High school roundup for Feb. 23, 2026: Geibel Catholic knocks off top seed in Class A semis

By: Triblive
Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | 12:40 AM

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Janiah Darnell scored on a putback with 17.4 seconds left in overtime to lead No. 4 Geibel Catholic to a 52-50 victory over top-seeded Aquinas Academy in the WPIAL Class A girls basketball semifinals Monday night.

Mallory Clemmer scored 24 points and Emma Larkin added 13 for the Gators, who will take on No. 2 Serra Catholic in the championship game at 3 p.m. Friday at Petersen Events Center.

Tess Duer scored 20 points, Elliot Keverline added 14 and Becca Guillen chipped in 11 for the Crusaders, who will take on No. 3 Union in the third-place game Wednesday.

Serra Catholic 48, Union 36 – Bella Dumbroski scored 19 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead second-seeded Serra Catholic (17-6) in the Class A semifinals. Lexi Pearce added 12 points for the Eagles, who built a 24-13 lead by halftime. Serra Catholic will face No. 4 Geibel Catholic in the championship game at 3 p.m. Friday at Petersen Events Center. Ally Symonds scored 14 points to lead No. 3 Union (19-5), which will play No. 1 Aquinas Academy in the third-place game Wednesday.

Girls basketball

Consolation

Fort Cherry 67, Laurel 37 – Brooke Cornali scored 21 points to lead four players in double figures for No. 4 Fort Cherry (18-5) in the Class 2A consolation bracket. Julie Klose added 18 points, Gianna Bianchini had 13 and Emily Pfender added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Rangers, who will meet No. 6 Aliquippa for fifth place Wednesday. Alexis Blair scored 10 points for No. 9 Laurel (13-12), which will meet No. 7 Burgettstown for seventh place. The top seven teams make states.

Quaker Valley 41, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 25 – Mimi Thiero scored 26 points, reaching the 2,000-point mark for her career, to lead No. 4 Quaker Valley (19-7) in the Class 3A fifth-place game. Keira Watson added 10 points for the Quakers. Rowan Winter scored eight points to lead No. 6 OLSH (19-8). The top six teams make states.

Sewickley Academy 57, West Greene 32 – Nina Caputo scored 19 points and Mikaela Mbandi added 16 for No. 7 Sewickley Academy (15-10) in the Class A consolation bracket. The Panthers will face No. 5 St. Joseph for fifth place Wednesday. The top six teams make states. Jillissa Yeater scored 11 to lead No. 6 West Greene (17-8).

St. Joseph 61, Eden Christian 48 – Fifth-seeded St. Joseph clinched its fifth straight trip to the PIAA playoffs with a win over section rival Eden Christian in a Class A consolation game. The Spartans (13-10) will meet No. 7 Sewickley Academy in the fifth-place game Wednesday. St. Joseph defeated No. 9 Eden Christian (11-10) for the third time this season.

Four players landed in double figures for the Spartans led by Bella Bartolovic’s 24 points. Kasey Cienik added 14, Jocelyn Spinelli 11 and Gemma Hornack 10. St. Joseph led by four at halftime and by seven at the end of the third before putting the game away in the fourth. Hannah Wallace led Eden with 20 points while Annalese Haring added 11.

Boys basketball

Consolation

Central Valley 76, Elizabeth Forward 65 – Wyatt Clark scored 21 points as all five starters hit double figures for No. 6 Central Valley (17-8) in the Class 4A consolation bracket. Ryan Conti and Adam Shroads each had 14 points, Angelo Conti had 13 and Jamel Price chipped in 11 for the Warriors, who will meet No. 5 Hopewell in the fifth-place game Wednesday with the WPIAL’s final spot in the PIAA playoffs on the line. Tyler Basic scored 24, James Gile added 13 and Gavin Stalowski had 11 for No. 7 Elizabeth Forward (14-11).

Gateway 68, Shaler 53 – Mykel Bruce-McCrommon (26) and Jax Vovaris (24) combined for 50 points to lead No 5 Gateway (17-8) to a Class 5A consolation win. Deron Nixon scored 16, Nick Perez 12 and Jordan Epps 10 for No. 9 Shaler (13-12). The Gators will meet No. 6 Penn Hills for fifth place and the Titans will face No. 15 Ringgold for seventh place Wednesday. The top eight teams make states.

Hopewell 84, Belle Vernon 79 – James “Booboo” Armstrong poured in 47 points as No. 5 Hopewell (16-9) kept its PIAA hopes alive with a win in the Class 4A consolation bracket, Brody Rock and Justin Shegog scored 11 points each for the Vikings, who will take on No. 6 Central Valley in the fifth-place game Wednesday. The top five teams make states. Elijah Majors and Cam Jenko each scored 16 points, Dane Daugherty added 12 and Luca Ghilani had 10 for No. 8 Belle Vernon (14-11).

Mohawk 59, Southmoreland 37 – Joey Nail scored 17 points as top-seeded Mohawk bounced back from a quarterfinals loss in the Class 3A consolation bracket. Bobby Fadden and Drew Wrona scored 13 each for the Warriors, who will face No. 7 Seton LaSalle for fifth place Wednesday. Noah Felentzer scored 10 points to lead No. 5 Southmoreland (15-10), which will take on No. 11 Ligonier Valley for seventh place. The top seven teams make states.

Penn Hills 59, Ringgold 52 – Amon Hawthorne scored 26 points and Calix Clark added 16 to lead No. 6 Penn Hills (18-7) to a Class 5A consolation win. Penn Hills will meet No. 5 Gateway for fifth place Wednesday. Dennis Hawkins scored 14 points and Demetri Lowe added 12 for No. 15 Ringgold (15-11), which will meet No. 9 Shaler for seventh place. The top eight teams make states.

Seton LaSalle 72, Ligonier Valley 45 – Charlie Crummie scored 15 points to lead No. 7 Seton LaSalle (19-6) to a Class 3A consolation win. John Wega and Jaleel Wright each added 12 points for the Rebels, who will meet No. 1 Mohawk in the fifth-place game Wednesday. Michael Vargulish-Graver scored 11 points and Michael Wisniewski had 10 for No. 11 Ligonier Valley (13-12), which will face No. 5 Southmoreland in the seventh-place game. The top seven teams make states.