High school roundup for Jan. 31, 2023: Steel Valley tops OLSH in clash of WPIAL contenders

By: Tribune-Review
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 | 11:27 PM

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Makhai Valentine led all scorers with 35 points as Steel Valley defeated OLSH, 86-80, in a Section 2-3A boys basketball showdown between WPIAL contenders Tuesday night.

Cruce Brookins followed with 24 for the Ironmen (10-9, 8-2). Rocco Spadafora hit for 26, BJ Vaughn had 19 and Bryson Kirschner finished with 18 for the Chargers (14-4, 7-2).

Aliquippa 60, Sewickley Academy 31 – Damar Freeman scored 11 points and Quentin Goode added 10 for Aliquippa (12-5, 7-0) in Section 1-2A. Colin Helbling had 15 for Sewickley Academy (3-14, 0-7).

Avonworth 78, East Allegheny 59 – Rowan Carmichael scored 15 points and Peyton Faulkner and Austin Johncour added 10 each to lead Avonworth (7-10, 3-4) to a Section 4-3A victory. Brennan Ruttledge scored 16 and Jerry Mahomes had 11 for East Allegheny (2-13, 0-7).

Baldwin 77, Canon-McMillan 68 – Nate Wesling led all scorers with 21 points and Nathan Richards added 17 while Joey Carr and James Wesling scored 14 points apiece to lead Baldwin (11-7, 4-3) to a Section 2-6A win. Ryan Galicic put up 20 points and Michael Dixson finished with 12 for Canon-McMillan (3-16, 0-7).

Beaver 63, Blackhawk 39 – Brady Mayo and Ty Butler scored 13 points apiece to lead Beaver (14-3, 7-3) to a Section 2-4A win. Zach Oliver had 16 points and Tyler Heckathorn added 11 for Blackhawk (9-9, 4-5).

Bethel Park 62, Trinity 53 – Ben Guffey dropped 29 points and Shawn Davis added 12 to lead Bethel Park (11-6, 6-1) to a Section 1-5A victory. Dante DeRubbo scored 14 and Owen Wayman had 11 for Trinity (8-10, 3-4).

Bishop Canevin 63, Propel Montour 8 – Jason Cross scored 20 points and Bryce Hinkle added 14 to lead Bishop Canevin (14-3, 6-1) past Propel Montour (0-15, 0-6) in Section 2-2A.

Burgettstown 69, Beth-Center 56 – Zack Schrockman scored 23 points and Andrew Bredel chipped in 10 to lead Burgettstown (10-8, 6-3) to a Section 4-2A win. Jason Zeli scored 19 and Brody Tharp added 13 for Beth-Center (1-18, 0-10).

Carlynton 81, Western Beaver 41 – Chase Jones scored 18 points, Jaiden McClure followed with 17 and Simon Schriver finished with 16 as Carlynton (12-6, 5-2) won in Section 1-A. Levi Gray hit for 18 and Chantz Cottrill had 10 for Western Beaver (9-10, 2-5).

Carmichaels 59, Bentworth 58 – Colin Andrews drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Carmichaels (11-8, 4-5) in Section 4-2A. Dominic Colarusso dropped 29 points and Tyler Richmond added 11 for the Mighty Mikes. Landon Urcho and Benjamin Hays scored 15 points apiece, Christopher Harper added 12 and Christian May contributed 10 for Bentworth (10-9, 4-6).

Central Catholic 55, Seneca Valley 43 – Dante DePante scored 16 points to lead Central Catholic (11-7, 5-2) to a Section 1-6A victory. Connor Oros led all scorers with 22 points and Luke Lawson added 11 for Seneca Valley (7-10, 2-5).

Central Valley 73, Ambridge 43 – Jayvin Thompson scored 21 points and Antwon Johnson added 15 to lead Central Valley (6-12, 4-6) to a Section 2-4A win. Bret Fitzsimmons had 13 and Andre Vacich 11 for the Warriors. Adam Fernandez had 12, Karmelo Green 11 and Jared Astorino 10 for Ambridge (6-12, 3-7).

Chartiers-Houston 70, Frazier 45 – Nate Gregory scored 15 points, Emanuele Ntumngia had 13, Avery Molek added 11 and Jake Mele finished with 10 as Chartiers-Houston (15-4, 9-1) won a Section 4-2A matchup. Keyshaun Thompson put up 18 and Brennan Stewart had 15 for Frazier (2-17, 1-8).

Elizabeth Forward 61, Southmoreland 58 – Zach Boyd scored 22 points to lead Elizabeth Forward (6-12, 2-5) to a Section 3-4A win. Drew Cook added 14 and Cy Herchelroath had 11. Noah Felentzer led Southmoreland (12-7, 2 -5) with 18 points. Ronnie Collins had 14 and Elijah Meyers 13.

Ellwood City 63, Freedom 18 – Joe Roth led all scorers with 30 points to help Ellwood City (13-7, 5-5) to a rout of Freedom (1-17, 0-9) in Section 1-3A.

Fox Chapel 55, Plum 43 – Erik Wilson scored 17 points and Will Siegel had 11 as Fox Chapel (12-6, 4-3) beat Plum (6-13, 1-6) in Section 2-5A. Will Beckner put up 14 and Adam Kotvas had 10 for the Mustangs.

Gateway 67, Penn-Trafford 50 – Jaydon Carr scored 21 points to lead Gateway (12-5, 6-1) to a Section 3-5A win. Kaleb Pryor and Leonard Sherrod scored 12 each and MJ Stevenson added 10 for the Gators. Tyler Freas scored 14 and Ian Temple had 10 for Penn-Trafford (4-15, 1-6).

Hampton 82, Indiana 40 – Peter Kramer led all scorers with 26 points, Eric Weeks contributed 16 and Brennan Murry had 11 for Hampton (16-2, 7-0) in a Section 1-4A win. Gavin Homer led Indiana (6-12, 1-6) with 13 points.

Highlands 78, Freeport 65 – Jimmy Kunst scored 18 points, Bradyn Foster hit for 16 and Chandler Thimons finished with 11 as Highlands (15-3, 5-2) was victorious in a Section 1-4A matchup. Ben Lane put up 16 points and Gavin Croney added 10 for Freeport (11-7, 3-4).

Knoch 59, Greensburg Salem 44 – Teegan Finucan scored 19 and Jackson Bauman netted 10 to help Knoch (6-12, 4-3) secure a Section 1-4A win. Ryan Burkart led Greensburg Salem (5-14, 1-6) with 20 points.

Laurel Highlands 81, Albert Gallatin 56 – Keondre Deshields scored 27 points and Rodney Gallagher added 20 to lead Laurel Highlands (15-2, 6-1) to a Section 3-4A win. Patrick Cavanagh added 12. Blake White scored 13 and Isaac Ellsworth had 12 for Albert Gallatin (3-12, 0-7).

Leechburg 66, Clairton 55 – Marcus Cleveland scored 28 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, to lead Leechburg (7-11, 3-6) to a Section 3-2A win. Owen McDermott had 20. Taris Wooding led Clairton (9-11, 4-6) with 16 points. Devon Dean had 15 and Kaden Smith 13.

Ligonier Valley 83, Valley 62 – Parker Hollick hit seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points to lead Ligonier Valley (5-15, 4-6) in Section 3-3A. Haden Sierocky added 12 points and 12 assists, Jimmy Pleskovitch had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Chet Dillaman chipped in 12 points. Xavier Wilson led Valley (3-16, 2-7) with 18 points. Jaydon Richter had 14 and Keyziyah Clay 13.

Mapletown 70, California 61 – AJ Vanata had 22 points and Landon Stevenson scored 18 to lift Mapletown (6-9, 3-4) to a Section 2-A win. Aidan Lowden led California (5-12, 1-6) with 17 points and Jacob Ziolecki had 16.

Mars 64, West Allegheny 34 – Tasso Sfanos scored 21 points and Remi Black followed with 20 to lead Mars (13-5, 5-2) to a Section 4-5A win. Justin Manns dropped 20 points to lead West Allegheny (8-11, 1-6).

McGuffey 54, Charleroi 43 – Jantzen Durbin scored 17 points and Tristan McAdoo added 14 for McGuffey (11-8, 5-4) in a Section 4-3A win over Charleroi (9-11, 4-6).

McKeesport 69, Latrobe 64 – Aemond Knight scored 21 points and Travarese Rowe added 15 to lead McKeesport (8-8, 5-2) to a Section 3-5A win. Shayne McGraw added 11. Landon Butler scored 18 points for Latrobe (7-12, 2-5). Alex Tatsch, Max Butler and Ramone Williams had 10 each for the Wildcats.

Mohawk 69, Beaver Falls 52 – Jay Wrona scored 18 points and made four 3-pointers, Keigan Hopper hit for 16 and Bobby Fadden added 10 as Mohawk (17-1, 8-1) beat Beaver Falls (9-8, 7-3) in Section 1-3A. Isaiah Sharp put up 20 and Jaren Brickner finished with 17 points for the Tigers.

Monessen 72, Jefferson-Morgan 40 – Lorenzo Gardner scored 19 points, Davontae Clayton added 18 and Jaisean Blackman recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds as Monessen (16-2, 6-1) defeated Jefferson-Morgan (11-8, 4-3) in Section 2-A. Troy Wright had 10 points for the Rockets.

Mt. Lebanon 49, Hempfield 30 – Tanner Donati and Michael Pfeuffer each scored 13 points to lead Mt. Lebanon (13-5, 7-0) in a Section 2-6A win over Hempfield (6-13, 1-6). Harry Sowers led the Spartans with seven points.

Nazareth Prep 50, Eden Christian 47 – Kevin Mickens dropped 23 points and Will Evans added 16 for Nazareth Prep (7-7, 4-3) in a close Section 2-2A contest. Ryan Merrick and David Ryan each scored 11 points for Eden Christian (13-3, 6-1).

Neshannock 74, Riverside 39 – Led by 18 points from Jack Glies, 15 from David Kwiat and 13 from Nate Rynd, Neshannock (12-5, 8-2) picked up a Section 1-3A win. Nate Kolesar and Rob Janis scored 11 each for Riverside (7-12, 4-5).

New Castle 64, Butler 49 – Da’Juan Young scored 22 points and Nick Wallace added 18 to lead New Castle (16-2, 6-1) to a Section 1-6A win. Jonathan Anderson added 11 for the Quips. Braylon Littlejohn scored 32 points and Donovan Carney added 10 for Butler (13-5, 4-3).

North Allegheny 61, Pine-Richland 54 (3 OT) – Ty Iwanonkiw put up 19 points, Joey Dopirak hit for 18 and Joe Marquis added 11 as North Allegheny (8-9, 3-4) topped Pine-Richland (5-13, 1-6) in triple overtime in Section 1-6A. Emery Moye dropped 22 points and Owen Luellen finished with 14 for the Rams.

North Catholic 80, Hopewell 39 – Andrew Maddalon scored 26 points and Max Hurray added 20 points and made four 3-pointers as North Catholic (11-6, 7-2) beat Hopewell (3-17, 0-10) in Section 2-4A. Mason Showrank and Zach Kovall both scored 12 points apiece for the Vikings.

North Hills 63, Moon 62 – Royce Parham put up 26 points, Jake Pollaro added 16 and Zach Pollaro had 14 for North Hills (15-4, 6-1) in a Section 4-5A win. Elijah Guillory led all scorers with 32, Michael Santicola finished with 14 and Carter Tumulty contributed 11 for Moon (9-7, 4-3).

Penn Hills 50, Armstrong 33 – Noah Barren scored 16, Robert Thomas had 11 and Julian Dugger contributed 10 for Penn Hills (14-2, 7-0) in a Section 2-5A win. Cadin Olsen scored 14 points for Armstrong (11-7, 2-5).

Peters Township 90, Connellsville 42 – Brendan McCullough dropped 25 points and Jack Dunbar followed with 24 while Nick Baccaarello added 12 as Peters Township (15-3, 6-1) routed Connellsville (0-19, 0-7) in Section 1-5A. Kace Shearer had 10 points for the Falcons.

Propel Braddock Hills 71, Winchester Thurston 57 – Giontae Clemmons (19), Benjamin Mayhew (18), Patrick Panichella (13) and Jaden Smith (11) scored in double figures for Propel Braddock Hills (8-10, 3-3) in a Section 2-2A win. Anthony Pipkin scored 18, Henry McComb hit for 13 and Charlie Tea had 11 for Winchester Thurston (2-13, 1-6).

Quaker Valley 60, West Mifflin 47 – Troy Kozar and Joseph Coyle scored 18 points apiece and Noah Jordan added 16 for Quaker Valley (11-5, 6-1) in a Section 4-4A win against West Mifflin (9-8, 4-3). Jordan Lucas-Johnson put up 16 and Todd Harrison had 14 for the Titans.

Rochester 79, Avella 39 – Xavier Rigby dropped 28 points and Jerome Mullins hit for 20 to lead Rochester (8-10, 5-2) in a Section 1-A win. Westley Burchianti put up 18 to lead Avella (5-14, 2-5).

Serra Catholic 84, Springdale 60 – Joe Demoss led four Serra Catholic players in double figures with 32 points in a Section 3-2A win. Elijah Ward added 14, Owen Dumbroski had 12 and Pete Burke finished with 11 for the Eagles (10-8, 7-3). John Hughes paced Springdale (8-11, 2-7) with 23 points and Mason Gent scored 12.

Seton LaSalle 58, Keystone Oaks 45 – Connor Spratt put up 25 points while Hayden Merchant added 13 points for Seton LaSalle (8-9, 5-4) in a Section 2-3A win. Collin Harris led Keystone Oaks (9-8, 6-4) with 12 points.

Shaler 53, Woodland Hills 44 – Brandon London scored 14 points while Kaden Orga and Keegan Smetanka each scored 11 as Shaler (14-5, 5-2) defeated Woodland Hills (11-8, 2-5) in Section 2-5A. Chaz Cobbs led the Wolverines with 17 points.

South Allegheny 53, Montour 49 – Bryce Epps put up 25 points and sank five 3-pointers and Michael Michalski added 13 points to lead South Allegheny (15-2, 6-1) past Montour (6-12, 2-5) in Section 4-4A. Jake Wolfe hit for 23 points and Ama Tening Sow had 16 for the Spartans.

South Fayette 56, Chartiers Valley 34 – Elijah Hill put up 23 points and Michael Plasko hit for 17 to lead South Fayette (9-9, 2-5) to a Section 4-5A win. Jayden Davis scored 15 points to lead Chartiers Valley (14-5, 3-4).

Summit Academy 66, Hillel Academy 31 – Ki’Ron Douglass scored 20 points, Elijah Adams had 13 and Allen Grimes finished with 11 to lead Summit Academy (9-4, 4-3) to a Section 3-A win. Noam Azagury led Hillel Academy (2-5, 0-5) with 13 points.

Uniontown 69, Belle Vernon 52 – Bakari Wallace led all scorers with 24 points, Jamire Braxton added 16 and Calvin Winfrey had 15 to lead Uniontown (16-2, 7-0) to a Section 3-4A victory. Zion Moore scored 23 points and Quinton Martin added 13 for Belle Vernon (9-9, 4-3).

Upper St. Clair 66, Norwin 33 – Nick Sukernek had 12 points and Matthew Gaither and Julian Dahlem scored 10 each as Upper St. Clair (11-8, 6-1) topped Norwin (11-7, 3-4) in Section 2-6A.

Yough 45, Washington 41 – Tyler Travillion scored 17 points and Terek Crosby added 11 points to lead Yough (12-7, 7-2) past Washington (13-4, 8-2) in Section 4-3A. Ruben Gordon led the Prexies with 10 points.

Girls basketball

Canon-McMillan 48, Bethel Park 41 – Nadia Davis put up 18 and Lauren Borella added 10 points to lead Canon-McMillan (5-12, 1-8) to a Section 2-6A victory. Ella Harmon dropped 11 points for Bethel Park (6-11, 3-6).

Connellsville 60, Ringgold 50 – Hillary Claycomb scored 18 points, Whitney Bobish added 12 and Bailey Liska had 11 for Connellsville (4-16) in a nonsection win over Ringgold (4-14). Abbey Whaley had 22 and Angelina Massey added 20 for the Rams.

Keystone Oaks 49, Seton LaSalle 39 – Eriona Neal put up 17 points, Bailey Rieg added 16 and Alayna Wagner finished with 12 as Keystone Oaks (13-6, 5-2) won a Section 2-3A contest. Mallory Daly had 16 points for Seton LaSalle (11-7, 3-4).

McKeesport 71, Albert Gallatin 38 – Rachael Manfredo hit for 31 points and Malina Boord scored 12 points on four 3-pointers to lead McKeesport (16-3, 8-1) to a Section 3-5A win. Mya Glisan scored 16 points and Courtlyn Turner added 11 for Albert Gallatin (9-10, 3-7).

Penn-Trafford 45, Montour 42 – Olivia Pepple scored 17 points, hit both ends of a one and one with 8.1 seconds left to give her team a three-point lead and stole the ensuing inbounds pass for Penn-Trafford (13-4) in a nonsection win. Lauren Marton added 11 for the Warriors. Jordyn Wolfe scored 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and Raegan Kadlecik added 12 for Montour (6-12).

Union 51, Ellwood City 21 – Kelly Cleaver had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Kylie Fruehstorfer chipped in 11 points for Union (13-6) in a nonsection victory. Abigail Caminiti led Ellwood City (8-11) with six points.

Waynesburg 50, Frazier 43 – Kaley Rohanna and Josie Horne scored 19 points apiece for Waynesburg (16-2, 6-1) in a nonsection win over Frazier (5-12, 2-7). Delaney Warnick led all scorers with 26 points for the Commodores.

Woodland Hills 48, Penn Hills 26 – Carmen Vasquez scored 15 points and Hope Hawkins added 12 to help Woodland Hills (10-9, 7-2) past Penn Hills (7-10, 4-6) in Section 1-5A.

Hockey

Kiski 7, Wheeling Catholic 5 – Ethan Bombalski scored four goals and Matt Drahos added a pair to lead Kiski (13-3) to a Class A win. Ethan George also added a goal for Kiski. Ethyn Taylor scored two goals, while Zach Vitlip, Gary Hatfield and Landon Jaquay each scored a goal for Wheeling Catholic (5-11).

McDowell 6, Quaker Valley 2 – Gino Heenan and Braeden Martin scored twice each for McDowell (12-4-1) in a Class A win. Braeden Steffey and Will Watson scored for Quaker Valley (11-4-1).

North Catholic 5, Beaver 1 – Ryan Better had a goal and an assist to lead North Catholic (11-4-1) to a Class A win. Chaise Caldararo, Sam Digaetano, Gabriel Grindstaff and Artem Romanov also scored. Tanner Nicol had a goal for Beaver (1-14).

Peters Township 6, Baldwin 1 – Austin Malley had two goals and Cavan Fisher added three assists to lead Peters Township (12-3-1) to a Class 3A win. Koby Ringwald, Ryder Mertens, Drew Alexander and Porter Erb also scored. Levi McCrea scored for Baldwin (5-9-1).

Seneca Valley 4, Canon-McMillan 3 – Jaxson Reed scored twice while Jack Smelscer and Jacob Gilbert each added a goal to lift Seneca Valley (12-4-1) past Canon-McMillan (3-12-1) in Class 3A. The Big Macs got goals from Benjamin Votodian, Dominic Tracanna and Dylan Isbell.

Wrestling

Greensburg Salem 36, McKeesport 30 – Kaidyn Gonder (145) and Ethan Miller (152) recorded pins to lead Greensburg Salem (4-8) to a nonsection win. Colton Kotouch (139) and Rafat Hafiz (172) had pins and Nate Durst (127) and Hunter Oliver (133) also won for McKeesport (2-5).