High school roundup for Feb. 9, 2024: Pine-Richland boys in, New Castle, Seneca Valley out on wild final day

By: Triblive
Saturday, February 10, 2024 | 12:24 AM

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Pine-Richland lost to Butler on Friday night but was the big winner anyway when the Section 1-6A boys basketball standings were finalized.

Braylon Littlejohn scored 22 points, Donovan Carney added 16 and Tayt Lucas finished with 12 to lead the third-place Golden Tornado (16-5, 6-4) to a 58-50 victory over the Rams. Carson Baer put up 18 and Zach Kenny followed with 17 for Pine-Richland (7-14, 3-7).

Meanwhile, Tyler Pepin scored 27 points and Kai West followed with 26 to lead Seneca Valley (7-15, 3-7) to a 67-62 victory over New Castle (14-8, 3-7). Ralphie Blundo scored 17 points and Kyrell Harris had 14 for the Red Hurricane.

When the dust settled, Pine-Richland, New Castle and Seneca Valley were locked in a three-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot. The Rams won the tiebreaker because they had a 3-1 record in games between the tied teams.

Aliquippa 71, Shenango 31 – Brandon Banks scored 14 points and Qa’Lil Goode added 10 for Aliquippa (17-4, 10-0) in a Section 1-2A win. Brody McQuiston scored 13 points for Shenango (12-8, 6-5).

Allderdice 72, Carrick 31 – Logan Golle drained five 3-pointers, scoring his 1,000th career point on the fourth, and finished the game with 24 points as Allderdice (18-3, 10-0) cruised to a City League win. Azerick Jetter scored 15 points and Lukas Stead added 10 for the Dragons. Kelenn Ward had eight points for Carrick (9-13, 4-6).

Aquinas Academy 67, St. Joseph 49 – David Zahorko scored 20 points and Jacob Guillen and Jonah Burchill added 14 points apiece to lead Aquinas Academy (14-7, 6-4) to a Section 3-A win. Charlie Ross scored 15 points and Gabe Maltese had 11 for St. Joseph (3-17, 2-7).

Avonworth 82, West Mifflin 54 – Rowan Carmichael put up 23 points, Anthony Arlia scored 17 and Noah Goetz chipped in with 11 as Avonworth (15-7, 7-3) rolled West Mifflin (10-10, 3-7) in Section 4-4A. David Fleming had 13 and Daven Reynolds followed with 12 for the Titans.

Beaver 69, North Catholic 61 – Brady Mayo led all scorers with 25 points, Ty Butler produced 19 and Nick Krzeczowski sank five 3-pointers and finished with 16 points as Beaver (12-9, 8-4) toppled North Catholic (13-7, 9-3) in Section 2-4A. Max Hurray scored 18 points, Jason Frederick made five 3s and had 15 points and Jude Rottmann had 10 for the Trojans.

Brashear 71, Perry 48 – Titus Gillett led all scorers with 20 points, Garett White sank six 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, Anthony Jackson added 17 and Karmello Harshey tallied 11 to lead Brashear (9-10, 6-4) to a City League win. Jordan Roland scored 11 points as Keith Johnson and Chaz Jackson scored 10 points apiece for Perry (2-16, 1-8).

Burrell 58, Valley 44 – Macky Bennis scored 24 points to lead Burrell (13-5, 8-4) to a Section 3-3A win. Jake Staraniec scored 14 points for Valley (5-14, 3-8).

Carlynton 53, Cornell 38 – Jake Moldovan scored 14 points, Devonte Dean had 13 and Jaydin McKnight added 10 to lead Carlynton (6-14, 5-5) to a Section 1-A win over Cornell (6-13, 2-7).

Central Valley 55, Hopewell 34 – Isaiah Jeter scored 23 points and Jude Coombs added 16 to lead Central Valley (12-8, 5-6) to a Section 2-4A win. Zachary Kovall led Hopewell (7-15, 1-11) with 20 points.

Chartiers-Houston 58, Carmichaels 34 – Justus Buckingham led all scorers with 21 points and Avery Molek added 11 for Chartiers-Houston (16-6, 9-3) in a Section 4-2A. Dominic Colarusso led Carmichaels (4-16, 1-11) with 10 points.

Derry 96, Ligonier Valley 60 – Nate Papuga drained five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 42 points, Stanley Rajkocich hit for 12 and Roman Fridley followed with 10 as Derry (12-6, 6-5) dropped Ligonier Valley (5-16, 3-8) in Section 3-3A. Michael Wisniewski made eight 3-pointers and had 24 points while Brian Wisniewski and Parker Hannah each added 12 for the Rams.

Eden Christian 66, Propel Braddock Hills 37 – Led by 18 points from Grayson Reichart, 14 from Ben Rice and 13 from Brady Hull, Eden Christian (11-9, 6-2) picked up a Section 2-2A win. Malik Jetter scored 12 for Propel Braddock Hills (5-15, 0-8).

Ellwood City 73, Riverside 45 – Joe Roth put up 18 points, Ryan Widmaier followed with 17 and Colton Crizer had 11 for Ellwood City (14-7, 9-3) in a Section 1-3A. Drake Fox scored 18 points and McCartney Plassmeyer added 11 for Riverside (8-14, 4-8).

Fort Cherry 56, Burgettstown 53 – Shane Cornali scored 22 points and Derek Errett added 21 as Fort Cherry (16-5, 11-1) clinched sole possession of the Section 4-2A title. James Leuice scored 18 points and Zack Schrockman had 12 for Burgettstown (16-6, 9-3).

Franklin Regional 92, McKeesport 85 – Cam Rowell (25), Cooper Rankin (24), Colin Masten (14), Fin Hutchison (12) and Connor Crossey (10) scored in double figures as Franklin Regional (19-2, 9-1) beat McKeesport (5-13, 1-9) in Section 3-5A. Lamont Perkins led all scorers with 40 points, Dominique Cochran had 16 and Keith Spell netted 11 for the Tigers.

Frazier 59, Beth-Center 49 – Dalian McManus led all scorers with 24 points while Brock Alekson and Brennan Stewart scored 15 points apiece for Frazier (11-11, 6-6) in a Section 4-2A win. Jason Zellie and Brody Tharp each scored 13 points and Parker Amos added 10 for Beth-Center (6-14, 4-7).

Greensburg Central Catholic 73, Springdale 40 – Tyree Turner scored 21 points and Franco Alvarez added 20 to lead Greensburg Central Catholic (20-2, 12-0) to a Section 3-2A win, eliminating Springdale (14-8, 5-7) from playoff contention. Liam Gallagher added 11 for the Centurions. Mason Gent scored 16 for the Dynamos.

Hampton 64, Greensburg Salem 50 – Peter Kramer dropped 19 points, Liam Mignonga added 15 and Alex Nyilas netted 12 as Hampton (18-3, 10-0) won in Section 1-4A, eliminating Greensburg Salem (4-17, 2-8) from playoff contention. Ryan Burkhart scored 17 points, Braedon Leatherman had 12 and AJ Tarpley finished with 11 for the Golden Lions, who led 14-10 after the first quarter.

Jeannette 75, Riverview 54 – Jayce Powell scored 23 points, Markus McGowan had 17 and Kymone Brown added 13 to lead Jeannette (14-7, 9-3) to a Section 3-2A win. Rece Stempfer led Riverview (8-13, 2-10) with 30 points.

Jefferson-Morgan 80, Geibel 41 – Houston Guseman scored 16 points, Dayton Marion had 14 and Jase Bedillion added 12 to lead Jefferson-Morgan (13-9, 5-5) to a Section 2-A win. Tommy Kolencik scored 15 points and Gary Tarbuk had 14 for Geibel (1-21, 1-9).

Kiski Area 62, Penn-Trafford 37 – Isaiah Gonzalez led all scorers with 23 points and Noah Thimons made four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points as Kiski Area (13-7, 4-5) clinched third place in Section 3-5A. Tyler Freas led Penn-Trafford (11-11, 5-5) with 10 points.

Knoch 58, Highlands 53 – Derek Lang scored 17 points and Teegan Finucan added 13 as Knoch (14-7, 7-3) locked up second place in Section 1-4A. Bradyn Foster led Highlands (14-7, 6-4) with 26 points and Jordyn Tavarez had 15.

Lincoln Park 102, Blackhawk 61 – Brandin Cummings and Meleek Thomas scored 29 points each and Rhaki Lum added 21 for Lincoln Park (18-3, 12-0) in a Section 2-4A win. Nate Franitti scored 22, Tyler Heckathorn added 11 and Jackson Ursida had 10 for Blackhawk (6-16, 3-9).

McGuffey 64, Waynesburg 36 – Grayson Wallace scored 26 points and Ayden Cunningham followed with 16 to lead McGuffey (14-8, 5-7) to a Section 4-3A win. Austin Surber scored nine to lead Waynesburg (7-15, 2-10).

Monessen 90, California 59 – Lorenzo Gardner scored a school-record 64 points to lead Monessen (17-3, 9-1) to a Section 2-A win. Gardner shattered the Monessen record of 53 set by Josh Arnold in 2006. He was only seven points off the all-time WPIAL mark of 71, set by Mohawk’s Larry Hardesty in 1959. Noah Neal led California (7-15, 6-4) with 16 points. Caden Monticella added 13 and Vinny Manzella followed with 12.

Montour 68, Quaker Valley 54 – Jake Wolfe dropped 17 points while Kaleb Platz and Ama Sow followed with 16 points apiece to lead Montour (17-3, 8-1) to a Section 4-4A win. Joseph Coyle led all scorers with 26 points, Zachary Washington added 14 and Sam Chapman chipped in with 10 for Quaker Valley (10-11, 5-5).

Mt. Lebanon 61, Canon-McMillan 43 – Liam Sheely led with 19 points, Brody Barber followed with 17 and Riley Farabaugh added 12 for Mt. Lebanon (18-3, 9-1) in a Section 2-6A win. Michael Detrich and Christian Scheeider scored seven points apiece for Canon-McMillan (9-12, 4-6).

Neshannock 69, Mohawk 67 (OT) – Talan Anderton led with 21 points, David Kwiat followed with 13, Jake Rynd added12 and Anthony Bonner had 11 to push second-place Neshannock (17-3, 10-2) to a Section 1-3A win. Bobby Fadden scored 42 points and Keigan Hopper had 11 for first-place Mohawk (15-7, 11-1).

Northgate 101, Laurel 41 – Landon Lockett (24), Josh Williams (21), Austin Mitchell (13), Rob McKinley (11), Tylan Daniels (10) and Kaden Kemp (10) scored in double figures as Northgate (16-4, 8-2) coasted to a Section 1-2A win. Jayden Iorio had 11 for Laurel (2-19, 0-10).

Norwin 58, Hempfield 45 – Noah Wilson led with 17 points, Luke Denny added 14 and Alex Wiggins had 12 for Norwin (8-12, 2-8) in a Section 2-6A win. Caden Biondi, Drew Gordon and Max Williams scored eight points apiece for Hempfield (4-18, 0-10).

OLSH 77, Keystone Oaks 19 – Vann Kavals scored 18 points, Matt Price finished with 11 and Jake Johnson added 10 as OLSH (17-4, 11-1) defeated Keystone Oaks (5-15, 4-8) in Section 2-3A. Dante More had seven points for the Eagles.

Penn Hills 73, Woodland Hills 66 – Robert Thomas scored 21 points and pulled in 16 rebounds, Lamire Redman had 15 points, Khalil Wall added 11 and Amon Hawthorne had 10 to lead Penn Hills (13-7, 6-4) to a Section 2-5A win. Scoop Smith led Woodland Hills (8-13, 5-5) with 25 points and Lamar Williams had 13.

Peters Township 76, Bethel Park 66 – Jack Dunbar and Nate Miller scored 21 points apiece and Nick McCullough tallied 11 for Peters Township (16-5, 8-2) in a Section 1-5A victory. Nick Brown scored 19 points, Michael Mathias added 15, and Jack Bruckner and Shawn Davis scored 11 points each for Bethel Park (11-10, 6-4).

Plum 62, Armstrong 46 – Will Beckner hit five 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lead Plum (7-14, 1-9) to a Section 2-5A victory. Brendan Getlak added 15 and Max Grice had 13 for the Mustangs. Isaiah Riggle scored 13 and Jack Valasek added 10 for Armstrong (10-12, 2-8).

Rochester 70, Western Beaver 44 – Xavier Rigby made four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 24 points, Dom Guido tallied 12 points and Jayvin Hemer added 10 for Rochester (15-5, 9-1) in a Section 1-A win. Nathan Schwarz scored 17 points and Jackson Liller had 11 for Western Beaver (3-17, 1-8).

Serra Catholic 74, Leechburg 34 – Pete Burke scored 24 points to lead Serra Catholic (15-7, 8-4) to a Section 3-2A victory. Isiah Petty added 17 and Owen Dumbroski had 13 for the Eagles. Jayden Floyd led Leechburg (2-19, 0-12) with 12 points.

Seton LaSalle 45, Sto-Rox 37 – Patrick Weldon dropped 12 points and Hayden Merchant produced 10 as Seton LaSalle (16-5, 11-1) beat Sto-Rox (10-12, 5-7) in Section 2-3A. David Johnson had 12 to pace the Vikings.

Shady Side Academy 56, Deer Lakes 54 – Eli Teslovich scored 28 points and Ryan Frohlich had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Shady Side Academy (14-6, 10-2) in a battle of the top two teams in Section 3-3A. Billy Schaeffer scored 17 and Nathaniel Moore added 10 for Deer Lakes (17-4, 11-1).

South Allegheny 70, East Allegheny 44 – Mike Michalski scored 26 points, Drew Cook followed with 23 and Cam Epps added 12 for South Allegheny (15-6, 6-4) in a Section 4-4A win. Damar Young led East Allegheny (3-18, 0-10) with 19 points.

South Fayette 60, West Allegheny 51 – Michael Plasko recorded his 1,000th career point and finished with 24 points and Gino Satira added 11 for South Fayette (13-8, 7-3) in a Section 4-5A. Justin Manns put up 15 points, Brandon Bell had 13, including his 1,000th career point, and Brady Miller tallied 12 for West Allegheny (11-11, 0-10).

Southmoreland 66, Albert Gallatin 55 – Noah Felentzer led Southmoreland (15-6, 4-5) with 17 points, Ty Keffer had 14 and Ronnie Collins added 11 in a Section 3-4A win, eliminating Albert Gallatin from playoff contention. Shymere Wilson scored 28 points for the Colonials (9-11, 3-7).

Thomas Jefferson 84, Connellsville 48 – Noah Prosser dropped 21 points, Brody Evans added 14 and Evan Berger and Nick Trklja had 11 points apiece as Thomas Jefferson (17-3, 9-0) rolled to a Section 1-5A victory. Anthony Piasecki hit for 13 and Bruce Giles added 11 for Connellsville (2-18, 1-8).

Trinity 74, Ringgold 43 – Jacob Dunkle dropped 22 points, Anthony Giorgi added 15 and Jonah Williamson followed with 14 to boost Trinity (9-12, 4-6) past Ringgold (4-17, 1-9) in Section 1-5A. Daryll Tolliver scored 16 and Braylen Lomax had 12 for the Rams.

Union 91, Avella 68 – Luca Stanley led Union (12-10, 8-2) with 35 points, Grayson Blakely added 20 and Braylon Thomas had 12 in a Section 1-A win. Westley Burchianti scored 27 points and Nate Cilia and Bryce Wright had 18 points apiece for Avella (9-13, 4-6).

Uniontown 85, Laurel Highlands 44 – Issac Ellsworth led Uniontown (18-3, 9-1) with 15 points, Jamire Braxton followed with 14 and Jeremiah Hager added 13 in a Section 3-4A win. Luka Suchevits scored nine points for Laurel Highlands (2-20, 0-10).

Upper St. Clair 57, Baldwin 52 – Brett Meinert scored 19 points to push Upper St. Clair (15-5, 8-2) to a Section 2-6A win. Nathan Wesling scored 22 points for Baldwin (16-5, 7-3).

West Greene 47, Mapletown 44 – Lane Allison led with 28 points and Parker Burns added 10 to push West Greene (14-7, 8-2) to a Section 2-A win. Braden McIntire scored 14 points and AJ Vanata had 10 for Mapletown (2-17, 1-8).

Yough 52, Charleroi 26 – Terek Crosby scored 21 points and Austin Matthews added nine to lead Yough (17-4, 10-1) to a Section 4-3A win. Bryce Large scored eight points for Charleroi (8-14, 3-9).

Girls basketball

Allderdice 47, Carrick 15 – Bailey White scored 20 points to lead Allderdice (13-9, 10-1) to a City League win. Jayonna Johnson led Carrick (5-14, 1-9) with eight points.

Blackhawk 57, Morgantown (WV) 44 – Aubree Hupp scored 19 points and Alena Fusetti, Haley Romigh and Andrea Kinger added 10 points apiece to lead Blackhawk (20-2) to a nonsection win. Sofia Wassick scored 17 points for Morgantown.

Butler 53, Pine-Richland 52 – Sydney Patterson went the length of the court, scoring the game-winning layup at the buzzer to lift Butler (6-15, 3-7) past Pine-Richland (7-13, 4-6) in Section 1-6A. Amelia McMichale led all scorers with 27 points and Patterson finished with 17 for the Golden Tornado. Madison Zavasky led the Rams with 25 points.

Canon-McMillan 44, Peters Township 41 – Lauren Borella produced 15 points and Nadia Davis added 10 as Canon-McMillan (11-10, 4-8) handed Peters Township (20-1, 11-1) its first loss of the season in Section 2-6A. Natalie Wetzel led all scorers with 19 points and Gemma Walker had 12 for the Indians.

Chartiers-Houston 54, Carmichaels 22 – Ava Capozzoli scored 19 points and Amelia Brose added 14 to lead Chartiers-Houston (16-5, 11-1) to a Section 4-2A win. Megan Voithofer scored eight points for Carmichaels (4-16, 3-8).

Clairton 53, Winchester Thurston 38 – Iyanna Wade led Clairton (16-4, 8-4) with 33 points and Karma Fuqua and Mariah Carpenter added eight points apiece in a Section 3-2A win. Jasmine Hollins scored 14 points for Winchester Thurston (10-11, 6-5).

North Allegheny 70, Hempfield 31 – Grace Heliger put up 21 points, Lydia Betz netted 17 and Caroline Henderson chipped in with 13 as North Allegheny (19-2, 8-2) rolled to a Section 1-6A win. Sarah Podkul scored 13 and Allie Cervola added 10 for Hempfield (8-13, 1-8).

Shaler 48, Fox Chapel 39 – Hanna Dejidas scored 12 points and Hilary Quinn added 11 to lead Shaler (8-14, 5-7) to a Section 2-5A win. Bella Urso scored 12, Skye Byrnes 11 and Lyla Jablon 10 for Fox Chapel (6-15, 4-8).

South Fayette 55, West Allegheny 32 – Juliette Leroux scored 18 points and Lainey Yater added 12 to lead South Fayette (13-8, 6-4) to a Section 4-5A win. Alexis Santucci scored 12 points and Emma Ruperto had 10 for West Allegheny (7-13, 1-9).