High school roundup for Feb. 18, 2022: Freeport pulls off WPIAL tournament’s 1st upset

By: Tribune-Review
Friday, February 18, 2022 | 10:58 PM

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Vinnie Clark scored 22 points, including 18 in the second half and 11 in the fourth quarter, to lead No. 11 Freeport to a 56-49 boys basketball victory over sixth-seeded Uniontown in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs Friday night.

Zach Clark scored 11 points and Brian Kijowski added 10 for the Yellowjackets (13-9), who trailed by six at halftime, cut the deficit to two after three quarters and took the game over by outscoring Uniontown 18-9 in the fourth quarter.

Freeport will meet third-seeded Belle Vernon in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

Tanner Uphold scored 13 points and Notorious Grooms added 11 for Uniontown (14-9).

North Catholic 57, Central Valley 42 – Andrew Maddalon put up 22 points and Max Hurray followed with 20 to lead No. 4 North Catholic (18-3) to a Class 4A opening-round win. Jayvin Thompson scored 20 and Andre Vachich added 10 for No. 13 Central Valley (10-9). North Catholic advances to play No. 5 Lincoln Park on Wednesday.

Eden Christian 54, Mapletown 16 – Ryan Merrick led all scorers with 12 points, Dan Batch added nine, and Sean Aiken followed with eight to lead No. 5 Eden Christian (13-8) past No. 12 Mapletown (9-10) in a first-round game in Class A. Eden Christian moves on to play No. 4 Geibel Catholic on Wednesday.

Leechburg 84, West Greene 30 – Eli Rich (20), Marcus Cleveland (14), Braylan Lovelace (13), Tyler Foley (13), and Owen McDermott (12) scored in double digits to lead No. 6 Leechburg (17-3) to a first-round win in Class A. Leechburg will play No. 3 Union on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Ian Van Dyne led No. 11 West Greene (7-15) with 10 points.

Neighborhood Academy 56, Nazareth Prep 44 – After falling behind 26-14 in the first half, No. 7 Neighborhood Academy (12-7) outscored No. 10 Nazareth Prep (5-18) 42-18 to take an opening round Class A game. Courtney Wallace scored 14 points, Shamar Simpson added 12, and Nate Hargrove finished with 10 for Neighborhood Academy, which will face No. 2 Imani Christian in the quarterfinals Wednesday. Nathan Brazil scored 20 points with five 3-pointers for Nazareth Prep.

Rochester 72, Aquinas Academy 61 – Jerome Mullins scored 19 points, J.D. Azulay added 17 and Sal Laure followed with 14 as No. 8 Rochester (9-11) secured the lead in the first quarter and never relinquished it in the first round of the Class A playoffs. Parker Lyons chipped in with 12 for the Rams, who move on to the quarterfinals Wednesday to face top-seeded defending champion Bishop Canevin. Vinnie Cugini led No. 9 Aquinas Academy (11-9) with 35 points and John Bence added 18 as the Crusaders tried to mount a comeback with a 13-4 run in the fourth quarter but came up short.

Girls basketball

Peters Township 57, Butler 42 – Journey Thompson (16), Auana Sayles (14), Gemma Walker (13) and Natalie Wetzel (10) scored in double figures for No. 8 Peters Township (13-10) in a Class 6A playoff victory. Peters moves on to face top-seeded Mt. Lebanon in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Justine Forbes and Makenna Maier each scored 17 points and made four 3-pointers for No. 9 Butler (13-10).

Laurel 61, Charleroi 38 – Danielle Pontius scored 24 points, Johnna Hill put up 15, and Tori Atkins netted 12 as No. 8 Laurel (13-10) beat No. 9 Charleroi (14-9) in the first round in Class 3A. McKenna DeUnger scored 14 points for the Cougars. Laurel advances to play top-seeded North Catholic on Wednesday.

Mohawk 52, Shady Side Academy 20 – Erynne Capalbo led all scorers with 21 points and Alexa Kadilak put up 14 points with four 3-pointers as No. 7 Mohawk (9-13) beat No. 10 Shady Side Academy (9-12) in the opening round in Class A. The Warriors advanced to play No. 2 Avonworth in the quarterfinals Wednesday. Natalie Stevens scored 13 points to lead the Bulldogs.

Waynesburg 56, Brentwood 50 – Kaley Rohanna led all scorers with 30 points and made four 3-pointers while Clara Paige Miller added 15 as No. 5 Waynesburg (16-4) used a 22-13 fourth quarter to win a tightly contested opening-round game in Class 3A playoffs. The Raiders will take on No. 4 South Park in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Maura Daly (15), Isabella Griimm (14) and Paige Boehm (10) scored in double figures for Brentwood (9-12).

Frazier 50, Carmichaels 42 – Eliza Newcomer put up 17 points and Delaney Warnick added 15 for Frazier (8-14) in a Class 2A preliminary round game. Frazier will face No. 1 OLSH in the first round Monday. Sophia Zalar led all scorers with 22 and Ashton Batis finished with 18 points for Carmichaels (6-13).

South Side 39, Aliquippa 31 – Madi Fischer scored 11 points to lead South Side in a Class 2A preliminary round matchup. Emily Bailey added eight points and Grace Woodling finished with seven as South Side (14-9) tied the game going into the fourth quarter and outscored Aliquippa 14-6 in the fourth to move on to face No. 3 Serra Catholic on Monday. Angel Henry scored 16 points and Aunesty Johnson added nine for Aliquippa (7-14).