High school roundup for Jan. 26, 2024: Thomas Jefferson stands tall with key section win over Peters Township

By: Triblive
Saturday, January 27, 2024 | 12:20 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Noah Prosser scored 17 points to lead Thomas Jefferson to a 70-58 victory over Peters Township in a key Section 1-5A boys basketball matchup Friday night.

Nicholas Trklja and Evan Berger each scored 15 for the Jaguars (13-3, 6-0). Mickey Vaccarello had 17 and Jack Dunbar finished with 13 for Peters Township (12-5, 4-2).

Aliquippa 81, South Side 44 – Joshua Pratt scored 28 points and DeMarkus Walker added 19 to lead Aliquippa (11-4, 6-0) to a Section 2-2A win. Andrew Corfield led South Side (6-10, 1-5) with 15 points and Carter Wilson had 11.

Aquinas Academy 64, Summit Academy 48 – Jake Guillen scored 26 points and Sam Duer added 19 as Aquinas Academy (11-5, 4-2) defeated Summit Academy (3-8, 1-5) in Section 3-A.

Avella 61, Western Beaver 49 – Westley Burchianti recorded a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead Avella (9-9, 4-2) to a Section 1-A win. Nate Cilia scored 15 points and Bryce Wright added 13 for the Eagles. Jackson Liller led all scorers with 31 points and Carter Marshall chipped in with 10 for Western Beaver (3-14, 1-5).

Beaver 63, Central Valley 51 – Brady Mayo led Beaver (9-9, 5-4) with 22 points, Ty Butler and Philip Marino added 11 points apiece and Nick Krzeczowski had 10 in a Section 2-4A win. Isaiah Jeter scored 29 points for Central Valley (10-5, 4-3).

Beth-Center 40, Carmichaels 34 – Jason Zellie put up 15 points, Santino Revi tacked on 12 and Brody Tharp hit for 10 as Beth-Center (5-12, 3-5) prevailed over Carmichaels (3-13, 0-8) in Section 4-2A. Dominic Colarusso scored 12 for the Mighty Mikes.

Bethel Park 90, Ringgold 49 – Nick Brown and Tanner Pfueffer scored 20 points apiece and Shawn Davis and Jack Bruckner added 11 each for Bethel Park (9-8, 4-2) in a Section 1-5A win. Daryl Tolliver scored 18 points for Ringgold (3-14, 0-6).

Bishop Canevin 48, Nazareth Prep 45 – Michael Vaughn scored 20 points, Drew Allen had 13 and Raukeem Hawkins added 11 to push Bishop Canevin (8-7, 5-0) to a 2-2A win. Will Evans led Nazareth Prep (5-8, 1-3) with 15 points and Micah Caldwell and Leon Harrison had 10 points apiece.

Brentwood 40, Steel Valley 37 – Forrest Betz and Aidan Barker scored 13 points each to lead Brentwood (5-13, 3-6) to a Section 2-3A win. Nahjir Norris led Steel Valley (0-16, 0-8) with 16 points.

Canon-McMillan 51, Norwin 47 – Eamon O’Donoghue scored 15 points and Roman Koenemund followed with 14 in a Canon-McMillan (8-9, 3-4) Section 2-6A win. Mario Csukas hit for 10 to lead Norwin (7-9, 1-5).

Central Catholic 63, Pine-Richland 49 – Vernon Settles scored 17 points, Payton Wehner and Enzo Khalil added 13 apiece and Xavier Thomas had 10 to lead Central Catholic (10-6, 5-1) to a Section 1-6A win. Vasili Balouris scored 15 points and Carson Baer had 13 for Pine-Richland (6-9, 2-4).

Chartiers Valley 66, West Allegheny 57 – Danny Slizik scored 14 points, Julian Semplice had 12 and TJ Kubicsek added 10 to push Chartiers Valley (8-9, 2-4) to a Section 4-5A win. Justin Manns led West Allegheny (11-7, 0-6) with 17 points and Brady Miller and Brandon Bell had 15 points apiece.

Chartiers-Houston 54, Bentworth 47 – Ben Hays and Lucas Burt scored 14 points apiece and Christopher Harper notched 11 as Chartiers-Houston (13-5, 6-3) beat Bentworth (3-13, 2-7) in Section 4-2A. Avery Molek had 12 points, Justus Buckingham followed with 11 and Nate Gregory netted 10 for the Bearcats.

Deer Lakes 85, Blackhawk 58 – Nathaniel Moore scored 22 points to lead four players in double figures for Deer Lakes (13-2) in a nonsection win over Blackhawk (4-13). Billy Schaeffer added 18, Collin Rodgers 14 and Wayne Love 11. Tyler Heckathorn had 24 and Hayden Jones 13 for the Cougars.

Derry 51, Burrell 50 – Nate Papuga dropped 16 points and John Wasnick added 15 as Derry (9-5, 4-4) edged out Burrell (11-4, 6-3) in Section 3-3A. Macky Bennis led all scorers with 22 points and Tucker Bitar had 12 for the Bucs.

Eden Christian 59, Winchester Thurston 43 – Luke Gronbeck scored 20 points and Nathan Garrett added 19 to lead Eden Christian (6-8, 3-1) to a Section 2-2A win. Matt Southers scored 13 points for Winchester Thurston (8-6, 2-2).

Fort Cherry 71, Frazier 43 – Derek Errett put up 17 points and Shane Cornali followed with 14 to boost Fort Cherry (13-4, 8-0) over Frazier (9-9, 4-4) in Section 4-2A. Brock Alekson scored 12 points and Trey Whitehead tallied 11 for the Commodores.

Freeport 61, Knoch 55 – Brady Sullivan scored 20 points to push Freeport (5-11, 2-4) to a Section 1-4A win. Danny King added 13 and Carson Kane 10 for the Yellowjackets, who jumped out to a 23-9 lead after one quarter. Jackson Bauman scored 17 points and Kaden Spencer added 16 for Knoch (11-6, 4-2).

Gateway 62, McKeesport 55 – Mykel Bruce-McCrommins dropped 18 points, Alex Lowry and Alec Dunsmore each had 11 and Vito Campolo netted 10 for Gateway (12-3, 5-1) in a Section 3-5A win. Dom Cochran amassed 19 points, Keith Spell added 11 and Brian Jones finished with 10 for McKeesport (3-10, 0-6).

Greensburg Central Catholic 77, Leechburg 23 – Tyree Turner led Greensburg Central Catholic (16-2, 9-0) with 18 points and Franco Alvarez added 16 in a Section 3-2A win. Rocco Vigna scored seven points for Leechburg (2-14, 0-7).

Greensburg Salem 59, Indiana 50 – Ryan Burkart led all scorers with 25 points, Braedon Leatherman had 13 points and AJ Tarpley added 11 for Greensburg Salem (3-14, 0-5) in a Section 1-4A. Stanford Webb had 14 points while Aaron Webb finished with 10 for Indiana (8-8, 2-3).

Hopewell 62, Ambridge 52 – Zach Kovell led with 18, Mason Showrank followed with 15 and Thomas Pipkins III added 10 for Hopewell (7-9, 1-7) in a Section 2-4A win. Jared Astorino scored 16 points and Adam Fernandez had 12 for Ambridge (6-12, 3-5).

Jefferson-Morgan 66, Mapletown 58 – Jase Bedillion put up 19 points, Houston Guesman notched 17 and Dayten Marion added 16 for Jefferson-Morgan (12-6, 4-2) in a Section 2-1A win. Josh Mick led all scorers with 20 points and AJ Vanata had 14 for Mapletown (2-12, 1-4).

Kiski Area 79, Latrobe 47 – Isaiah Gonzalez scored 24 points to lead Kiski Area (11-5, 3-3) to a decisive win in Section 3-5A. Owen Pearson added 13, Colin Keller 12 and Terry Martin 11 for the Cavaliers. Ja’Tawn Williams scored 12 and Max Butler and Ian DeCerb each added 10 for Latrobe (8-9, 3-3).

Ligonier Valley 64, Apollo-Ridge 46 – Michael Wisniewski hit six 3-pointers and finished with 27 points for Ligonier Valley (4-11, 2-5) in a Section 3-3A win. Michael Graver-Vargulish added 15 and Parker Hollick had 10 for the Rams. Karter Schrock scored 14 and Breydon Orvosh added 14 for Apollo-Ridge (2-16, 0-8).

Mohawk 82, Ellwood City 77 – Bobby Fadden posted 34 points and JJ Nail dropped 17 to lead Mohawk (11-6, 7-0) to a Section 1-3A. Joe Roth made three 3-pointers and erupted for a school single-game record 51 points to lead Ellwood City (10-7, 5-3).

Monessen 74, Geibel 41 – Lorenzo Gardner led Monessen (12-2, 5-1) with 23 points and Terrodric Williams added 14 in a Section 2-A win. Gary Tarbuk scored 25 points for Geibel (0-18, 0-6).

Montour 71, West Mifflin 49 – Jake Wolfe led all scorers with 26 points, Ama Tening Sow finished with 21 and Kaleb Platz had 12 for Montour (13-2, 4-1) in a Section 4-4A. David Fleming racked up 22 points for West Mifflin (9-7, 2-4).

Mt. Pleasant 48, Charleroi 40 – Dante Giallanardo scored 22 points to push Mt. Pleasant (6-8, 5-2) to a Section 4-3A win. Jackson Keranko led Charleroi (7-12, 2-7) with 12 points and Jake Chambers had 10.

Neshannock 77, Beaver Falls 35 – Anthony Bonner scored 18 points, Finn Haggerty and Talan Anderton scored 11 points apiece and Matthew Sopko added 10 as Neshannock (14-3, 7-2) drubbed Beaver Falls (5-10, 5-4) in Section 1-3A. Braylon Pitts finished with 11 for the Tigers.

North Hills 64, Mars 57 – Zach Pollaro put up 24 points, Eric James followed with 18 and Nathan Schanbacher added 14 as North Hills (8-7, 3-3) beat Mars (9-8, 3-3) in Section 4-5A. Ryan Ceh dropped 24 points and Will Wilson netted 11 for the Fightin’ Planets.

OLSH 58, Sto-Rox 42 – Tiernan McCullough scored 23 points and Greg Mineard had 12 for OLSH (12-4, 7-1) in a Section 2-3A win. David Johnson led Sto-Rox (6-10, 3-5) with 20 points.

Penn Hills 44, Fox Chapel 42 (OT) – Robert Thomas scored 12 points, netting four of his team’s five points in overtime, including a tip-in at the buzzer, to lead Penn Hills (10-5, 3-3) to a Section 2-5A win. Will Siegel scored 20 for Fox Chapel (9-9, 4-2).

Propel Braddock Hills 70, Propel Montour 39 – Frederick Woodfork scored 13 points to lead four players in double figures for Propel Braddock Hills (4-11, 1-4) in a Section 2-2A win. Micah Kirkland and Malik Jetter each had 12 and Dylan Tomer added 10. Jaiden Williams scored 16 and Christopher Harris finished with 10 for Propel Montour (3-12, 0-1).

Riverside 50, New Brighton 26 – Darren McDade scored 13 points to lead Riverside (7-11, 3-5) to a Section 1-3A win over New Brighton (2-12, 0-6).

Rochester 56, Cornell 47 – Xavier Rigby scored 25 points and Brady Gorman added 12 to lead Rochester (11-5, 5-1) to a Section 1-A win. Julian Cordice scored 18 points for Cornell (5-11, 1-5).

Seneca Valley 61, Butler 56 – Tyler Pepin sank four 3-pointers and finished with 26 points, Owen Congdon scored 13 points and Kai West had 12 as Seneca Valley (6-12, 2-4) squeezed by Butler (14-2, 4-1) in Section 1-6A. Donovan Carney put up 17 points, Braylon Littlejohn followed with 16 and Tayt Lucas added 11 for the Golden Tornado.

Serra Catholic 72, Clairton 61 – Pete Burke led all scorers with 26 points and Isiah Petty followed with 23 to lead Serra Catholic (9-6, 3-4) to a Section 3-2A win. Bryant Blair scored 16, Mike Wright added 15, Taris Wooding posted 14 and Qua’Jon Miller had 10 for Clairton (9-10, 5-4).

Shady Side Academy 77, Valley 46 – Eli Teslovich put up 18 points and Ben Michaels followed with 16 to lead Shady Side Academy (9-6, 6-2) to a Section 3-3A win. Jake Staraniec made five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points for Valley (4-11, 2-5).

Shaler 71, Plum 32 – Julian Vizzoca scored 14 points, Keegan Smetanka added 11 and Kaden Orga tallied 10 as Shaler (16-2, 5-1) hit 12 3-pointers in a Section 2-5A win over Plum. Max Grice and Owen Proskin each scored nine for Plum (6-11, 0-6).

South Park 54, Keystone Oaks 49 – Luke Scarff scored 22 points, Danny Battista added 15 and Cooper Hochendoner had 11 to push South Park (10-7, 4-4) to a Section 2-3A win. Ethan Spivak led Keystone Oaks (5-12, 4-5) with 15 points and Luc Philistine had 10.

Springdale 68, Riverview 37 – Robby Simmen posted 17 points while Mason Gent and John Hughes each scored 15 as Springdale (13-5, 4-4) defeated Riverview (6-11, 1-8) in Section 3-2A. Rece Stempfer scored 11 points for the Raiders.

Trinity 85, Connellsville 51 – Jacob Dunkle led Trinity (7-10, 2-4) with 32 points, Kaden Hathaway had 12 and Jonah Williamson added 11 in a Section 1-5A win. Anthony Piasecki scored 19 points for Connellsville (2-14, 1-4).

Uniontown 89, Albert Gallatin 63 – Jamire Braxton led with 24 points, Notorious Grooms and Kelan Milsom followed with 17 apiece and Jeremiah Hager added 15 for Uniontown (15-0, 6-0) in a Section 3-4A win. Blake White scored 22 points and Mykel Belt had 15 for Albert Gallatin (6-8, 2-4).

Upper St. Clair 48, Hempfield 39 – Tyler Robbins scored 21 points and Brett Meinert added 12 to help Upper St. Clair (12-4, 5-1) to a Section 2-6A win. Drew Gordon and Aaron Woodley scored 10 points apiece for Hempfield (4-14, 0-6).

West Greene 61, California 49 – Lane Allison scored 17 points, Parker Burns had 14 and Matt Wassil added 10 to lead West Greene (10-5, 5-1) to a Section 2-A win. Vinny Manzella scored 15 points for California (4-13, 3-3).

Yough 58, Waynesburg 50 – Terek Crosby racked up 35 points and Austin Matthews tossed in 11 as Yough (13-4, 7-1) defeated Waynesburg (5-12, 2-7) in Section 4-3A. Cole Headlee scored 15 points and Alex Eck pulled in 11 rebounds for the Raiders.

Girls basketball

Blackhawk 67, Freedom 47 – Alena Fusetti led Blackhawk (15-2) with 24 points, including four 3-pointers, and Aubree Hupp followed with 23 in a nonsection win. Shaye Bailey scored 19 points for Freedom (9-9).

Chartiers-Houston 52, Bentworth 28 – Ella Richey notched 12 points, Amelia Brose and Mia Mitrik scored 11 and Ava Capozzoli followed with 11 as Chartiers-Houston (13-4, 9-0) beat Bentworth (4-14, 1-8) in Section 4-2A. Amber Sallee had 15 points to pace the Bearcats.

Franklin Regional 45, Penn Hills 42 – Olivia Orndorff scored 16 points, Madison DeRiggi added 12 and Toryn Fulton finished with 10 in a Franklin Regional (4-13, 4-5) Section 1-5A win. Egypt Coleman put up 15 and Milani Oliver had 10 for Penn Hills (7-8, 4-4).

Kiski Area 48, Gateway 17 – Abbie Johns scored 20 points, hitting 5 of 5 shots from 3-point range, to hit the 1,000-point mark for her career and lead Kiski Area (6-11, 2-6) to a Section 1-5A win over Gateway (2-15, 0-9). Gianna DeVito added 14 points for the Cavaliers.

Lincoln Park 63, West Allegheny 39 – Maddie Syka scored 17 points, J’La Kizart had 15 and Sincere Conley added 14 for Lincoln Park (17-0, 6-0) in a Section 4-5A win. Emma Ruperto led West Allegheny (6-10, 0-6) with 13 points and Alaina Holtz had 11.

North Catholic 69, Derry 12 – Brady Wehner and Lauren Mihm scored 15 points apiece and Alayna Rocco hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points to lead North Catholic (11-5, 9-0) past Derry (5-12, 2-7) in Section 1-4A. It was North Catholic’s 100th consecutive section win.

North Hills 42, Shaler 36 – Olivia Waters scored 18 points to push North Hills (10-8, 7-2) to a Section 2-5A win. Reese Smetanka, Hilary Quinn and Jorja Bertesser scored seven points apiece for Shaler (5-13, 2-6).

Peters Township 44, Upper St. Clair 36 – Natalie Wetzel scored 15 points, Daniela Radulovich added 11 and Gemma Walker contributed 10 as Peters Township (18-0, 9-0) stayed undefeated with a Section 2-6A win. Meredith Huzjak scored 17 for Upper St. Clair (9-9, 3-5).

United 74, Ligonier Valley 27 – Lilly McGinnis led all scorers with 18 points, Maddison McGinnis put up 15 and Mollee Fry finished with 11 as United rolled to a nonsection win over Ligonier Valley (5-12).

Winchester Thurston 34, Ellis School 17 – Aleah Cooper scored 12 points to lead Winchester Thurston (8-8, 4-3) to a Section 3-2A win over Ellis School (6-11, 1-7).

Competitive spirit

PIAA championships – Hempfield, Baldwin, North Allegheny and Penn-Trafford advanced in the Class 3A Large Squad Division on the first day of the state championships. Hempfield, the WPIAL champion, North Allegheny and Baldwin were three of five teams to advance to Saturday’s finals. Penn-Trafford was one of five teams to make the semifinals.

Class 2A Large Squad WPIAL champ Neshannock also advanced to the finals.

In Class 3A Small Squad, WPIAL winner North Hills, Pine-Richland, Thomas Jefferson,Seneca Valley and South Fayette made the finals.

In Class 2A Small Squad, WPIAL champ Central Valley, Ambridge and Elizabeth Forward reached the finals.

In the co-ed division, WPIAL champ Butler made the finals and Hopewell the semifinals.