High school roundup for Jan. 4, 2018: No. 2 Upper St. Clair boys top host Baldwin

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, January 4, 2019 | 11:33 PM

No. 2 Upper St. Clair held off a spirited comeback attempt by Baldwin to earn a hard-fought, 63-54 win in a Section 2-6A boys basketball game Friday at Baldwin.

The undefeated Panthers (11-0, 2-0) used a 13-2 run early in the third quarter to grab a 42-33 advantage.

Baldwin (4-6, 0-2) closed the gap to 55-51 with 2:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the visitors scored eight of the game’s 11 final points to secure the victory.

USC senior Tanner Gensler, a 6-foot-4 forward, netted a game-high 26 points, including 14 in the first half and nine in the third quarter.

Senior guard Chris Pantelis finished with 10 points while sophomore guard Luke Gensler chipped in with eight.

The Highlanders’ leading offensive players were junior forward Troy Lanier, who tossed in 16 points before fouling out with 3:32 to go, and senior guard Christian Barr with 15 points.

Dorien Ford, a sophomore center/forward, added nine points.

Butler 81, North Hills 55 — Devin Carney scored 16 points, and Mattix Clement and Ethan Morton each added 14 as No. 5 Butler (8-2, 2-0) won in Section 1-6A.

Jordan Albright had 17 points for North Hills (4-5, 0-2).

Seneca Valley 59, Central Catholic 56 — Led by Zac Zajacs’ 28 points, Seneca Valley (6-3, 1-1) earned a key Section 1-6A win. Ben Sarson had 16 points for Central Catholic (3-6, 1-1), which was outscored 18-8 in the fourth quarter.

Mt. Lebanon 78, Canon-McMillan 46 — Blaine Gartley had 16 points and Sean Loughran added 13 as No. 4 Mt. Lebanon (9-2, 2-0) cruised to a Section 2-6A win. The Blue Devils pulled away with an 18-5 run in the second quarter.

Peters Township 61, Bethel Park 56 — Colin Cote had 18 points to pace Peters Township (8-2, 1-1) in a Section 2-6A victory. Ryan Meis scored 17 points for Bethel Park (7-3, 0-2).

Woodland Hills 85, Albert Gallatin 71 — Keandre Bowles had 35 points to help No. 3 Woodland Hills (8-1, 4-0) secure a win in Section 1-5A. Nate English and Markeife Harvey each had 24 points in the win.

Chartiers Valley 85, West Mifflin 51 — Joe Pipilo and Brayden Reynolds each had 18 points as Chartiers Valley (7-1, 4-0) won a Section 2-5A game.

Thomas Jefferson 65, Montour 63 — Isaac McNeil scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, to help Thomas Jefferson (5-5, 1-3) edge Montour (4-6, 1-2) in a Section 2-5A game.

Mars 64, Armstrong 56 — Michael Carmody scored 24 points to power No. 1 Mars (9-1, 4-0) to a Section 3-5A win. Isaiah Price had 22 points, and Gavin Szymanski scored 19 for Armstrong (2-7, 1-3).

Shaler 65, Hampton 60 — Mekhi Reynolds had 21 points to lift Shaler (8-3, 3-1) to a Section 3-5A victory. The Titans closed the game on a 20-8 run.

Ben Ringeisen had 27 points for Hampton (6-4, 2-2).

Central Valley 47, Beaver 46 — Brandon Graham hit four free throws in the final minute to help Central Valley (4-5, 2-1) secure a Section 2-4A win. Justin Pyle-Thompson had 14 points for the Warriors.

South Park 65, Elizabeth Forward 53 — Santino Tutich scored 20 points to help South Park (3-6, 1-1) earn a Section 3-4A win.

Lincoln Park 65, Beaver Falls 53 — In Section 1-3A, Andrew Wilder had 21 points, and Keeno Holmes added 18 as No. 1 Lincoln Park (8-1, 3-0) earned a win. Jalen Vaughn scored 20 points to lead Beaver Falls (4-6, 2-1).

Sto-Rox 50, Winchester Thurston 47 — Jamal Williams had 17 points to lead Sto-Rox (5-5, 3-1) to a win in Section 1-2A.

Serra Catholic 71, California 52 — Khalil Smith had 16 points, and Jimmy Moon added 14 points and seven rebounds as No. 3 Serra Catholic (7-2, 4-0) won a Section 2-2A game.

Sewickley Academy 74, South Side 42 — Nate Ridgeway scored 24 points to help No. 1 Sewickley Academy (5-3, 3-0) capture a Section 3-2A win.

Moon 63, Wheeling Park 50 — At the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, Donovan Johnson scored 24 points to lead Class 5A No. 2 Moon (10-0) to victory.

Seton LaSalle 74, McKeesport 69 — Dylan Preston had 30 points to lead Class 3A Seton LaSalle (8-1) to a nonsection win. Deamontae Diggs had 23 points for McKeesport (5-5).

Brashear 62, Perry 47 — In City League play, Lontae Smith had 23 points to guide Brashear (2-6, 1-0) to victory.

It had been 17 days since the Franklin Regional boys basketball team played a game in Section 3-5A.

Franklin Regional 64, Plum 43 — Nick Leopold led the No. 5-ranked Panthers (8-3, 3-1) with 19 points, Johnny O’Toole added 17 and Thomas Merante scored 12.

Franklin Regional opened the game on a 19-5 run.

Lamar Whiting led the Mustangs (1-9, 1-3) with 18 points and Chase Fink scored 12.

Fox Chapel 52, Hempfield 34 — Fox Chapel took a 28-18 lead into halftime and didn’t look back as it won in Section 3-6A play. Ryan Kerr scored 14 points and Sam Brown added 13 for Fox Chapel (6-4, 1-1). Marcus McCarthy scored 12 points to lead Hempfield (7-4, 0-2).

Connellsville 49, Norwin 40 — Jalen Rogers’ 25 points lifted Connellsville (4-6, 1-1) to a key Section 3-6A win. Ty Bilinsky had 10 points to lead the way for Norwin (6-3, 1-1).

Penn Hills 81, Greensburg Salem 43 — No. 4-ranked Penn Hills (7-2, 3-0) had five players in double figures en route to a Section 1-5A victory. The Indians were led by Tyree Spencer (18), Marshall McArthur (16), Wes Kropp (16), Kyree Hairston-Mitchell (15) and Gary Bonner (12).

Christian McGowan had 13 points for Greensburg Salem (5-6, 0-4), which fell behind 19-5 in the first quarter.

Knoch 72, Yough 36 — Julian Sanks led four Knoch (7-3, 2-0) players in double figures with 17 points in a Section 1-4A win. Ryan Lang added 14 points for the Knights, which trailed 18-16 at the end of the first quarter, but allowed only 18 points over the final three quarters. Scott Fraser and Brady McKee had 13 points apiece for Knoch. Jarett Bach led Yough (4-6, 0-2) with 16 points.

Uniontown 85, Belle Vernon 36 — Billy Deshields and Isaiah Melvin each had 25 points to guide Uniontown (5-3, 2-0) to a Section 3-4A win. Larry Callaway had 11 points, and Cameron Nusser added 10 for the Leopards (2-9, 0-2).

Charleroi 63, Southmoreland 61 — In Section 4-3A, Charleroi (5-5, 3-1) scored a key victory over Southmoreland (4-6, 1-2).

Jeannette 66, Carmichaels 28 — Jeannette opened a 27-2 lead and rolled to a Section 2-2A victory. Jackson Pruitt had 14 points, Zach Crutchman scored 12, and Marcus Barnes had 10 for the Jayhawks (7-3, 3-0).

Monessen 83, Geibel 45 — Elijawah Payne had 22 points, and Devin Whitlock added 18 as Monessen (4-4, 3-0) won in Section 2-A.

Greensburg Central Catholic 68, Leechburg 45 – Geoff Helm had 17 points and Max Pisula scored 16 as Greensburg Central Catholic (6-4, 3-1) won a Section 3-A game.

Jake Blumer had a game-high 21 points for Leechburg (6-5, 2-1).

Kiski Area 76, Indiana 58 — Freshman Kyrell Hutcherson led all scorers with 20 points, while sophomore Jason Baker added 16 for Kiski Area (3-8, 2-2) in a Section 3-5A win.

Luke Thomas paced Indiana (2-9, 0-4) with 17 points, while Alec Petroff and Chase Walker each scored 12.

Valley 57, South Allegheny 41 — Led by David Primus’s 20 points, the Vikings earned a Section 3-3A win. Elijah Murray chipped in 14 points for Valley (3-5, 3-0). Ethan Kirkwood scored 15 points, and Omar Faulkner added 12 for South Allegheny (3-7, 0-4).

Springdale 69, Propel Braddock Hills 40 — Demitri Fritch scored a game-high 21 points as the Dynamos cruised to a Section 1-2A win. Mike Zolnierczyk scored 14 points, and Ben Myford added 13 for Springdale (7-3, 3-1). Josiah McCoy-Morant scored 12 points, and Chaiem Despert-Johnson chipped in 11 for Propel Braddock Hills (0-9, 0-4).

Summit Academy 71, Apollo-Ridge 55 — Keighton Reese scored a career-best 32 points, with 30 coming on 10 3-pointers, but Summit Academy (4-3, 3-1) halted the Vikings’ five-game winning streak with the Section 1-2A victory. The Knights led 34-26 at the half and pulled away with a 15-2 advantage in the third. Klay Fitzroy added 12 points for Apollo-Ridge (5-6, 2-2).

Girls basketball

Seneca Valley 59, Pine-Richland 49 — McKenna Gross had 20 points, and Maddie Karchut added 16 as Seneca Valley (8-2, 2-2) won a Section 1-6A game.

Oakland Catholic 52, Penn-Trafford 29 — Senior Sierra DeAngelo scored a game-high 15 points and topped the 1,000-point mark for her career to lead No. 3 Oakland Catholic (9-1, 4-0) past Penn-Trafford (5-4, 2-2). Alexis Sestric added 11 points for the Eagles, who ran off a 26-8 run after the Warriors cut the lead to 26-21 late in the third quarter. The Eagles outscored Penn-Trafford, 22-8, in the fourth quarter.

Bella Long led Penn-Trafford with 12 points.

McKeesport 60, Mt. Pleasant 28 — McKeesport (4-5, 2-2) jumped out to a 22-4 lead and cruised to a Section 3-4A vitory. Emma Elash had 19 points for the Tigers. Juliann Kalp scored 11 for Mt. Pleasant (2-8, 1-3).

Derry 49, Ligonier Valley 43 — Danielle Mullen and Hannah Wedow each scored 10 points as Derry (4-6) won a nonsection game. Alexia Boyd had 12 points for Ligonier Valley (1-8).

Fox Chapel 39, Shaler 29 — Megan Friday scored 13 points as the No. 5 Foxes won a Section 1-6A game. Ellie Schwartzman added 11 for Fox Chapel (8-2, 3-1). Emily Cavacini scored 14 points to lead Shaler (2-7, 1-3).

Leechburg 42, Springdale 21 ­— Leechburg raced out to an 18-3 lead in the first quarter en route to a nonsection win over Springdale (0-10). Aubry Skeel scored 14 points to lead the Blue Devils (3-6).