High school roundup for Jan. 27, 2023: Steel Valley’s Makhai Valentine, Aquinas Academy’s Vinnie Cugini threaten WPIAL records

By: Tribune-Review
Saturday, January 28, 2023 | 12:13 AM

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Makhai Valentine threatened the WPIAL single-game scoring record with 63 points in a 100-70 victory for Steel Valley over Brentwood in Section 2-3A boys basketball Friday night.

led Steel Valley (9-9, 7-2) with 63 points and

Nahjir Norris added 14 points for the Ironmen (9-9, 7-2). Carter Betz poured in 43 points of his own for Brentwood (4-13, 1-8). Colton Rosing added 11.

The WPIAL record is 71 points set by Mohawk’s Larrey Hardesty in 1959.

Summit Academy 89, Aquinas Academy 83 – Allen Grimes put up 25 points to lead Summit Academy (8-4, 3-3) to a Section 3-A win. Vinnie Cugini of Aquinas Academy (14-2, 3-2) continued his torrid scoring pace with 57 points, moving within 30 points of the all-time WPIAL career scoring record. Jake Guillen had 14 and Josh Schlemmer netted 10 for Aquinas, which will visit Neighborhood Academy at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Elijah Adams had 23 points and sank four 3-pointers, Ki’Ron Douglass added 16 and Tay’vone Bibbs finished with 13 points for Summit.

Aliquippa 53, South Side 30 – Jayace Williams led all scorers with 11 points as Aliquippa (10-5, 6-0) defeated South Side (5-12, 1-5) in a Section 1-2A matchup.

Avonworth 63, South Allegheny 58 – Rowan Carmichael put Avonworth (6-10, 2-4) on his back, scoring 37 points and sinking four 3-pointers, as the Antelopes beat South Allegheny (14-2, 5-1) in Section 4-4A. Michael Michalski dropped 25 points, Bryce Epps scored 14 and Jeston Beatty had 10 for the Gladiators.

Beaver 55, Central Valley 48 – Brady Mayo scored 24 points and Sawyer Butler and Ty Butler added 11 points each to lead Beaver (13-3, 6-3) past Central Valley (4-12, 1-7) in a Section 2-4A win. Jayvin Thompson scored 15 points and Andre Vacich had 14 for the Warriors.

Bethel Park 63, Ringgold 31 – Ben Guffey and Nick Brown scored nine points each to lead Bethel Park (10-6, 5-1) to a Section 1-5A win. Daryl Tolliver led Ringgold (3-15, 1-5) with 20 points.

Bishop Canevin 72, Nazareth Prep 59 – Geno DeFrank scored 25 points to lead Bishop Canevin (13-2, 5-1) to a Section 2-2A win over Nazareth Prep (6-7, 3-3). Michael Vaughn added 18 and Jason Cross had 10 for the Crusaders.

Blackhawk 74, Deer Lakes 67 – Zach Oliver led all scorers with 33 points and four 3-pointers, Jacob Patton had 18 and Grant Wissner added 13 to lead Blackhawk (10-7) past Deer Lakes (10-7) in a nonsection win. Billy Schaeffer scored 16 points, Bryce Robson added 15 and Nate Buechel had 11 for the Lancers.

Burrell 57, Derry 48 – Macky Bennis scored 20 points and Tucker Bitar added 18 to lead Burrell (10-8, 7-2) past Derry (7-8, 3-5) in a Section 3-3A win. Nate Papuga scored 12 points, Brady Angus had 11 and Gabe Carbonara added 10 for the Trojans.

Butler 78, Seneca Valley 71 – Colin Casteel led Butler (13-4, 4-2) with 20 points, Braylon Littlejohn followed with 19, Ryan Porch had 17 and Donovan Carney added 12 in a Section 1-6A win. Kai West scored 22 points and Luke Lawson had 12 for Seneca Valley (6-9, 2-4).

California 71, West Greene 58 – Noah Neil scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while Aidan Lowden put up 10 points as California (5-11, 1-5) beat West Greene (3-14, 1-5) in Section 2-1A. Lane Allison dropped 27 points, Kaden Shields had 14 and Parker Burns added 13 for the Pioneers.

Central Catholic 60, Pine-Richland 44 – Randy Wilkerson scored 16 points, Tommy Kristian added 13 and Cole Sullivan finished with 12 as Central Catholic (9-7, 4-2) beat Pine-Richland (4-12, 1-5) in Section 1-6A. Emery Moye had 14 points, Josh Gimbel scored 12 and Carson Baer dropped 11 points for the Rams.

Chartiers-Houston 54, Bentworth 44 – Avery Molek scored 19 points and drained four 3-pointers and Jake Mele added 17 points for Chartiers-Houston (14-4, 8-1) in a Section 4-2A win. Landon Urcho recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Chris Harper finished with 13 points for Bentworth (10-8, 4-5).

Chartiers Valley 63, West Allegheny 45 – Jayden Davis led all scorers with 24 points and Rudy Morris added 10 for Chartiers Valley (14-3, 3-3) in a Section 4-5A win. Tyler Blatz, Brandon Bell and Justin Mains each scored 13 points for West Allegheny (8-10, 1-5).

Fort Cherry 80, Frazier 41 – Shane Cornali led Fort Cherry (17-2, 9-0) with 24 points, Owen Norman followed with 18, Matt Sieg had 13 and Derek Errett added 12 in a Section 4-2A win. Keyshawn Thompson scored 19 points and Logan Butcher had 10 for Frazier (2-16, 1-7).

Freeport 48, Knoch 45 – Gavin Croney scored 15 points and Dean Furer added 14 to push Freeport (11-6, 3-3) past Knoch (5-12, 3-3) in a Section 1-4A win. Teegan Finucan and Jackson Bauman scored 15 points each for the Knights.

Greensburg Central Catholic 58, Leechburg 52 – Tyree Turner scored 18 points to lead Greensburg Central Catholic (12-5, 8-1) to a Section 3-2A victory. Samir Crosby added 14 and Jaydin Canday contributed 13. Marcus Cleveland led Leechburg (6-11, 2-6) with 27 points. Tyler Foley added 13.

Greensburg Salem 75, Indiana 70 – Ryan Burkart dropped 24 points and Julian Stevens followed with 21 to lead Greensburg Salem (5-12, 1-5) to a Section 1-4A victory, snapping a 25-game section losing streak. Gavin Homer led all scorers with 32 points and Jaden Petrovich scored 10 points for Indiana (6-11, 1-5).

Jefferson-Morgan 53, Mapletown 38 – Houston Guseman scored 15 points to lead Jefferson-Morgan (11-7, 4-2) in a Section 2-1A victory. AJ Vanata scored 12 points to lead Mapletown (5-9, 2-4).

Keystone Oaks 62, South Park 60 – Mirlond Jakupi scored 20 points and drained six 3-pointers, Tulio Watts added 12 and Collin Harris contributed 10 as Keystone Oaks (9-7, 6-3) narrowly beat South Park (6-10, 2-6) in Section 2-3A. Luke Scarff scored 14 points while Tyler Susan and Harper Conroy scored 11 points apiece for the Eagles.

Latrobe 70, Kiski Area 61 – Landon Butler scored 20 points and Max Butler had 16 to lead Latrobe (7-10, 2-4) to a Section 3-5A win. Alex Tatsch added 11 for the Wildcats. Noah Thimons led Kiski Area (9-9, 3-3) with 14 points. Dom Dininno, Isaiah Gonzalez and Jacob Musselman each had 10 for the Cavaliers.

Laurel Highlands 77, Elizabeth Forward 45 – Rodney Gallagher scored 21 points and Keondre Deshields added 15 to lead Laurel Highlands (14-2, 5-1) in Section 3-4A. Michael Bittner had 10 for the Mustangs. Andre Cook scored 12, Isaiah Turner had 11 and Zach Boyd added 10 for Elizabeth Forward (5-12, 1-5).

Ligonier Valley 61, Apollo-Ridge 26 – Jimmy Pleskovitch scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds while Parker Hollick finished with 12 for Ligonier Valley (4-15, 3-6) in a rout of Apollo-Ridge (1-17, 0-9) in Section 3-3A. Jake Mull scored 13 to lead the Vikings.

McKeesport 68, Gateway 62 – Travarese Rowe scored 25 points, including 12 in the third quarter, to lead McKeesport (7-8, 4-2) past Section 3-5A-leading Gateway (11-5, 5-1). Shayne McGraw added 16 for the Tigers. For the Gators, Alec Dunsmore had 17, Jaydon Carr 15, Kaleb Pryor 13 and Tra Williams 11.

Mohawk 64, Ellwood City 59 – Jay Wrona scored 27 points and knocked down four 3-pointers while Deven Sudziak had 17 points and made five 3-pointers and Bobby Fadden finished with 14 points for Mohawk (16-1, 7-1) in a Section 1-3A win. Joe Roth had a game-high 39 points for Ellwood City (12-7, 4-5).

New Castle 62, North Allegheny 55 – Ralphie Blundo scored 17 points to lead New Castle (15-2, 5-1) to a Section 1-6A win. Ty Iwanonkiw led North Allegheny (7-9, 2-4) with 15 points.

Northgate 74, Sewickley Academy 49 – Stevie Goetz scored 21 points and Josh Williams added 16 to lead Northgate (13-4, 4-2) to a Section 1-2A win. Landon Lockett added 10 for the Flames. Nolan Donnelly scored 21 and Amare Spencer added 15 for Sewickley Academy (3-12, 0-6).

Norwin 57, Canon-McMillan 39 – Ryan Edwards scored 20 points, Juston Weaver had 13 and Adam Bilinsky returned from injury and added 10 for Norwin (10-6, 3-3) in a Section 2-6A win over Canon-McMillan (3-14, 0-6).

OLSH 80, Sto-Rox 42 – Rocco Spadafora led OLSH (13-3, 7-1) with 34 points and Bryson Kirschner added 12 in a Section 2-3A win. Jaymont Green-Miller scored 15 points and Josh Jenkins had 13 for Sto-Rox (5-12, 3-6).

Penn Hills 65, Fox Chapel 51 – Daemar Kelly scored 19, Robert Thomas added 15 and Noah Barren netted 13 to lead Penn Hills (12-2, 6-0) to a Section 2-5A win. Kam Greil dropped 21 points and Jefferson Moorefield-Brown scored a career-high 20 points for Fox Chapel (11-6, 3-3).

Penn-Trafford 55, Franklin Regional 40 – Penn-Trafford (4-14, 1-5) got double-figure scoring from Tyler Freas (16), Ian Temple (13) and Jason Sabol (10) in a Section 3-5A win over Franklin Regional (9-7, 3-3). Max Leven scored 12 points and Fin Hutchison added 11 for the Panthers.

Peters Township 83, Thomas Jefferson 64 – Brendan McCullogh led with 31 points, Jack Dunbar followed with 24 and Jake Ziegler added 17 to help Peters Township (14-3, 5-1) to a Section 1-5A win. Noah Prosser led Thomas Jefferson (11-6, 4-2) with 21 points.

Quaker Valley 70, East Allegheny 29 – Noah Jordan scored 27 points and Troy Kozar added 17 for Quaker Valley (10-5, 5-1) in a Section 4-4A win over East Allegheny (2-12, 0-6). Brennan Ruttledge scored 15 points for the Wildcats.

Riverside 76, New Brighton 52 – Sam Hughes scored 18 points, Rob Janis had 14 and Drake Fox added 12 to lead Riverside (7-11, 4-4) to a Section 1-3A win. Isaiah Hayhurst scored 14 points for New Brighton (3-13, 1-8).

Riverview 46, Springdale 44 – Amberson Bauer scored 16 points and Ben Hower added 14 to lead Riverview (10-8, 3-6) past Springdale (8-10, 2-6) in a Section 3-2A win. Mason Gent led the Dynamos with 15 points.

Rochester 53, Cornell 44 – Xavier Rigby and Jerome Mullins scored 13 points each and Jayvin Hemer added 10 to lead Rochester (7-10, 4-2) past Cornell (1-14, 0-6) in a Section 1-A win. Amir Turner led the Raiders with 19 points and Julian Cordice had 16.

Serra Catholic 56, Clairton 51 – Isaiah Petty scored 15 points to lead Serra Catholic (9-8, 6-3) past Clairton (9-10, 4-5) in a Section 3-2A win. Kaden Smith led the Bears with 16 points.

Shaler 69, Plum 44 – Kaden Orga scored 13 points and Joey Miller had 11 to lead Shaler (13-5, 4-2) to a Section 2-5A win over Plum (6-12, 1-5). Max Grice led the Mustangs with 13 points.

Shenango 77, Laurel 52 – Brody McQuiston scored 28 points and Braden Zeigler finished with 18 as Shenango (11-4, 5-1) won a Section 1-2A clash with Laurel (5-11, 2-4). Laban Baker scored 14 and Landon Smith followed with 13 for the Spartans.

Trinity 80, Connellsville 45 – Andrew Collins scored 26 points, Tim Hodges had 15 and Dante DeRubbo added 10 for Trinity (8-9, 3-3) in a Section 1-5A win. Anthony Piasecki scored 19 points and Anthony Mickens had 10 for Connesllville (0-18, 0-6).

Upper St. Clair 67, Hempfield 65 (OT) – Julian Dahlman put up 23 points and Christian Wieczenski added 12 as Upper St. Clair (10-8, 5-1) survived against Hempfield (6-12, 1-5) in Section 2-6A. Harry Sowers dropped 25 points and Aaron Woodley had 14 for the Spartans.

West Mifflin 74, Montour 72 (OT) – Brandon Battles drained a half-court buzzer beater in overtime to lift West Mifflin (9-7, 4-2) past Montour (5-12, 2-4) in Section 4-4A. Todd Harrison scored 20 points, Jordan Lucas-Johnson had 18 and Joseph Fleming added 15 for the Titans. Jake Wolfe scored 15 points, Ama Tening Sow put up 14 and Andrew Alston followed with 13 for the Spartans.

Yough 77, Waynesburg 32 – Terek Crosby scored 25 points to lead Yough (11-7, 6-2) to a Section 4-3A win over Waynesburg (3-15, 1-8). Austin Matthews added 17 and Tyler Travillion had 15 for the Cougars.

Girls basketball

Aquinas Academy 53, Westinghouse 35 – Tess Duer led all scorers with 14 points as Aquinas Academy (13-5) won a nonsection contest. Deasia Boyd scored 13 points and Kamari Jones followed with 11 for Westinghouse (8-8).

Baldwin 46, Mt. Lebanon 42 – Laci Bernotas put up 15 points while Gia Schoeb contributed 14 to give Baldwin (8-10, 4-5) the Section 2-6A win. Ava Dziubek scored 12 points on four 3-pointers for Mt. Lebanon (13-5, 7-2).

Butler 58, Seneca Valley 55 – Justine Forbes scored 19 points, Amelia McMichael had 14 and Sydney Patterson finished with 12 to lead Butler (10-7, 4-2) past Seneca Valley (4-13, 0-6) in Section 1-6A. Allison Sevin led all scorers with 22 points for the Raiders.

Clairton 65, Winchester Thurston 49 – Iyanna Wade dropped 23 points, Keira Brown scored 18 and Jamiya Childs added 16 as Clairton (8-6, 6-3) defeated Winchester Thurston (8-9, 5-3) in Section 3-2A. Sky Still led all scorers with 34 points and TyLynn Gault finished with 11 for Winchester Thurston.

Eden Christian 43, Beaver County Christian 21 – Ella D’Ippoloito scored 12 points and Abby Stover added 11 to lead Eden Christian (5-10) to a nonsection win. Audrey Michalik scored seven to lead Beaver County Christian.

Kiski Area 40, Gateway 35 – Abbie Johns dropped 18 points and Gianna Devito finished with 10 for Kiski Area (6-11, 3-5) in a Section 1-5A win over Gateway (4-12, 0-9). Jayla Oliver and Marina Grado each scored eight for the Gators.

Mars 50, Fox Chapel 47 – Lauren Atwell scored 14 points to lead Mars (13-3, 7-1) past Fox Chapel (12-6, 6-3) in Section 2-5A. Olivia Donnelly added 11 points and Annalyn Isaacs had 10 for the Fightin’ Planets. Elsie Smith had 16 and Natalia Schaffer added 10 for the Foxes.

Monessen 57, Geibel 22 – Hailey Johnson scored 15 points and Maidson Johnson and Na’Jaziah Carter added 12 each to lead Monessen (11-4, 5-1) to a Section 2-A win. Emma Larkin led Geibel (9-9, 3-3) with 16 points.

Wrestling

Thomas Automotive Classic – Six Burrell wrestlers advanced to the semifinals of the tournament at Bedford: Cam Baker (107), Julian Bertucci (114), Cooper Hornack (127), Niko Ferra (139), Nico Zanella (160) and Isaac Lacinski (172). The Bucs are in third place in the team race behind Chestnut Ridge and Clearfield.