High school roundup for Feb. 5, 2022: Penn Hills beats Gateway in battle for 1st place

By: Tribune-Review
Saturday, February 5, 2022 | 11:23 PM

Purchase Photo Options

George Mitchell scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, leading Penn Hills to a 65-57 victory over Gateway on Saturday in a battle for first place in Section 3-5A boys basketball.

Daemar Kelly put up 15 points and Jaden Dugger added 12 for Penn Hills (15-3, 8-2). William Kromka led the Gators (11-5, 7-3) with 18 points with four 3-pointers and Jaydon Carr and Taili Thompson scored 13 points apiece.

Aliquippa 70, Freedom 34 — Randall Anderson scored 16 points as Aliquippa (11-7, 6-1) downed Freedom (2-16, 0-8) in Section 2-3A play. Damar Freeman added 13 points and Jayce Williams contributed 11 points for Aliquippa. Carter Huggins scored 14 points for Freedom.

Ambridge 62, Hopewell 47 – Adam Fernandez (20), Ben Corklic (11) and Gio Cassarino (10) finished in double figures to help Ambridge (1-14, 1-10) top Hopewell (4-15, 1-11) in Section 2-4A.

Avella 59, Propel Montour 52 — In Section 2-A, Brandon Samol scored 25 points to lead Avella (2-17, 1-6) to the win against Propel Montour (3-13, 1-6). Westley Burchianti added 10 points for Avella while Cortae Sidberry led Propel Montour with 12 points and Darrell White scored 11 points.

Beaver Falls 50, Laurel 47 — Isaiah Aeschbacher scored 23 points to lead Beaver Falls (9-9, 5-3) to the Section 1-3A win against Laurel (11-6, 4-4). Trey Singleton added 10 points for Beaver Falls, which trailed at halftime, 26-19. Laban Barker had 15 points for Laurel and Kobe DeRosa tallied 13 points.

Canon-McMillan 68, Baldwin 54 – Jacob Samorsky led all scorers with 24 points, Aiden Berger put up 18 with four 3-pointers and Tyriek Williams added 14 to lead Canon-McMillan (11-7, 3-5) to a Section 2-6A win over Baldwin (10-9, 4-4). Nathan Wesling scored 15 points and James Wesling followed with 14 for the Fighting Highlanders.

Deer Lakes 70, Derry 54 – Justin Brannagan put up 19 points, Bryce Robson followed with 16 and Armend Karpuzi finished with 11 to lead Deer Lakes (12-5, 6-4) to a Section 1-4A win over Derry (4-12, 1-10). Nate Papuga led all scorers with 21 and Tyson Webb added 20 for the Trojans.

Eden Christian 60, Burrell 58 – Damon Astorino scored 26 points and Malachi Manges added 14 as Eden Christian (9-7) beat Burrell (11-8) in a nonsection game at Hoops for a Cure. Brandon Coury posted 26 points, Travis Bitar put up 12 and Macky Bennis notched 11 for the Bucs.

Elizabeth Forward 57, Southmoreland 36 — Ethan Bowser scored 22 points and Mekhi Daniels added 17 as Elizabeth Forward (14-5, 8-2) won its fifth straight by beating Southmoreland (6-11, 3-7) in Section 3-4A.

Hampton 63, Fairview 56 — At Hoops for a Cure at North Allegheny, Matt DeMatteo had 22 points and Eric Weeks had 19 points as Hampton (10-8) defeated Fairview (16-2). Liam Mignogna added 12 points for Hampton while Logan Frazio scored 19 points for Fairview, which led by five points at halftime

Leechburg 93, Aquinas Academy 58 — Led by Eli Rich’s 18 points, six players scored in double figures for Leechburg (14-3, 5-2) in its Section 3-A win over Aquinas Academy (10-6, 3-4). Braylan Lovelace added 16 points, Owen McDermott and Devaughn Knight 15 points each, Tyler Foley 11 points and Marcus Cleveland 10 points. Vinnie Cugini scored a game-high 37 points for Aquinas Academy.

Monessen 65, Bentworth 31 – Monessen (14-4, 8-0) raced out to a 37-3 at the end of the first quarter en route to a Section 4-2A win. Lorenzo Gardner had 23 points for the Greyhounds and Kody Kuhns netted 20. Landon Urcho scored 20 for Bentworth (5-12, 1-7).

Montour 48, Moon 39 – Diaun Pinkett had 13 points and Tyriq Eleam scored 10 to power Montour (13-4) to a nonsection win. Elijah Guildry paced Moon (6-12) with 17 points and Michael Santicola scored 10.

McGuffey 54, Beth-Center 48 – Grayson Wallace and Jantzen Durbin scored 12 points apiece to lead McGuffey (7-10, 2-7) past Beth-Center (3-13, 0-10) in Section 4 3-A.

Mt. Lebanon 56, Peters Township 43 — Joey Peters had 17 points as Mt. Lebanon (11-8, 5-3) beat Peters Township (7-12, 1-7) in a Section 1-6A contest. Lucas Garofoli added 15 points on five 3-pointers while Zac D’Alesandro contributed 11 points. Gavin Cote led Peters Township with 18 points and hit four 3-pointers.

Neshannock 73, Riverside 47 – Paul Litrenta had 18 points on six 3-pointers and Michael Sopko recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds to pace Neshannock (14-4, 5-3) in a Section 1-3A win. Bo Fornataro scored 21 for Riverside (5-15, 0-8) and Madden Boehm had 14.

New Castle 77, Trinity 63 – Mike Wells had 30 points and Michael Graham added 15 to help New Castle (16-1, 8-0) earn a Section 2-4A victory. Connor Roberts had 23 for Trinity (4-14, 0-8).

North Catholic 73, Knoch 51 — Andrew Maddalon scored 25 points and Max Rottmann added 21 points and 10 rebounds as North Catholic (16-1, 10-0) defeated Knoch (6-14, 2-9) in a Section 1-4A contest. Ryan Lang led Knoch with 20 points while Luke Herrit added 11 points.

North Hills 65, Seneca Valley 48 — In Section 1-6A, Royce Parham had 20 points and Alex Smith contributed 19 points as North Hills (18-0, 10-0) beat Seneca Valley (7-13, 3-8). Devin Burgess and Will Blass added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for North Hills. Luke Lawson scored a game-high 22 points for Seneca Valley.

Quaker Valley 72, Obama Academy 47 – Markus Frank had 31 points and Quaker Valley (16-0) topped Obama Academy (9-7) at Hoops for a Cure at Sewickley Academy. Adou Thiero added 21 points for the Quakers and Jack Gardinier scored 12. Dame Givner scored 21 for Obama Academy.

Seton LaSalle 84, Summit Academy 64 — Connor Spratt scored 25 points to lead Seton LaSalle (16-2, 8-0) to a win over Summit Academy (4-7, 1-5) in Section 2-3A play. Emmett Harris added 12 points, J.R. Jones and Josh Wilkins 11 points each and Pat Weldon 10 points. Allen Grimes led Summit Academy with 17 points while Kyle Davenport scored 14 points and Antoine Evans 13 points.

South Allegheny 58, Apollo-Ridge 35 — Bryce Epps scored 28 points to lead South Allegheny (13-5, 9-2) to the Section 3-3A win over Apollo-Ridge (4-15, 3-7). Cam Epps added 12 points in the win while Gage Johnston led Apollo-Ridge with 22 points.

South Side 53, Sewickley Academy 52 – Brody Almashy scored 20 points and Aidan Roach netted 18 to help South Side (7-11, 4-3) edge Sewickley Academy (3-10, 1-5) in Section 1-2A. Dusty Mackall added 13 points for the Rams. Nolan Donnelly led the Panthers with 26 points and Josh Chico scored 13.

West Allegheny 77, Chartiers Valley 73 – Scott Bilovus scored 21 points to lead five players in double figures for West Allegheny (8-10, 3-5) in a Section 2-5A win. Ryan Herman had 14, Nodin Tracy 12, Brandon Bell 11 and Joe Pustover 10. Joey Zajicek led four players in double figures for Chartiers Valley (7-12, 5-3). Jayden Davis had 19, Brendan Cruz 12 and Brandon Ferguson 10.

Winchester Thurston 88, Serra Catholic 66 — Jackson Juzang had 29 points to become Winchester Thurston’s all-time leading scorer and had 16 rebounds in a Section 3-2A win over Serra Catholic (8-9, 6-2). Juzang has 1,085 career points, breaking Tyler Coleman’s mark of 1,079. Lance Nicholls added 19 points for Winchester Thurston (8-6, 5-3) while Michael Bruni scored 15 points. Brendan Cooley paced Serra Catholic with 18 points while Owen Dumbroski and Isaiah Petty added 16 and 12 points.

Girls basketball

California 64, Beth-Center 19 — Kendelle Weston scored 36 points to lead California (10-8, 5-3) to the Section 2-2A win against Beth-Center (2-15, 0-8). McKenna Hewitt added 10 points in the win.

Charleroi 61, McGuffey 50 — McKenna DeUnger had 24 points and Riley Jones had 22 as Charleroi (12-8, 6-4) beat McGuffey (8-11, 3-7) in Section 2-3A play. Taylor Schumacher led McGuffey with 18 points while Claire Redd contributed 11 points.

Chartiers Valley 71, West Allegheny 28 — Perri Page had 19 points as Chartiers Valley (17-1, 8-0) defeated West Allegheny (6-12, 0-8) in Section 1-5A. Hallie Cowan added 15 points and Aislin Malcom scored 13 points for Chartiers Valley, which led 51-17 at halftime.

Deer Lakes 52, Derry 21 — In Section 1-4A, Reese Halsey scored 15 points and Nikki Fleming contributed 10 points as Deer Lakes (7-10, 5-5) beat Derry (7-11, 4-7). Tiana Moracco scored 10 points in the loss.

Gateway 54, Penn Hills 41 – Alexis Margolis led all scorers with 27 points and Marina Grado followed with 18 to lead Gateway (3-12, 3-7) to a Section 4-5A win over Penn Hills (1-16, 0-10). Hannah Pugliese scored 16 points, Egypt Coleman added 11 and Cara Crawford chipped in with 10 for the Indians.

Hampton 52, Brentwood 25 — Meghan Murray scored 14 points and Kayla Hoehler and Sophia Kelly added 13 points each as Hampton (15-2) beat Brentwood (7-10) at Hoops for a Cure at North Allegheny.

Hempfield 63, Canon-McMillan 61 – Brooke McCoy had 19 points to lead four Spartans in double figures in a Section 2-6A win. Ashley Hosni and Sarah Podkul scored 13 apiece for Hempfield (3-14, 2-9) and Alexis Hainesworth netted 10. Stellanie Loutsion had a game-high 27 points for Canon-McMillan (5-12, 0-10) and Kelsey Wandera scored 14.

Hopewell 49, Ambridge 43 — Lauryn Speicher scored 25 points to lead Hopewell (6-11, 5-7) to a Section 2-4A win against Ambridge (1-16, 0-11). Marlee Mancini added 13 points for Hopewell. Ava Timmons paced Ambridge with 13 points while Angelina Bratton and Delaney Moore added 12 and 10 points.

Indiana 70, State College 38 — Hope Cook scored 19 points to lead Indiana (15-3) to a nonsection win against State College. Katie Kovalchick added 17 points and Eve Fiala scored 16 points for Indiana, which won its eighth straight game.

Laurel 40, Greensburg Central Catholic 38 – Johnna Hill had 16 points and Kendra Ruperto scored 12 to help Laurel (11-7) edge Greensburg Central Catholic (13-4) at Hoops for a Cure at Sewickley Academy. Bailey Kuhns had 23 points for the Centurions.

Lincoln Park 49, Sto-Rox 48 (OT) – Lincoln Park outscored Sto-Rox 14-8 in the fourth quarter to force overtime and went on to earn a tight nonsection victory. Sarah Scott had 19 points for the Leopards (10-7) and Makayla Newsome scored 15. Alicia Young had a game-high 31 for the Vikings (7-9).

McKeesport 41, Latrobe 29 – Madison Hertzler scored 12 points and Brooke Evans added nine to lead McKeesport (16-4, 9-1) past Latrobe (13-1, 9-1) in a battle for the top spot in Section 4-5A.

Mohawk 59, Riverside 17 — Erynne Capalbo had 14 points as Mohawk (6-11, 5-5) beat Riverside (2-13, 0-8) in Section 1-3A. Alexa Kadilak and Madisyn Cole added 12 points each for Mohawk.

Montour 38, Central Valley 37 — Raegan Kadlecik scored 16 points as Montour (13-4, 8-3) beat Central Valley (5-12, 4-7) in Section 2-4A. Jordyn Wolfe added 10 points for Montour while Alyssa Gillan led Central Valley with 10 points.

Mt. Lebanon 55, Bethel Park 29 – Payton Collins had 18 points on six 3-pointers and Ashleigh Connor scored 16 for Mt. Lebanon (19-0, 10-0) in a Section 2-6A win. The Blue Devils used a 21-4 margin in the second quarter to take control. Emma Dziezgowski scored 10 for Bethel Park (8-9, 6-4).

North Allegheny 55, Shaler 35 — Taylor Rawls hit four 3-pointers on her way to scoring 16 points to lead North Allegheny (17-1, 11-1) to the Section 1-6A win over Shaler (6-13, 3-9). Haley Kosterick had 14 points including four 3-pointers for Shaler while teammate Hannah Dejidas had 13 points. North Allegheny, which trailed by one at halftime, outscored Shaler 19-4 in the third quarter to pull away.

Norwin 43, Seneca Valley 29 — Maggie Race had 10 points as Norwin (14-4, 11-1) beat Seneca Valley (11-7, 8-4) in Section 1-6A play. Olivia West’s 10 points paced Seneca Valley. Norwin trailed by one point at halftime before outscoring Seneca Valley, 24-9, in the second half.

Southmoreland 43, Elizabeth Forward 23 — In Section 3-4A, Gracie Spadaro had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead Southmoreland (15-3, 9-1) to victory over Elizabeth Forward (14-4, 8-2). Delaynie Morvosh chipped in 12 points for Southmoreland while Brooke Markland led Elizabeth Forward with 14 points.

Union 50, New Castle 31 — Kelly Cleaver had 11 points and 10 rebounds as Union (18-0) beat New Castle (5-12) in nonsection play. Elise Booker and Kylie Fruehstorfer also tallied 11 points for Union. Rihanna Boice scored 14 points for New Castle.

Wrestling

Pine-Richland duals – The host team went 5-0 to take first-place honors in Saturday’s dual meet tournament. The Rams defeated Hampton, Mt. Lebanon, Conneaut, Moon and Hempfield. Highlands also went undefeated, beating Bethel Park, Moon, Seneca Valley, Hempfield and Mt. Lebanon, but Pine-Richland won the total points tiebreaker.