North Journal notebook: North Allegheny girls basketball keeps rolling

By: Bill Hartlep
Saturday, February 20, 2021 | 9:01 AM

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It was 16 up and 16 down for the North Allegheny basketball, which started the season 16-0 after recent victories over Class 5A power Chartiers Valley, as well as Baldwin and Pine-Richland.

Jasmine Timmerson scored 18 points and freshman Kellie McConnell had all 11 of her points in the second half to lead North Allegheny to a 61-59 victory over the Colts in a clash of top WPIAL girls basketball programs Feb. 12.

Lizzy Groetsch scored 13 points and Emma Fischer hit for 11 for the Class 6A No. 1 Tigers, which rallied after falling behind by seven in the first quarter.

McConnell, the niece of Chartiers Valley coach Tim McConnell, hit a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and stole Chartiers Valley’s final inbounds pass as time expired.

Timmerson hit a free throw with nine seconds to go to give the Tigers a 60-56 lead. Page then hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to bring the Colts within one. Kellie McConnell made 1 of 2 free throws to make it 61-59.

Against Baldwin, Groetsch had 24 points, and Paige Morningstar added 10 in a 57-40 nonsection victory.

In last week’s 68-40 win over Pine-Richland in Section 1-6A, Timmerson had 15 points, Morningstar added 13, and Cam Phillips scored 13.

The Tigers have won 29 straight games.

• The North Hills girls basketball team was forced into quarantine after a member of the coaching staff tested positive for covid-19 on Feb. 14. The program was shut down until Feb. 24.

North Hills will complete the regular season at 3-14 overall and 0-11 in Section 1-6A.

NA boys rebound from loss

The North Allegheny boys basketball team bounced back from its first loss in nine games with a 63-49 nonsection victory over Norwin on Feb. 13.

Junior Robby Jones and senior Greg Habib each had 16 points, junior Matt McDonough added 14, and senior Khalil Dinkins added 10 for the Tigers.

The victory came a day after North Hills snapped the Tigers’ eight-game winning streak. North Hills won 60-41 in a Section 1-6A game Feb. 12.

The Tigers, however, suffered another loss on Feb. 17, falling to section rival Seneca Valley, 71-70.

Habib scored 23 and Dinkins and McDonough had 15 each for No. 4-ranked North Allegheny (12-4, 8-2).

• North Hills fell to 4-9 overall and 2-7 in Section 1-6A after an 87-60 loss to Butler on Feb. 17.

Devin Carney scored 41 points, including 16 in the third quarter, to lead Butler (8-7, 3-6). Alex Smith scored 17 points and Royce Parham added 12 for North Hills.

Wrestlers reach WPIAL semis

The North Allegheny wrestling team advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals earlier this month before falling short to eventual champion Waynesburg, 51-9.

The Tigers defeated Thomas Jefferson in the quarterfinals, 53-9.

Against TJ, Dylan Coy (120), Nathan Monteparte (132), Brad Stipetich (145), A.J. Rohan (152), Collin McCorkle (160) and Brady Leczo (215) had pins.

McCorkle and Gorman earned NA’s wins against Waynesburg, which went on to defeat Seneca Valley for the WPIAL Class AAA title.

North Allegheny, which won the Section 3B title at 4-0, finished the team portion of the season with an overall record of 13-3.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny, North Hills