High school roundup for Feb. 12, 2021: North Allegheny wins battle of girls basketball titans

By: Tribune-Review
Friday, February 12, 2021 | 11:21 PM

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Jasmine Timmerson scored 18 points and freshman Kellie McConnell had all 11 of her points in the second half to lead North Allegheny to a 61-59 victory over Chartiers Valley in a clash of top WPIAL girls basketball programs Friday night.

Lizzy Groetsch scored 13 points and Emma Fischer hit for 11 for Class 6A No. 1 North Allegheny (14-0, 10-0), which rallied after falling behind by seven in the first quarter. The Tigers have won 27 straight games.

Aislin Malcolm led Class 5A No. 2 Chartiers Valley (14-2, 9-0) with 17 points. Hallie Cowan and Perri Page added 15 apiece.

MConnell, the niece of Chartiers Valley coach Tim McConnell, hit a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and stole Chartiers Valley’s final inbounds pass as time expired.

Timmerson hit a free throw with nine seconds to go to give the Tigers a 60-56 lead. Page then hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to bring the Colts within one. Kellie McConnell made 1 of 2 free throws to make it 61-59.

Albert Gallatin 66, Uniontown 34 – Bryn Bezjak scored 21 points and Liz Murtha added 12 to lead Albert Gallatin (10-4, 6-4) past Uniontown (3-10, 1-8) in Section 3-5A.

Cornell 41, Bentworth 28 – Leiana Ruker scored 17 points to lead Cornell (2-11, 0-8) to a nonsection win. Brooklynn Vandine added 12 and Jaykira Robinson had 10. Grace Skerbetz led Bentworth (1-12, 0-7) with eight points.

Fox Chapel 60, Plum 52 — Plum senior Kennedie Montue came into Friday’s Section 2-5A clash with rival Fox Chapel needing 28 points to set a new Plum career scoring record. She reached the mark of 1,386 points set by Mustangs standout and 2014 graduate Krista Pietropola and surpassed it, finishing with a game-best 35.

But the Foxes were able to rally from down eight at halftime and score a 60-52 victory at Fox Chapel High School to compete the sweep of the season series. Fox Chapel bounced back from Wednesday’s loss to Armstrong and improved to 7-6 overall and 6-4 in section play. Plum had a three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 5-5 overall, 5-4 in the section.

Three players finished in double figures for Fox Chapel. Ellie Schwartzman recorded a team-high 18 points, with nine coming in the fourth quarter. Domenica Delaney added 14, and Elsie Smith scored 12. Fox Chapel finished the game 17 of 20 from the free-throw line, including 14 of 16 in the fourth quarter alone.

Freeport 53, Derry 43 – Melaina DeZort scored 18 points, Ava Soilis added 17, and Freeport (7-1, 7-1) used an 18-5 surge in the second quarter to pull away for a Section 1-4A win. Tiana Moracco led Derry (1-8, 1-8) with 20 points.

Gateway 46, Franklin Regional 29 – Lexi Margolis finished with 17 points for Gateway (5-8, 2-6) in a Section 4-5A victory. Marina Grado added 11 and Dynasty Shegog had 10. Sarah Penrod led Franklin Regional (2-7, 1-6) with seven points.

Moon 46, West Allegheny 33 – Emma Theodorsson scored 13 points and Sarah Santicola and Cassie Depner added 10 each to lead Moon (5-9, 4-4) to a Section 1-5A win. Emily Nolan scored 10 for West Allegheny (0-11, 0-8).

Peters Township 55, Canon-McMillan 33 – Journey Thompson scored 16 points and Avana Sayles added 14 for Peters Township (5-5, 2-2) in Section 2-6A. Stellanie Loutison led Canon-McMillan (1-9, 1-7) with 11 points.

Upper St. Clair 61, Hempfield 25 – Katelyn Robbins scored 14 points as No. 2 Upper St. Clair (10-1, 4-0) claimed a Section 2-6A victory. Paige Dellicarri added 12 and Molly James had 10. Brooke McCoy led Hempfield (2-4, 1-3) with 10 points.

Waynesburg 67, Brownsville 55 – Kaley Rohanna hit for 30 points and Clara Paige Miller kicked in 14 to help Waynesburg (9-3, 7-1) to a Section 2-3A win. Emma Seto led Brownsville (0-5, 0-4) with 22 points.

West Greene 80, Avella 35 – Anna Durbin scored 21 points and Brooke Barner added 17 as No. 2 West Greene (11-2, 6-0) won in Section 2-A. Elizabeth Brudock contributed 11. Katie Dryer had 21 for Avella (9-5, 6-3).

Winchester Thurston 78, St. Joseph 25 – Nadia Moore scored 29 points and Nya Nicholson added 25 for Class 2A No. 2 Winchester Thurston (7-3, 6-0) in a nonsection win. Ally Swierczewski led St. Joseph (4-8, 3-2) with eight points.

Boys basketball

Albert Gallatin 73, Ringgold 32 – Dylan Shea scored 21 points to lead Albert Gallatin (8-4, 6-3) to a Section 1-5A win. A.J. Blyden added 11, Nate English had 10, and Hunter Sexton hit three 3-pointers. Demetrius Butler led Ringgold (2-7, 0-5) with 10 points.

Aliquippa 60, Rochester 41 – Karl McBride scored 17 points and Deandre Moye added 15 as Aliquippa (8-3, 5-1) won a nonsection game. Ty Crocker had 10. J.D. Azulay led Rochester (9-3, 6-1) with 20.

Allderdice 78, Westinghouse 54 – Malik Robinson scored 19 points to lead Allderdice (2-1, 2-0) to a City League victory. Cam Butcher added 11 and Kiere Henning had 10. Darius Bruce led Westinghouse (1-2, 1-1) with 16 points.

Apollo-Ridge 67, Ligonier Valley 49 — Klay Fitzroy led a trio of Vikings scorers in double figures with 25 points in a Section 3-3A victory. Keighton Reese and Jake Fello added 18 apiece for Apollo-Ridge (6-2, 4-2). Isaac Neidbalson led Ligonier Valley (2-6, 2-4) with 15 points. Matthew Marinchak added 13 and Jaicob Hollick 12.

Armstrong 52, Indiana 29 – Cadin Olson scored 20 points to lift Armstrong (4-3, 2-3) to a Section 4-5A win. Evan Brocious had 14 for Indiana (0-11, 0-8).

Avella 59, West Greene 49 – Gabe Lis scored 21 points and Brandon Samol added 14 to help Avella (4-8, 3-3) to a Section 2-A win. Donovan Avolio added 10 for Avella, which trailed by six after the first quarter. Caleb Rice led West Greene (1-9, 1-6) with 21 points. Chase Blake had 16.

Avonworth 59, Seton LaSalle 46 – Peyton Faulker scored 17 points and Jordan Kolenda added 16 as No. 4 Avonworth (11-1, 6-0) won an important Section 2-3A matchup over Seton LaSalle (6-6, 3-3). Andrew Gannon added 10 points.

Beaver Falls 62, Riverside 28 – Mike Conley scored 18 points and Xaviere Collins hit three 3-pointers to lead Beaver Falls (7-3, 6-2) to a Section 1-3A victory. Nate Kolesar had 12 for Riverside (1-13, 1-7), hitting four 3-pointers.

Bishop Canevin 85, Propel Montour 38 – Dom Elliott scored 22 points and KeVaughn Price added 16 as No. 1 Bishop Canevin (8-3, 5-0) defeated Propel Montour (2-8, 2-6) in Section 2-A.

Burrell 61, Keystone Oaks 42 — The Bucs led by six at halftime and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a Section 1-4A victory. Brandon Coury led Burrell (8-7 4-5) with 17 points, while Donovan Callahan scored 14, Travis Bitar tallied 12, and Caden DiCaprio contributed 10. The win was the Bucs’ fourth in a row. Owen Minford led the Golden Eagles (1-9, 0-8) with 16 points.

Carlynton 49, Chartiers-Houston 36 – Khalil Kerr scored 12 points and Simon Schriver added 10 to help Carlynton (10-2, 7-1) to a Section 2-2A win. Lucas Myers led Chartiers-Houston (4-11, 2-7) with nine points.

Carmichaels 81, Jefferson-Morgan 68 – Christopher Barrish scored 36 points and Carmichaels (7-4, 3-3) roared to a Section 4-2A victory after trailing by 10 at the end of the first quarter. Drake Long added 18 and Mike Stewart had 14. Taj Jacobs scored 25 and Colt Fowler 24 for Jefferson-Morgan (5-8, 3-6).

Eden Christian 73, Aquinas Academy 54 – Elijah Manges scored 25 points and Malachi Manges added 19 to carry No. 2 Eden Christian (10-1, 8-0) to a Section 3-A win. Vinnie Cugini scored 34 for Aquinas Academy (7-7, 1-6).

Frazier 64, Bentworth 31 – Behind 16 points from Luke Santo, 14 from Owen Newcomer and 12 from Colton Arison, Frazier (12-3, 7-1) rolled to a Section 4-2A win. Landen Urcho scored 10 for Bentworth (1-9, 0-6).

Geibel 71, Mapletown 36 – Zach Alloman scored 19 points, hitting five 3-pointers, to lead Geibel (5-6, 5-2) in Section 2-A. Landan Stevenson led Mapletown (4-4, 3-3) with 20 points.

Hempfield 82, Greensburg Salem 38 – Joe Fiedor scored 14 points and Mike Hosni added 11 to lead Hempfield (9-3, 7-2) to a Section 3-6A victory. Ben Thomas led Greensburg Salem (0-7, 0-5) with 13 points. Cade Cavanaugh had 11.

Highlands 53, Plum 50 — Jimmy Kunst scored 21 points, and Chandler Thimons added 12 as the Class 5A No. 4 Golden Rams (10-1, 6-1) held off a late Plum rally in Section 4-5A play. The Mustangs (4-5, 2-5) held a 19-10 fourth-quarter advantage but were not able to come all the way back from a 30-18 halftime deficit. Connor Moss led Plum with 13 points. Ta’Rasi Means had 12 and Alex Mitolo 10.

Jeannette 55, Clairton 43 — Keith Rockmore scored 12 points to lead three players in double figures as Jeannette defeated Clairton in Section 3-2A. James Sanders had 11 and Ryan Kimmel added 10 for the Jayhawks Jeannette (8-3, 5-2), who jumped out to a 15-6 lead in the first quarter. Andre Henderson had a game-high 16 for Clairton (3-7, 3-4).

Knoch 71, Freeport 55 — The Knights pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Yellowjackets 27-15 over the final eight minutes to finish off a Section 1-4A victory. Ryan Lang led Knoch (5-6, 4-3) with a game-best 30 points. Blaze Voltz added 14 in the win, while Keagan Fraser scored 12. Vinnie Clark scored 16 to lead Freeport (4-5, 3-4), which also got 13 from Conner Holloway and 11 from Cole Charlton.

Latrobe 83, Kiski Area 49 – Frankie Newell scored 25 points and Ryan and Chase Sickenberger had 13 points apiece to lead Latrobe (5-5, 5-3) in Section 3-5A. Lebryn Smith led Kiski Area (3-11, 1-8) with 12.

Laurel Highlands 70, Connellsville 46 – Rodney Gallagher finished with 22 points and Brandon Davis had 20 to lead No. 5 Laurel Highlands (8-3, 7-0) to a Section 1-5A victory. Josh Marietta led Connellsville (0-4, 0-4) with 12 points.

Lincoln Park 75, Blackhawk 56 – Dakari Bradford and Brandon Cummings scored 18 points apiece to lead No. 3 Lincoln Park (10-4, 8-1) to a Section 2-4A victory. Ryan McClymonds led Blackhawk (4-6, 2-6) with 13 points.

Mars 69, Hampton 53 – Mihali Sfanos scored 21 points and Zach Schlegel contributed 18 for No. 3 Mars (11-1, 8-1) in Section 4-5A. Tasso Sfanos had 11. Matt DeMatteo and Eric Weeks scored 11 apiece for Hampton (3-10, 3-5).

Montour 66, Hopewell 41 – Vason Stevenson scored 16 points and Tyriq Eleam added 12 as Montour (8-5, 8-2) defeated Hopewell (0-11, 0-9) in Section 2-4A. Luke Persinger added 10.

Mt. Pleasant 54, Uniontown 48 – Lucas Toohey had 13 points and Nate Kubasky and Jonas King scored 11 each to lead Mt. Pleasant (5-7, 4-4) to a Section 3-4A win. Damarr Lewis scored 16 for Uniontown (4-8, 4-5).

New Brighton 71, Freedom 47 – JoJo Reynolds finished with 19 points to lead New Brighton (5-7, 2-5) to a Section 2-3A win. Carter Slowinski led Freedom (0-11, 0-7) with 14 points.

Northgate 55, Burgettstown 53 (OT) – Josh Williams scored 20 points and Northgate (4-13, 2-7) took a 21-5 lead in the first quarter and held on for a Section 2-2A victory. Delvin Mitchell added 16 points and Davonte Christe had 10. Caleb Russell scored 18 for Burgettstown (6-10, 3-7). Jackson LaRocka added 15.

North Hills 60, North Allegheny 41 – Led by 14 points apiece from Alex Smith, Matt Seidl and Royce Parham, North Hills (4-7, 2-5) knocked off No. 2 North Allegheny (11-3, 8-1) in Section 1-6A. Matt McDonough scored 14 and Robby Jones 11 for the Tigers. It was the third meeting of the season between the rival schools. North Allegheny won the first two in overtime.

OLSH 45, Sewickley Academy 29 – Jake DiMichele scored 17 points and Dante Spadafora added 14 to help No. 1 OLSH (14-0, 10-0) clinch the Section 1-2A title. Max Belt led Sewickley Academy (6-7, 3-5) with 16 points.

Pine-Richland 79, Seneca Valley 59 – Joey Petcash scored 20 points and Joey Dudkowski added 19 to help Pine-Richland (8-4, 5-3) to a Section 1-6A victory. Luke Shanahan had 16 and Andrew Alexander 11. Cole Brooks led Seneca Valley (6-9, 4-5) with 24 points. Connor Lyczek added 12.

Propel Braddock Hills 81, Winchester Thurston 72 – Chaim Despert-Johnson and Giontae Clemmons hit for 22 points each to lead Propel Braddock Hills (5-7, 1-6) to its first Section 3-2A win. Anthony Scott added 16 points. Jackson Juzang led Winchester Thurston (5-3, 4-3) with 36 points.

Quaker Valley 91, Ambridge 72 – Adou Thiero hit for 27 points and Markus Frank added 21 as No. 5 Quaker Valley (7-2, 6-1) rolled to a Section 2-4A win. Wil Dunda and Jack Gardinier had 12 each. Damon Astorino led Ambridge (3-5, 3-5) with 29 points. Enire Bowens had 22.

South Allegheny 63, East Allegheny 25 – Omar Faulkner scored 15 points and Bryce Epps contributed 14 to help No. 1 South Allegheny (9-2, 7-0) to a Section 3-3A win. Travon Simmons led East Allegheny (1-9, 1-8) with 12 points.

South Fayette 66, Trinity 50 – Behind 16 points from Brandon Jakiela, 15 from Logan Yater and 14 from Kaden Ring, South Fayette (6-5, 2-3) won in Section 2-5A. Mike Dunn led Trinity (7-6, 3-5) with 26 points.

South Park 50, Brentwood 39 – Aidan Rongaus finished with 20 points and Gino Maffeo added 10 to power South Park (6-2, 5-2) to a nonsection win. Chase Rosing scored 13 for Brentwood (8-3, 6-1).

Springdale 48, Riverview 30 — Led by 27 points from Dmitri Fritch, the Class 2A No. 3 Dynamos (10-5, 5-2) rolled past the Raiders (2-10, 1-8) in a Section 1-2A game. Aidan Sebastian led Riverview with 12 points.

Sto-Rox 56, Fort Cherry 45 – Led by 15 points from Josh Jenkins, 14 from Jaymar Pearson and 13 from Jaymont Green-Miller, Sto-Rox (8-4, 8-1) won in Section 2-2A. Dylan Rogers and Owen Norman scored 12 each for Fort Cherry (9-5, 5-4).

Upper St. Clair 68, Bethel Park 58 – David Pantelis scored 17 points and No. 1 Upper St. Clair (10-1, 3-0) used a 21-8 surge in the second quarter to win in Section 2-6A. Porter Rauch added 13 points and Luke Banbury had 12. Ben Guffey hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Bethel Park (4-8, 1-2). Waldo Dolan added 13.

Yough 64, Southmoreland 30 – Gamal Marballie scored 22 points and Terek Crosby added 20 to lift Yough (3-8, 2-5) to a Section 3-4A victory. Tyler Zerone added 10. Isaac Trout led Southmoreland (1-13, 0-11) with 10 points.