High school roundup for Nov. 8, 2018: Hempfield boys take down McKeesport

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 8, 2018 | 10:33 PM

The Hempfield boys basketball team overcame some tense moments with stellar foul-shooting and balanced scoring to win the finale of its tip-off tournament Saturday, 73-64, over McKeesport.

The Spartans (1-1) made 19 of 26 free throws in the fourth quarter — 31 of 39 for the game — to preserve an advantage that had swelled to 50-38 after three quarters.

McKeesport (1-1) kept rallying and closed the gap to five (55-50) with 3:57 left on a putback by Brison Kisan, but Hempfield went to work at the foul line to secure a physical win. Two free throws by Reed Hipps with 55 seconds left gave the Spartans a 69-61 lead.

“We made a concentrated effort to break their pressure and get to the foul line and that’s what we did,” Hempfield coach Bill Swan said. “Our kids really played well. We played better than we did (Friday). I was happy with how we kept our composure.”

Jules Nicholls led Hempfield with 14 points; Drew Coletta added 13, including 8 of 10 free throws in the fourth; Hipps had 13, Blake Remaley 12 and Christian Zilli 11.

Thomas Wyatt had 10 of his 12 points in the fourth for the Tigers, while Deomontae Diggs led with a game-high 24.

Jeannette 51, Belle Vernon 47 — Hempfield transfer Zach Crutchman scored 15 points, AJ Sharp had 11 and Seth Howard chipped in 10, including six in the fourth quarter, to lead Jeannette (1-1) to a win at the Hempfield tip-off tournament. After Belle Vernon (0-2) crept within 49-47 with 10.3 seconds left, Sharp made a pair of free throws to give the Jayhawks some space.

Cam Nusser led Belle Vernon with 17 points.

Shaler 86, Elizabeth Forward 46 — Justin DeSabato hit four 3-pointers on way to scoring 30 points as Shaler (1-1) defeated Elizabeth Forward (0-2) in the consolation game of the Penn-Trafford tournament. Mekhi Reynolds and Luke Bebout added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Shaler. Patrick Filson paced Elizabeth Forward with 13 points while teammate Evan Lewis added 12.

Seneca Valley 67, Hampton 43 — Mason Bush scored 23 points and Zac Zajacs added 11 as Seneca Valley (1-1) beat Hampton (1-1) at the North Hills/Upper St. Clair tournament. Seneca Valley, which led by one point after the first quarter, outscored Hampton, 47-20 over the next two quarters to pull away with the win. Ben Ringeisen scored nine points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Hampton.

Fox Chapel 68, Pine-Richland 59 — Ryan Kerr scored 26 points and Arnold Vento added 18 points as Fox Chapel (2-0) defeated Pine-Richland (1-1) at the Plum tournament. Dan Petcash led Pine-Richland with 24 points while teammate Kyle Polce added 15 points.

Burrell 39, Kiski School 26 — In the Freeport tournament consolation game, all-tournament team selection Logan Bitar scored 19 points to lead Burrell (1-1) to the win against Kiski School (0-2). Chris Moncrief, also an all-tournament selection, led the Cougars with eight points.

Butler 71, Sewickley Academy 56 — Ethan Morton scored 28 points to lead Butler (2-0) over Sewickley Academy (0-2) at the Baldwin/Peters Township tournament. Nate Ridgeway and Isiah Warfield scored 23 and 21 points, respectively, for Sewickley Academy.

North Hills 85, West Allegheny 72 — Jordan Albright scored a career-high 37 points as North Hills (1-1) overcame a slow start to defeat West Allegheny (0-2) at the North Hills/Upper St. Clair tournament. Logan Marshalek and Danny Ritchie added 18 and 14 points respectively for North Hills, which trailed by 11 points at the end of the first quarter. Jackson Faulk’s 20 points led four double-digit scorers for West Allegheny.

West Mifflin 60, Frazier 38 — At the South Park tournament, Josh Brown scored 19 points and Deodis Powell added 16 points as West Mifflin (1-1) defeated Frazier (0-2). Justin Novak scored 13 points in the loss.

South Fayette 52, South Park 39 — Conner Mislan scored 17 points to lead South Fayette (2-0) to the win over tournament host South Park (1-1).

Central Valley 60, Westinghouse 38 — Brandon Graham and Justin Thompson each scored 16 points as Central Valley (1-1) defeated Westinghouse (0-2) at the New Castle tournament. Chase Morrison added 15 points for Central Valley while Angelo Dinello added 12 points. Westinghouse’s Rodkeem Byrd led all scorers with 24 points.

Berlin Brothersvalley 72, Derry 64 — Will Spochart scored 26 points and Berin Brothersvalley (1-1) outscored Derry, 7-0, in the final minute to pull away and beat the Trojans (1-1) at the Derry Area Chuck T. Smith tournament.

Elijah Sechler added 14 points, Cole Blubaugh 11 and Cannon Hay 10 for Berlin Brothersvalley, which rallied from a third-quarter deficit with a 25-14 advantage in the fourth.

John Kerr led Derry with 21 points. Aidan Bushey added 15 and Tanner Nicely 12 for the Trojans, who opened the tournament on Friday with a victory over Kiski Area.

Norwin 62, Southmoreland 38 — Ty Bilinsky scord 26 points and Jayden Walker added 16 as Norwin (2-0) captured the title at the Mt. Pleasant tournament. Cade Richter had 18 points for Southmoreland (1-1).

Penn-Trafford 62, North Allegheny 54 — Zach Rocco scored 17 points as host Penn-Trafford (2-0) defeated North Allegheny (1-1) in the championship game. Brayden Puskar added 14 points and Kevin Stinelli 13 points in the win. Mike Iuzullino scored 28 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead North Allegheny.

Upper St. Clair 68, Chartiers Valley 62 — Luke and Tanner Gensler accounted for 48 of Upper St. Clair’s (2-0) points as Tanner totaled 31 points and 11 rebounds and Luke added 12 points in a victory. Brayden Reynolds led Chartiers Valley (1-1) with 21 points.

Yough 56, Brownsville 48 — Jarett Bach had 24 points to lead Yough (2-0) to a championship game win at the Brownsville tournament.

Girls basketball

Gateway 65, Laurel Highlands 38 — At Penn State Fayette, Mark Kromka scored 19 points and Alexis Jackson added 17 points as Gateway (2-0) downed Laurel Highlands (1-1) at the Fayette County Coaches Association tournament. Gateway outscored Laurel Highlands in the second quarter, 22-2, on way to taking a 41-12 lead at halftime. Taylor Smith scored 19 points in the loss.

Freeport 74, Albert Gallatin 41 — Sidney Shemanski scored 21 points as Freeport (1-1) jumped to a 59-23 halftime lead over Albert Gallatin (1-1) at the Southmoreland tournament. Madeline Clark added 15 points while Harley Holloway chipped in 12 points for Freeport. Bryn Bezjak scored 17 points to pace Albert Gallatin.

Oakland Catholic 47, Obama Academy 11 — Alexis Sestric scored 19 points to lead host Oakland Catholic (2-0) to the championship win against Obama Academy (1-1). Sierra DeAngelo added 13 points and seven rebounds for Oakland Catholic, which led at halftime, 37-5.

Sewickley Academy 62, Eden Christian 49 — In the championship game of the Freedom tournament, Bre Warner scored 26 points to lead Sewickley Academy (2-0) to the win against Eden Christian (1-1). Kamryn Lightcap added 19 points for Sewickley Academy while Taylor Haring and Olivia Bodine each scored 16 points to lead Eden Christian.

North Allegheny 61, Mt. Lebanon 42 — At the North Allegheny tournament, Lizzy Groetsch scored 19 points as the host team defeated Mt. Lebanon (0-2). Brooke Barcia added 15 points on five 3-pointers for North Allegheny (2-0) while teammates Rachel Martindale and Paige Morningstar each tallied 10 points.

Ellis School 49, Clairton 31 — At the Sto-Rox tournament, Natalie Jasper’s 22 points led Ellis School (2-0) to the win over Clairton (1-1). Katharine Derence added 13 points while teammate Natalie Graf scored 11 points.

East Allegheny 63, Serra Catholic 52 — At the Serra Catholic tournament, Amaia Johnson scored 21 of her 32 points in the second half as East Allegheny (2-0) defeated the host team. Abby Henderson added 15 points for East Allegheny while Gigi Mele-Madigan scored 21 points to pace Serra Catholic (1-1).

Chartiers-Houston 49, Geibel 23 — Dominique Mortimer scored 17 points and Zamierah Edwards added 16 points as Chartiers-Houston (1-1) downed Geibel (0-2) in the consolation game of the Brownsville Tournament.

Beaver 65, Monessen 21 – Emma Pavelek scored 31 points to lead Beaver (2-0) to a win over Monessen (0-2) in the Charleroi tournament. Jahnell Jackson led Monessen with 8 points. Beaver outscored Monessen, 27-4, in the third quarter.

Bethel Park 61, Franklin Regional 37 — Olivia Westphal scored a game-high 23 points to lead Bethel Park (2-0) to victory over Franklin Regional (1-1) in the championship game at the Bethel Park tournament. Maria Cerro finished with 16, while Madelyn Dziezgowski netted 15 points in the win. Cali Konek and Alex Reitz each scored 12 points in the loss.

Burrell 58, Yough 19 — At the Southmoreland tournament, Kaylen Sharrow scored 21 points to lead Burrell (1-1) to the win against Yough (0-2). Allison Fisher added 14 points for Burrell, which outscored Yough in the second half, 29-8. Jordan Pater scored 10 points in the loss.

Greensburg Central Catholic 71, Frazier 58 — Anna Eisaman scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Greensburg Central Catholic (2-0) to victory over Frazier (0-2) at the Fayette County Coaches Association tournament at Penn State Fayette. Melina Maietta added 23 points for Greensburg Central Catholic while Bella Skatel recorded 12 points and 10 assists. Brooke Poling and Sierra Twigg each scored 19 points to lead Frazier.

Hempfield 57, Greensburg Salem 46 — Hempfield jumped out to a 24-3 lead and rolled to the victory at the Greensburg Salem tournament.

Sarah Liberatore had 17 points for Hempfield (2-0).

Megan Kallock scored 32 for the Golden Lions (1-1).

Latrobe 56, Indiana 40 – Rachel Ridilla led four players for Latrobe (2-0) that reached double figures with 15 points in a win over Indiana (1-1) in the championship game of the Indiana tournament. Carly Augustine (14), Anna Rafferty (14) and Bethany Havrilla (10) were the other Wildcats to reach double figures. Hope Cook led Indiana with 17 points.

Mt. Pleasant 33, Ligonier Valley 20 — Chloe Jaworski had 11 points as Mt. Pleasant (1-1) won at the Greensburg Salem tournament. Destiny Sheriff had 14 rebounds for Ligonier Valley (0-2).

Penn-Trafford 71, Belle Vernon 59 — Bella Long hit five 3-pointers en route to scoring 26 points to lead Penn-Trafford (1-1) to the win over Belle Vernon (0-2) at the McKeesport tournament. Stephanie O’Donnell and Kenzie Powell each added 13 points for the Warriors.

Southmoreland 60, West Greene 47 – Maggie Moore scored 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead Southmoreland (2-0) to a win over West Greene (1-1) in the Southmoreland tournament. Gracie Spadaro scored 11 points, while Charity Henderson and Bailey Kuhns each scored 10 points in the win. McKenna Lampe led West Greene with 16 points.

Ambridge 57, Quigley 47 — Dasha Jackson recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Ambridge (2-0) to a win over Quigley (0-2) at the Ambridge tournament. Jackson hit four 3-pointers, while Aniya Walker recorded 21 points and 15 rebounds for Ambridge. Taylor Kirschner finished with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead Quigley.

Fox Chapel 67, Brashear 17 — The Foxes jumped out to a 40-13 halftime lead, and Ellie Schwartzman put up a game-high 14 points to lead Fox Chapel past Brashear (0-2) in the Montour tournament. Domenica Delaney scored 13 points and Claire Fenton added 11 for Fox Chapel (2-0).

Keystone Oaks 57, Westinghouse 31 — Gillian Piccolino scored 28 points, including six 3-pointers to lead Keystone Oaks (1-1) to a win over Westinghouse (0-2) in the South Fayette tournament. Isa Bodgan finished with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in the win. Dajanae Glover led Westinghouse with 11 points.

Wrestling

Hickory Invitational Wrestling Tournament — Latrobe’s Gabe Willochell captured the 132-pound title at the Hickory Invitational wrestling tournament to lead the Wildcats to a fourth-place finish with 155.5 points. Redbank Valley won the tournament with 179 points followed by Kane (171.5) and Port Allegany (168.5). The Wildcats had four third-place finishers – Marino Angelicchio (113), Enzo Angelicchio (120), Ricky Armstrong (138) and Tyler Ross (195). Nate Cochran finished fourth at 106, while Payton Henry (126), Jack Pletcher (145) and Logan Zitterbart (160) each finished sixth.