High school roundup for Jan. 3, 2024: Shaler stays undefeated with win in section opener

By: Tribune-Review
Wednesday, January 3, 2024 | 11:51 PM

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Keegan Smetanka scored 14 points as undefeated Shaler beat Plum, 71-55, to win its Section 2-5A boys basketball opener Wednesday night.

Brandon London and Julian Vizzoca each added 11 for Shaler (11-0, 1-0), which jumped out to a 13-5 lead after one quarter. Will Beckner dropped 23 points for Plum (5-5, 0-1).

Aliquippa 90, South Side 44 – Joshua Pratt led all scorers with 31 points and Quentin Goode dropped 22 as Aliquippa (5-3, 1-0) cruised to a Section 1-2A win. Brody Almashy scored 18 points while Carter Wilson and AC Corfield each scored 13 for South Side (5-6, 0-1).

Aquinas Academy 74, Summit Academy 60 – Jake Guillen (18), Sam Duer (14), David Zaharko (12), Jonah Burchill (10) and Josh Schlemmer (10) scored in double figures for Aquinas Academy (8-1, 1-0) in a Section 3-A win. Austin Hindman scored 14 points, Kristian Clayton added 13, Kye’Mere followed with 11 and Kim’mari Sparks-King had 10 for Summit Academy (2-4, 0-1).

Armstrong 58, Woodland Hills 49 – Jack Valasek scored 18 points, Jacob Szep added 13 and Isaiah Riggle chipped in with 12 as Armstrong (8-3, 1-0) rallied from nine points down after the first quarter to pick up a Section 2-5A win over Woodland Hills (3-8, 0-1). Scoop Smith put up 23 points and Amere Brown scored 13 for the Wolverines.

Avella 66, Western Beaver 62 – Westley Burchianti had 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead Avella (6-5, 1-0) to a Section 1-A win. Bryce Wright added 12 and Nate Cilia had 10. Nathan Schwartz led Western Beaver (2-10, 0-1) with 27 points. Jackson Liller added 16 and Jon Backur 10.

Beth-Center 61, Carmichaels 55 – Brody Tharp hit four 3-pointers and scored 20 points, Jason Zellie added 18 and Santino Revi chipped in 10 for Beth-Center (3-6, 1-1) in a Section 4-2A win over Carmichaels (3-7, 0-2).

Brentwood 53, Steel Valley 44 – Forrest Betz had 16 points, Colt Rosing scored 12 and Aidan Barker added 11 for Brentwood (3-9, 1-2) in a Section 2-3A win. Nahjir Norris led Steel Valley (0-11, 0-3) with 15 points.

California 66, West Greene 63 – Jahiem Derns came up with a steal and a bucket with less than 25 seconds left to lift California (1-9, 1-0) to a Section 2-A win over West Greene (5-5, 0-1). Jacob Ziolecki made five 3-pointers and finished with 20 points, Noah Neil added 18 points, Caden Monticelli had 13 and Vinny Manzella had 11 for the Trojans. Lane Allison put up 17 points, Parker Burns and Matt Wassil each had 14 and Patrick Durbin chipped in 13 for the Pioneers.

Carlynton 52, Union 50 – Jake Moldovan scored 16 points, Ryan Lewis added 14 and Jaydin McKnight followed with 12 as Carlynton (2-7, 1-0) defeated Union (3-8, 0-1) in Section 1-A.

Greensburg Central Catholic 74, Leechburg 23 – Led by 19 points from Tyree Turner, 12 from Franco Alvarez and 10 from Sean Walker, Greensburg Central Catholic (10-2, 3-0) picked up a Section 3-2A win. Jayden Floyd had nine for Leechburg (2-9, 0-2).

Imani Christian 80, Neighborhood Academy 51 – Nate Brazil scored 25 points, Avery Wesley added 17, R.J. Sledge finished with 12 and Markus Williams had 10 for Imani Chriatian (2-4, 1-0) in a Section 3-A win over Neighborhood Academy (6-4, 0-1).

Indiana 65, Greensburg Salem 64 – Aaron Webb put up 26 points and Evan Brocious scored 12 to lead Indiana (5-4, 1-0) to a Section 1-4A victory over Greensburg Salem (2-9, 0-1). Ryan Burkart led all scorers with 27 points, A.J. Tarpley added 12 and Braedon Leatherman finished with 11 for the Golden Lions.

Jefferson-Morgan 40, Mapletown 36 – John Woodward and Dayten Marion each scored 13 points and Jase Bedillion followed with 10 as Jefferson-Morgan (8-3, 1-0) edged Mapletown (1-7, 0-1) in Section 2-A. Roger Gradek put up 14 points for the Maples.

Keystone Oaks 53, South Park 50 – Erond Jakupi finished with 19 points and Ethan Spivak scored 16 to help Keystone Oaks (4-6, 3-0) edge South Park (5-5, 0-2) in Section 2-3A. Luke Scarff had 17, Cooper Hochendoner scored 14 and Danny Batista added 13 for the Eagles.

Knoch 65, Freeport 48 – Jackson Bauman posted a career-high 27 points and Knoch (7-2, 1-0) topped Freeport (2-8, 0-1) in Section 1-4A. Teegan Finucan added 18 points for the Knights. Brady Sullivan scored 25 for the Yellowjackets.

Monessen 73, Geibel 48 – Lorenzo Gardner led all scorers with 27 points, Rodney Johnson added 15, and Matt Sawa and Devontae Robinson each scored 10 to lead Monessen (7-1, 1-0) to a Section 2-A win. Tommy Kolencik scored 20 points and Gary Tarbuck followed with 14 for Geibel (0-10, 0-1).

Moon 54, South Fayette 52 (OT) – Elijah Guillory sank a shot at the top of the key with eight seconds left in overtime to propel Moon (8-2, 1-0) to a Section 4-5A win over South Fayette (4-5, 0-1). Guillory had 22 points and Aiden Reeseman scored 15. Michael Plasko scored 26 for the Lions, who scored the final seven points in regulation to get the game to overtime.

Neshannock 59, Beaver Falls 51 – David Kwiat sank five 3-pointers and put up 21 points to boost Neshannock (10-1, 3-0) past Beaver Falls (2-6, 2-1) in Section 1-3A. Di’Nari Harris and Marshall Clerici each scored 12 points and Da’Sean Anderson followed with 11 for the Tigers.

North Allegheny 57, New Castle 45 – Joe Dopirak led all scorers with 32 points and Ty Iwanonkiw added 13 to lift North Allegheny (4-7, 1-0) to a Section 1-6A win. Ralphie Blundo scored 17 points and Damian Harrison followed with 13 for New Castle (9-2, 0-1).

OLSH 57, Sto-Rox 52 – Jake Johnson led OLSH (6-3, 2-0) with 14 points, Vann Kavals followed with 13 and Lucca Grisafi added 11 in a Section 2-3A. David Johnson scored 13 points and Robert Sykes Jr. had 12 for Sto-Rox (3-7, 1-2).

Riverside 69, New Brighton 58 – Drake Fox made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, Darren McDade also put up 18 points, Rob Janis added 15 and McCartney Plassmeyer had 11 as Riverside (5-7, 2-1) beat New Brighton (2-10, 0-4) in Section 1-3A. Brian Taylor scored 23 points and Dash Graham sank four 3-pointers and had 19 points for the Lions.

Rochester 66, Cornell 33 – Xavier Rigby dropped 19 points, Jayvin Hemer added 16 and Jeremiah Haskins had 11 as Rochester (4-5, 1-0) doubled up Cornell (3-6, 0-1) in Section 1-A. Julian Cordice dropped 18 points for the Raiders.

Shenango 66, Laurel 46 – Brody McQuiston scored a game-high 28 points to propel Shenango (7-2, 1-0) over Laurel (2-6, 0-1) in Section 1-2A. Anthony Ziccardi made five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points for the Spartans.

Springdale 67, Riverview 50 – Springdale (9-2, 1-1) outscored Riverview 22-8 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a Section 3-2A win. Mason Gent had 24 points for the Dynamos and John Hughes scored 20. Nate Sprajcar led the Raiders (5-5, 0-3) with 21 points.

Thomas Jefferson 90, Peters Township 74 – Evan Berger led all scorers with 24 points, Noah Prosser followed with 23, Kane Eggerton scored 14 and Nick Trklja had 13 points for Thomas Jefferson (7-2, 1-0) in a Section 1-5A. Jack Dunbar put up 21 points, Nate Miller added 12 and Dylan Donovan chipped in with 11 for Peters Township (6-4, 0-1).

Girls basketball

Blackhawk 66, Central Valley 18 – Andrea Kinger scored 15 points to lead Blackhawk (9-2, 1-0) to a Section 2-4A win. Mia Dinello led Central Valley (3-5, 0-1) with seven points.

Clairton 78, Steel Valley 12 – Iyanna Wade exploded for 50 points and had 10 steals while Keira Brown scored 10 points to lead Clairton (8-0, 2-0) to a Section 3-2A defeat of Steel Valley (0-10, 0-3).

Keystone Oaks 60, OLSH 57 – Bailey Rieg and Fran Pack each scored 13 points, Laney Wagner added 11 and Payton Hamilton finished with 10 to lead Keystone Oaks (9-1, 1-0) past OLSH (7-3, 0-1) in Section 2-3A. Claudia Ierullo led all scorers with 22 points while McKinley Walsh and Gianna Marino scored 10 points apiece for the Chargers.

Kiski Area 49, Gateway 31 – Gianna DeVito had 15 points to lead Kiski Area (5-6, 1-1) to a Section 1-5A win over Gateway (2-8, 0-3). Abbie Johns scored 11 for the Cavaliers.

Mapletown 46, Jefferson-Morgan 38 – Isabella Garnek scored 13 points, Makenna Lotspeich added 11 and Treslee Weston finished with 10 as Mapletown (4-6, 1-0) beat Jefferson-Morgan (2-9, 0-1) in Section 2-A. Kayla Larkin put up 20 points for the Rockets.

North Hills 45, Shaler 37 – Olivia Waters dropped 18 points and Gianna Sturdivant had 13 to lead North Hills (6-6, 3-0) over Shaler (4-7, 1-1) in Section 2-5A. Hilary Quinn scored 10 points for the Titans.

Quaker Valley 63, Ambridge 37 – Oumou “Mimi” Thiero led all scorers with 41 points and Madison Chapman scored 10 to lead Quaker Valley (1-7, 1-0) to a Section 2-4A win. Azure Humphries had 13 points and Myah Sherrill made four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for Ambridge (1-10, 0-1).

Pine-Richland 59, Hempfield 23 – Madison Zavasky dropped 32 points to lead Pine-Richland (2-6, 1-0) to a Section 1-6A win. Sarah Podkul scored eight points to pace Hempfield (7-3, 0-1).

South Fayette 65, Moon 38 – Juliette Leroux led all scorers with 18 points, Erica Hall added 16 and Haylie Lamonde followed with 15 for South Fayette (6-3, 1-0) in a Section 4-5A win. Jaedan Griggs scored 16 points for Moon (7-2, 0-1).

Thomas Jefferson 48, Penn-Trafford 36 – Laekyn Flinn and Riley McCabe each scored 15 points to pace Thomas Jefferson (5-5, 2-0) in a Section 3-5A win. Olivia Pepple finished with 21 points for Penn-Trafford (7-2, 2-1).

Winchester Thurston 51, Ellis School 26 – Jasmine Hollins scored 18 points and DaSahe Cochran added 12 as Winchester Thurston (4-5, 1-0) defeated Ellis School (5-6, 0-3) in Section 3-2A. Selah Cyrus and Angelina Jones each had eight points for Ellis.

Boys wrestling

Avonworth 39, Carlynton 21 – Michael Tabano (127), Luke Maddalena (139) and Dimitri Velisaris (145) recorded pins and Jackson Krul (172) won a decision for Avonworth (4-4, 2-1) in a Section 3-2A win. Dominic Ciabattoni (133), Braiden Sudor (215) and Henry Barbisch (285) won by decision for Carlynton (1-2, 1-2).

Canon-McMillan 45, Mt. Lebanon 21 – Andrew Binni (127), Vincent Binni (133), Ryder Joseph (139) and Geno Calgaro (215) recorded pins to lead Canon-McMillan (3-0, 2-0) to a Section 6-3A victory. Nick Fedorchack (189) won by tech fall, Brayden Collins (172) by major decision and Gino Juliani (114) and Josiah Gardner (145) by decision for the Big Macs. Jonathan Emma (107), Cole Gibbons (152) and Benjamin Lloyd (285) won by fall and Ben Mares (160) by decision for Mt. Lebanon (1-2, 0-2).

Connellsville 77, McKeesport 0 – Nicholas Rohal (172), Tyler Gallis (285), Zachary Franks (121), Kai Vielma (133), Julian Ruggieri (139), Evan Petrovich (145) and Nolan Rice (107) had first-period pins to lead Connellsville (3-0, 1-0) to a Section 4-3A win over McKeesport (1-5, 0-2). Chris Cook (215), Chase Sparks (127) and Carter Wilson (152) also won by fall and Lonzy Vielma (160) had a tech fall for the Falcons.

Fox Chapel 30, Plum 23 – D’Angelo Hamilton won by decision at heavyweight to clinch a Section 1-3A win for Fox Chapel (8-1, 2-0). Michael Worsen (121) won by fall, Landon Funk (114), Joshua Alexander (145) and Joseph Geller (189) by decision and Youssef Abdelsalam (139) by disqualification for the Foxes. Daniel Macione (215) won by fall, Sam Snyder (127) and Antonino Walker (152) by major decision and Carson Yocca (133), Charlie Campbell (160) and Jack Tongel (172) by decision for Plum (5-3, 1-1).

Hampton 48, Ellwood CIty 27 – Devin Rakar (145), Alan Danner (160), Jonovan McKelvey (215) and Nate Glock (285) had pins for Hampton (6-3, 4-0) in a Section 5-2A win. Cheyenne Berglund (107), Derek Allen (121), Gavin McClure (133) and Gabe Lilly (152) recorded pins and Logan Shriver (114) won a decision for Ellwood City (5-3, 2-1).

Latrobe 48, Hempfield 24 – The Wildcats (4-2, 2-0) got pins from Luke Willochell (121), Jacob Braun (127), Lucas Braun (145), Hunter Snyder (172) and Cody Krall (215) to win in Section 4-3A. Dom Woods (133) and Eli Carr (152) won by fall and Logan Williams (139) and Pierce Turner 9160) by decision for the Spartans (2-5, 1-1).

Laurel 43, Knoch 16 – The Spartans (5-9, 2-1) got pins from Jack Miles (189), Kolton Carlson (215), Casey Wilson (285) and Noah Spencer (139), a major decision from Logan Ketzel (121) and decision from Nathan Hill (152), Domenic Willis (172) and Archer Brua (107) to pick up a Section 5-2A win. Paul Kuczynski (127) and Brayden McGowan (133) had pins and Owen Layhew (145) won by major decision for Knoch (2-3, 1-2).

Jefferson-Morgan 45, Fort Cherry 19 – Chase Frameli (160), Adam McAnany (215) and Carson Sweeney (114) recorded pins while James Dulaney (127) and Ronin Kramer (133) won decisions and Brenton Barnhart (152) won by major decision for Jefferson-Morgan (8-3, 2-2) in a Section 1-2A win. Anthony Salvini (189) had a pin, Louis Ryan (285) won a decision and Shawn Robertson (121) won a major decision for Fort Cherry (1-7, 0-3).

McGuffey 64, Washington 9 – Tyler Coon (145) recorded a first-period pin and Aaron Supler (189) won by major decision to lead McGuffey (8-1, 3-1) to a Section 1-2A win. Caleb Patton (139) won by decision for Washington (0-4, 0-4).

Penn-Trafford 38, Thomas Jefferson 33 – Luke DeSantis (121), Cael Ott (139) and Tasso Whipple (189) recorded pins, while Logan Ventura (133) won by decision and Logan Matrisch (152) won by tech fall for Penn-Trafford (3-8, 1-1) in a Section 3-3A win. Maddox Shaw (145), Bode Marlow (160), Justin Leske (215), and Shepherd Turk (285) all had pins and Zach Rehak (114) won by decision for Thomas Jefferson (3-4, 0-2).

Seneca Valley 64, Mars 12 – Connor Smith (127), Zachary Hill (133), James Bidoli (139), Daniel Marino (139), and John Mallery (285) recorded pins as Brody Pirt (172) and Roman Royal (285) won by decision and David Cerra (152) won a major decision for Seneca Valley (5-2, 2-0) in a Section 2-3A victory. Liam Hein (145) won by tech fall, Cooper Courson (160) won a major decision and Augustus Aubrecht (215) won by decision for Mars (1-7, 0-2).

South Allegheny 42, South Park 24 – Mason Naspinski (133), Dylan Mains (139), Max Jeffcoat (160) and Caden Baumgart (215) picked up pins to help South Allegheny (6-3, 2-2) to a Section 3-2A win. Wyatt Markovich (172) and Carson Blackburn (121) won by fall for South Park (3-6, 0-4).

Southmoreland 59, Yough 15 – Southmoreland (6-3, 3-1) defeated Yough (4-4, 1-2) in Section 2-2A action. Landyn Queer (127), Ethan Kenney (189) , Kaden Shannon (215) and Jake Govern (285) won by fall and Landon Delara (160) by tech fall for the Scotties. Rocco Zugai (121) and Bryce Harvey (172) recorded pins and Dom Liscotti (114) won by decision for the Cougars.

Trinity 54, Chartiers Valley 19 – Mickey Horne (107), Jacob Wright (114), Dominick Canali (127), Blake Reihner (139), Behr Bruckner (145), Thomas Allison (152), Jackson Bruckner (172) and Robbie Allison (189) recorded pins for Trinity (5-0, 2-0) in a Section 5-3A. Howard Clellen (215) and Tyler Glover (285) had pins while Logan Connolly (133) won by major decision and Michael Lawrence (160) won by decision for Chartiers Valley (3-8, 0-2).

West Allegheny 42, Moon 25 – West Allegheny (7-0, 2-0) got pins from Nick Jones (152), Cameron Simon (172), Shawn Taylor (189), Caiden Harbert (113), AJ Snatchko (126) and Logan Slovic (132) to win in Section 5-3A. Michael Olszewski (160) and Cael Yanek (120) won by fall and Elijah Thomas (138), Liam Costa (145) and Bryce Thomas (106) by decision for Moon (3-4, 0-2).

Girls wrestling

North Allegheny 48, Connellsville 20 – Brenna Collery (130), Maya Scott (142), Audrey Morrison (148) and Leyna Rumpler (155) recorded first-period pins and Riona Redshaw (106) and Hannah Williams (124) also won by fall for North Allegheny. Kylee Christman (112) and Janayah Nobles (136) won by fall, Trinity Moore (118) by tech fall and Olivia Shultz (170) by decision for Connellsville.

Norwin 45, Southmoreland 18 – Josephine Dollman (148), Camden Reese (136), Avalin Barry (142) and Karsyn Champion (155) recorded pins and Addison Elyes (112) won a decision to lead Norwin (2-3, 1-0). Lucy Bevan (124) and Zoey Murphy (235) recorded pins for Southmoreland (0-2, 0-2).