High school roundup for Feb. 21, 2020: Jasper powers Ellis School to upset of OLSH

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 21, 2020 | 12:20 AM

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Needing a strong performance to knock off defending WPIAL champion OLSH in a WPIAL Class 2A girls basketball quarterfinal, Ellis School frequently put the ball in the hands of Natalie Jasper on Thursday night.

She didn’t miss often.

The junior guard scored 34 points, including a 20-for-21 night from the free-throw line, to lead sixth-seeded Ellis School to a 64-55 double-overtime upset of third-seeded OLSH.

Natalie Graf added 11 points and Alex Crichlow had 10 for Ellis School (18-6), which will meet second-seeded Bishop Canevin in Monday’s semifinals.

Emily Schuck scored 18 points and Grace Bradley added 14 for OLSH.

OLSH trailed by four with two minutes left in regulation, but Schuck hit layups on successive trips down the floor to force overtime.

Jasper drove the baseline and scored with 25 seconds left in the first overtime to keep the game going.

Ellis School forced turnovers on OLSH’s first three possessions of the second overtime, got a basket from Alex Warren and two free throws from Jasper and held the lead the rest of the way.

North Catholic 47, Quaker Valley 31 — Tess Myers scored 24 points and top-seeded North Catholic opened its quest for a fourth consecutive WPIAL Class 4A championship with an impressive defensive effort in a quarterfinal win.

Kylee Lewandowski added 13 points for the Trojanettes (22-1), who held Quaker Valley scoreless in the fourth quarter. North Catholic will meet Blackhawk in Monday’s semifinals.

Corrine Washington led eighth-seeded Quaker Valley (17-6) with 24 points.

Blackhawk 58, Indiana 44 — Mackenzie Amalia scored 24 points and fourth-seeded Blackhawk broke open a Class 4A quarterfinal by outscoring 12th-seeded Indiana 22-5 in the second quarter.

Sierra Richard added 18 points for the Cougars (20-3). Eve Fiala scored 16 points and Hope Cook added 11 for Indiana (14-10).

Laurel 38, South Side 18 — Led by 12 points from Regan Atkins, fourth-seeded Laurel (16-7) opened its Class 2A playoff run with a dominant win. Laurel, which will meet top-seeded Serra Catholic in Monday’s semifinals, pulled away with an 8-2 advantage in the second quarter. Sydney Payne, Carissa McNary and Emilee Boyd scored four points each for fifth-seeded South Side (16-8).

Boys basketball

North Catholic 74, Carlynton 69 — Isaac DeGregorio scored 34 points, including four 3-pointers, as second-seeded North Catholic (22-2) survived a test from game No. 10 seed Carlynton (15-9) in the Class 3A quarterfinals.

Jackson Paschall added 14 points and Andrew Ammerman had 11 for the Trojans, who will meet third-seeded South Allegheny in Monday’s semifinals.

Chauncie Mickens scored 25 points, Khalil Kerr added 19, and Mark Phillips chipped in 11 for Carlynton.

Vincentian Academy 99, Geibel Catholic 51 — In the regular season, Vincentian Academy topped the 90-point mark in three of the 22 games it played. In the playoffs, the Royals are 1 for 1.

Angelo Reeves scored 26 points and Matt McDonough added 20, including six 3-pointers, as the top seed in the Class A bracket cruised to a quarterfinal victory.

Priest Ryan had 15 points and Nate Cullo 13 as Vincentian blew the game open with a 29-9 run in the second quarter. The Royals (19-4) will meet fifth-seeded Nazareth Prep in Monday’s semifinals.

Ryan Anderson led ninth-seeded Geibel (15-9) with 17 points. Drew Howard had 14 and Enzo Fetsko added 13.

Nazareth Prep 69, Eden Christian 57 — Led by 16 points from Jabriel Johnson, defending WPIAL champion Nazareth Prep (17-7) moved into the Class A semifinals with a win over No. 13 Eden Christian (14-10).

Will Taylor had 13 points, Nehemiah Brazil 12 and Isaiah Thomas 10 for Nazareth Prep, which jumped out to a 42-22 halftime lead.

Drew Lipinski scored 18 points, Thomas Medure added 15, and Eric Gronbeck had 12 for Eden Christian, which made it a ballgame with a 22-9 run in the third quarter.

Cornell 84, Imani Christian 65 — Led by its trio of 1,000-point career scorers, third-seeded Cornell (17-6) reached the WPIAL Class A semifinals for the second straight year.

Zaier Harrison scored 23 points, Kaden DiVito had 20, and Isaiah Langston added 19 to lead Cornell, which will meet Bishop Canevin in Monday’s semifinals. Blaine Sams hit four 3-pointers.

Sophomore Senique Jenkins led sixth-seeded Imani (15-9) with 29 points. Aiden Betsill added 11 and Jacquess Myers and Maliq Shannon had 10 apiece.

To listen to archived broadcasts of WPIAL playoff games, visit Trib HSSN.

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