead Mt. Pleasant over Geibel in a nonsection matchup of WPIAL playoff teams. Jonas King added 22 points for Mt. Pleasant (12-10) and Luke Brandner tallied 13 points. Cole Kendall scored 29 points for Geibel (13-8), including hitting eight 3-pointers, while Drew Howard and Enzo Fetsko added 16 and 14 points, respectively.

Monessen 77, Mapletown 56 — In Section 2-A, Marquell Smith had 21 points to lead Monessen (10-12, 9-3) to victory over Mapletown (1-19, 1-11). DeWayne Howell added 17 points for Monessen while Landon Stevenson led Mapletown with 23 points.

Uniontown 67, Greensburg Salem 62 — Isaiah Melvin scored 18 points to lead Uniontown (19-2) to a nonsection win against Greensburg Salem (4-17). Ray Robinson added 13 points while brothers Billy and Keondre DeShields scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ryan Thomas, Dante Parsons and Shamar McCoy all scored 16 points for Greensburg Salem.

Fairview 73, Knoch 50 — James Sitter scored 29 points and Matt Franos added 23 as Fairview handed Class 4A No. 2 Knoch its third loss of the season. Fairview (19-2), a District 10 school, pulled away with a 19-4 run in the third quarter. Jared Schrecengost had 16 points for Knoch (18-3), with 15 coming in the first half. Ryan Lang added 11.

Apollo-Ridge 48, Propel Braddock Hills 38 — Jake Fello hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points while Klay Fitzroy added 16 points as Apollo-Ridge (16-6, 10-4) defeated Propel Braddock Hills (3-16, 1-13) in Section 1-2A. Malik Carey recorded 13 points in the loss.

Leechburg 67, St. Joseph 40 — Dylan Cook scored 24 points and Eli Rich added 14 as Leechburg (15-5, 10-4) tuned up for the playoffs with a Section 3-A win over St. Joseph (6-16, 4-10). Jake Blumer had 12 and Connor McDermott 11 for Leechburg.

Valley 49, Burrell 33 — Ben Aftanas scored 17 points to lead Valley (4-17, 3-9) to a Section 3-3A win over Burrell (1-20, 1-11). Vaun Ross added 14 points for Valley while Adisun Jackson chipped in 10 points. Alex Kotecki scored 16 points to pace Burrell.

Indiana 60, Armstrong 53 — Chase Walker scored 15 points and Simon Bianco added 14 to lead Indiana (5-16, 2-12) to a Section 3-5A win. Maverick Good led Armstrong (4-17, 2-12) with 21 points.

West Greene 34, Jefferson-Morgan 31 — Greg Staggers and Caleb Rice scored nine points apiece to lead West Greene (8-12, 7-5) to a Section 2-A win. Tyler Kniha had 10 for Jefferson-Morgan (5-17, 3-9).

Bethel Park 75, Steel Valley 64 — Tommy DiRienzo scored 23 points to lead Bethel Park (13-8) to a nonsection win. Ryan Meis added 19 and Anthony Chiccitt 17. Camden Polak had 25 for Steel Valley (13-7).

Vincentian Academy 71, Wheeling Central Catholic 66 — Priest Ryan scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures for Vincentian Academy (18-4).

Brentwood 58, South Park 46 — C.J. Ziegler scored 13 points to lead Brentwood (16-5) to a nonsection win. Aidan Rongaus had 16 for South Park (6-15).

Mars 67, Hampton 41 — Mihali Sfanos scored 16 points to help Mars (17-4, 12-2) win a matchup of Section 3-5A playoff teams. Quinn Morrow led Hampton (11-9, 9-5) with 11 points.

Penn Hills 62, Spire Academy 57 — Daemar Kelly scored 24 points and Ed Daniels and Kyree Mitchell added 16 each to lead Penn Hills (18-4).

Girls basketball

Avonworth 49, Neshannock 28 — In the conclusion of a suspended game, Kat Goetz scored 25 points as Avonworth (16-5, 11-3) denied Neshannock (11-10, 7-7) from earning a WPIAL playoff berth in Section 1-3A. The game was suspended Jan. 30 with Avonworth holding a 26-18 lead after Avonworth coach Frank Halloran collapsed with two minutes left in the third quarter.

Cumberland Valley 49, Mt. Lebanon 39 — Julie Jekot scored 22 points to lead Cumberland Valley to a nonsection win at Mt. Lebanon (17-5). Ashleigh Connor led Mt. Lebanon with 12 points and Morgan Palmer added 11 points.

Mars 55, Hampton 48 — Alex Johnson had 22 points as Mars (15-6, 8-4) beat Hampton (6-14, 5-7) in Section 2-5A. Bella Pelaia added 15 points for Mars while Kayla Hoehler led Hampton with 14 points.

McKeesport 60, West Mifflin 33 — Carmen Coles scored 17 points to lead McKeesport (15-7, 11-3) to a Section 3-4A victory over West Mifflin (11-10, 9-5). Laila Taylor added 12 points for McKeesport, which outscored West Mifflin in the second half, 34-13. Aubree Sample picked up 10 points for West Mifflin.

Oakland Catholic 80, Uniontown 30 — Jordyn Ingelido hit all six of her 3-point attempts on way to scoring 24 points as Oakland Catholic (16-5, 11-3) defeated Uniontown (6-16, 4-10) in Section 3-5A. Bella Fabian and Mia Vigliotti added 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the win.

OLSH 53, Eden Christian 44 — Emily Schuck had 17 points as OLSH (18-3) defeated Eden Christian in nonsection play. Taylor Haring and Haylee Fleishman scored 14 points each for Eden Christian.

Sewickley Academy 38, Serra Catholic 34 — Kamryn Lightcap had 12 points as Sewickley Academy (11-10) beat Serra Catholic (16-3) in nonsection play. Rayna Andrews scored 10 points for Serra Catholic, which led at halftime, 23-14.

Vincentian 53, Shaler 48 — In nonsection play, Tara Lucot had 14 pointsas Vincentian (16-5) beat Shaler (9-13). Sydney Calderaro added 13 points for Vincentian while Melina Cortez scored 10 points. Haley Kostorick scored a game-high 17 points for Shaler while teammate Emily Cavacini 15 points.

Greensburg Salem 51, Laurel Highlands 10 — Carissa Caldwell had 14 points and Abby Mankins had 11 as Greensburg Salem (10-12) beat Laurel Highlands (0-22) in nonsection play. Grreensburg Salem, which led at halftime, 34-2, won six of its last eight games.

Latrobe 71, Hempfield 57 — Anna Rafferty scored 20 points to lead Latrobe (12-9) to a nonsection win against Hempfield (8-14). Lexi McNeil and Emma Blair each added 13 points for Latrobe. Sarah Liberatore scored a game-high 25 points for Hempfield, including going 12-for-14 from the foul line, while Emma Hoffner added 15 points.

Monessen 65, Jefferson-Morgan 18 — Qitarah Hardison scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Monessen (14-7, 8-4) beat Jefferson-Morgan (3-16, 3-9) in Section 2-A. Monessen held Jefferson-Morgan to only four second-half points.

Norwin 57, Kennedy Catholic 39 — Mara Polczynski and Olivia Gribble scored 15 points each as Norwin (18-4) beat Kennedy Catholic at the Bash with the Bronx at Hickory. Jayla Wehner added 11 points for Norwin while Kennedy Catholic’s Maliah Magestro led all scorers with 23 points.

Riverview 48, Eden Christian 44 — Francesca Lio scored 14 points as Riverview tuned up for the WPIAL playoffs with a victory over No. 4 Ellis School. Annie Betler and Alivia Schultheis scored 12 apiece for Riverview (14-8, 7-5). Natalie Jasper led Ellis School (15-6, 9-3) with 19 points.

Tags: South Fayette, Trinity, West Allegheny