Points galore as East sweeps Cager Classic

By: Antonio Rossetti
Saturday, March 28, 2026 | 10:09 PM

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The 29th Annual Cager Classic didn’t disappoint with high-scoring outings as the East won both matchups over the West on Saturday night.

The East girls won 98-80, and the boys were 103-92 victors.

The games featured seniors from Allegheny, Butler, Armstrong and Westmoreland counties.

The East girls scored their way to victory with the three-headed monster of Burrell’s Casey Brancato, Plum’s Riley Stephans and Kiski Area’s Gianna DeVito racking up 21 points apiece.

DeVito took home East MVP.

“We always play them against them in games,” DeVito said. “It was fun to just actually play with them. They’re really good, so it was nice to like get our skills mixed together instead of against each other.”

Freeport’s Jaisa Gaillot won the West MVP after tallying 16 points. Knoch’s Neah Ewing added 21 points, and Mars’ Alexis Cashdollar tallied 19.

The West let it rain from long range with 13 3-pointers. Ewing buried five, Gaillot hit three, and Apollo-Ridge’s Lauren Gamble made one.

“It was really nice playing with them,” Gaillot said. “I thought we moved the ball really well too. Neah was on, and I was on.”

Gaillot loved the fast-paced play.

“It was just the overall atmosphere playing in a game like this,” Gaillot said. “It was so great. I just love being able to play, one more time, especially after senior year.”

The East jumped out to a 12-2 lead behind 10 DeVito points and relentless drives to the basket from Brancato and Stephans.

However, Ewing willed the West back into the game as back-to-back 3s cut the lead to 22-15.

The East was ahead 26-15 at the end of one.

The second quarter was back and forth nonstop action with the East outscoring the West, 31-29.

The East led 55-46 at halftime.

However, the East was able to slow down the West and used fast transition points to outscore it 26-17 in the third.

The East cruised the rest of the way with the majority of its points coming from getting downhill in transition.

“I think our team had a lot of stamina, so we just tried to tire the other team out,” DeVito said. “They had more subs than us, but that was mainly our thing and just getting first shots in and getting rebounds.”

Butler’s Emily Hoffer posted 12 points, Franklin Regional’s Gemma Sadoski delivered 11 points and Mikayla Coury scored nine for the East.

St. Joseph’s Kasey Cienek tallied nine for the West with Mars’ Mya Moore scoring six.

The tandem of Kiski Area’s Amaree Gonzalez and Butler’s Andrew Gettinger stole the show as they led the East boys.

Gettinger delivered 25 points, 15 rebounds and five 3s. Gonzalez added 18 points.

Gonzalez said they felt good coming into the game.

“Nobody thought we were really going to win this one,” he said. “They thought it was going to be a blowout. We came out strong, hitting a couple shots, and we felt confident.”

Knoch’s Teegan Finucan and Deer Lakes’ Collin Rodgers leading the charge for a tight West press defense. The East was ready, though.

“We had a good practice on Thursday and knew we had a solid game plan coming in,” Gonzalez said. “Once we broke the press, we trusted each other and knocked down our shots.”

Gettinger took home East MVP.

Gonzalez and Gettinger’s chemistry didn’t come out of nowhere, though. Both played AAU together and were happy to lead.

The East knocked down 17 3s with Burrell’s Gavyn Orr hitting four and Cheswick Christian Academy’s Joseph Rosio making three.

“I feel like when you got multiple guys that can just keep shooting threes, it just falls and falls and falls, which is a great feeling,” Gettinger said.

Orr finished with 14 points and Rosio with 10 . Kiski Area’s Avon Shirley tallied nine.

“It is great playing with these guys,” Rosio said. “It is a lot of fun. Just all the talent around the court. It’s fun to share a court with all these guys.”

Gettinger sparked a 13-0 run in the third quarter, including a Gonzalez four-point play, building the a comfortable lead.

After the West drew closer, a 13-2 East run with Gettinger hitting back-to-back NBA-range 3s and layups from Apollo-Ridge’s Zane Beatty and Valley’s Jaden Wall put it up 89-70.

Despite the West attempts to inch closer, the East pulled away for the victory.

Highlands’ Ty Hall fueled a run with seven straight points to go up 27-21.

Nevertheless, the East bounced back with a 13-4 run.

Rosio drilled back-to-back corner 3s for the East to go up 34-31, capping off a run. It led the rest of the way.

With the East leading, the West continued to press but Burrell’s Sam Conte powered through it and continued to find a red-hot Orr who connected from behind the arc three times in the first half as it went up 45-39.

The runs were carried by barrages of 3-pointers. Conte found Orr early and often.

“I knew his tendencies because I’ve been playing with him all season, and it was fun knowing what he’s going to do,” Conte said. “We were on the same page the whole time.”

Said Orr: “It felt great. All the hours of practice really led up to this moment, especially being the last game. It all came together.”

Nevertheless, the West closed out the half with a 7-2 run that was capped off with a Vinnie DeFelice (Knoch) buzzer-beater as it trailed 47-46 at the half.

Gettinger and Gonzalez then sparked a 13-0 run in the third quarter to go up 68-50 with Gonzalez completing a four-point play during the run.

However, the West inched closer with Hampton’s Zack Danner notching a layup and Armstrong’s Memphis Cypher knocking down a 3.

This led to the Gettinger and Gonzalez tandem pulling away to victory.

Finucan took home the West MVP with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Rodgers added 14, and Central Catholic’s Ryan Hower put up nine.

“It was super fun,” Conte said. “I didn’t think I’d be able to close out my career like that. I thought that game against Belle Vernon would be my last. It was super cool to end out on a win like this.”

Orr and Conte were happy to close out their high school careers the right way.

“It’s awesome, man,” Orr said. “This is what I was looking forward to — playing with my teammates and finishing it out together. At the end of the day, that’s all I wanted.”