Sports
This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/22/2015
March 22, 2015
We have said so long to the winter sports season and a gradual hello to the high school and college spring sports season all this week MSA Sports Network. While we still have some postseason women's college basketball action featuring California University of Pa, we also have the debut of WPIAL baseball, WPIAL softball, WPIAL boys volleyball and WPIAL boys and girls lacrosse, plus we have more college baseball with the Geneva Golden Tornado ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, March 23rd:
Roman Cath, Neumann-Goretti, Conwell-Egan & Constitution Bring 2015 PIAA Boys Hoops Titles Home to Philly
Last year, the WPIAL sent three boys teams to Hershey where two of them came home with gold. This year, there was only one District 7 team playing in Chocolate Town. That team was Aliquippa and the WPIAL champs were undefeated and looking to make perfect history, until they tasted defeat for the first time with a loss to Conwell-Egan Catholic, leaving the Quips with silver and a final record of 29-1. Here are ALL of the results from the 2015 PIAA Boys Basketball Playoffs. All of the games with (MSA) after the result can be heard archived here on the MSA Sports Network. 2015 PIAA CLASS AAAA BOYS BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
Blackhawk and Vincentian Academy Repeat as 2015 PIAA Girls Basketball Champs
Two out of three ain't bad. In 2014, Blackhawk in AAA, Seton-LaSalle in AA and Vincentian Academy in A not only won WPIAL championships, but also added PIAA state crowns to their trophy case. The golden girls once again captured another WPIAL crown last month before winning four games to advance back to Hershey and the state finals. While Seton-LaSalle fell shot in Class AA, both Blackhawk in AAA and Vincentian Academy in A were successful in winning another PIAA state championship. Here are all of the results from the 2015 PIAA Girls Basketball Playoffs. All results marked with (MSA) after the score can be heard archived on MSA Sports. 2015 PIAA CLASS AAAA GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:HG Prep Takes a Bite Out of Big Macs, Win PA Cup AAA Title
March 21, 2015
In the East-West rubber match of the 2015 Pennsylvania Cup Hockey Championships, Flyers Cup Champion Holy Ghost Prep dropped Penguins Cup Champion Canon-McMillan, 6-4, in the AAA title game on Saturday evening at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena. A big second period lifted the Firebirds to the victory over the Big Macs, who last appeared in the State Championship in 2010, when they fell to Cardinal O’Hara.
Blackhawk Girls Golden Again In Hershey
It was truly a team effort as the Blackhawk Cougars (28-3) rallied from a first half deficit to defeat the Archbishop Wood Vikings, 46-40, in the PIAA Girls Class AAA Championship Game on Saturday evening at Giant Center in Hershey. The win gives Blackhawk back-to-back PIAA Championship Game victories over Archbishop Wood (26-5), as the Cougars won 51-43 in last year’s title game. Blackhawk has now won four girls state titles, going back-to-back in 1999 and 2000 as well. The Cougars missed their first six shots and trailed 7-0 and 14-4 in the opening quarter. But Duquesne University recruit Chassidy Omogrosso led the comeback with 23 points, while Courtney Vannoy, a Loyola (Md.) recruit, added 17 points for Blackhawk.
Quips Quest For Perfection Ends With Loss in PIAA AA State Title Game
Aliquippa won its first 29 games of the 2014-15 season, but the Quips suffered their lone defeat to Conwell-Egan Catholic 62-51 in the PIAA Class AA Boys Championship at the Giant Center in Hershey. After falling behind by double digits in the first half, Aliquippa staged a furious comeback bid in the second half, frequently trimming the deficit to two points. The Eagles never relinquished their lead, though, and capitalized from the charity stripe to seal the victory. The Quips (29-1) started the contest strong, scoring six straight points to take an 8-2 lead. Conwell-Egan responded with a run of its own, however, as the Eagles scored the final eight points of the stanza to take a four-point lead through the first quarter.
Erie Cathedral Prep Wins Third PA Cup With 3-1 Win Over Downingtown East
“Come early, cheer loud” was the motto for the Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers and, on Saturday at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena, their fans proved it and their players thanked them for it. Penguins Cup Champion Cathedral Prep (21-2-0), fueled by a large, orange clad student cheering section, edged out a 3-1 win over Flyers Cup Champion Downingtown East in the Pennsylvania Cup Class AA Championship Game.
Vincentian Academy Bombs Old Forge to Defend Girls Class A State Title
The Vincentian Academy girls secured their place in history, as the Lady Royals turned in a dominant performance en route to an 86-38 victory over Old Forge to repeat as PIAA Class A champions at the Giant Center in Hershey. In a rematch of last year’s championship tilt, the Lady Royals were keyed by suffocating defense and a stellar performance by senior forward Brenna Wise. Wise, the two-time MSA Sports girls’ player of the year, recorded a triple-double, as she netted 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 steals. Wise’s defensive effort epitomized the contest, as Vincentian Academy forced 45 Blue Devils’ turnovers. Junior forward Lexi Griggs also provided a memorable contribution for the Lady Royals, as she scored 24 points by shooting 9-12 from the field.
Big Third Period Lifts Bayard-Rustin Past Mars in PA Cup Class A Finals
In the first of three Pennsylvania Cup Championships at Pegula Ice Arena in State College, the Flyers Cup Champion Bayard Rustin Golden Knights (22-1-4) overcame a furious start and lopsided shooting margin by the Penguins Cup Champion Mars Fighting Planets (20-5-1), scoring the final four goals of the game and prevailing 5-2. The win for Bayard Rustin is their third State Championship Game victory in program history and second in a row, as the Knights defeated Quaker Valley 5-2 in last year’s Championship game.
2014-2015 MSA SPORTS BOYS ALL-NETTERS
March 20, 2015
If there would be a catch phrase that would describe the boys All-Netters team, it would be “On Guard.” The All-Netters team is made up of the top 10 players in the WPIAL, as selected by the MSA Sports staff. This year’s first team is made up of five guards. The second team has three guards. Nine seniors make up this year’s team. The only two Division I college signees in the WPIAL this year also are on the team. Here is a look at the All-Netters teams as well as the Player of the Year. FIRST TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Matty McConnell, Chartiers Valley 6-1, Sr., G
2014-2015 MSA SPORTS GIRLS ALL-NETTERS
Most of the girls on the All-Netters team are going places. The All-Netters team is the top 10 players in the WPIAL and is picked by the MSA Sports staff. This year’s team has seven players going to Division I colleges, including one who is going for softball. The team includes three players who scored more than 2,000 points, and all four WPIAL champions are represented. Here is a look at the player of the year, and the first and second teams of the All-Netters. FIRST TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brenna Wise, Vincentian Academy 6-1, Sr., G-F
PIAA Basketball Recaps for Boys AAAA, Boys AAA, Boys A and Girls AAAA
All the action is complete in Hershey as eight state champions were crowned. Here are recaps of all of the games not involving WPIAL teams: Quad A Boys: Roman Catholic Cahillites 62 – Martin Luther King Cougars 45 Leading 30-29 at the break, Roman Catholic held Martin Luther King to just 4 points in the third quarter and a 4 of 34 shooting performance in the second half to claim their first ever PIAA Quad-A boys championship. This game was a rematch of the District 12 final, a two point win for Roman Catholic, the Catholic League champion. Rider recruit Gemil Holbrook led with 20 points including 12 in the final two quarters.
Unbeaten Neumann-Goretti Too Much For Seton-LaSalle in PIAA Girls AA Finals
Eight minutes and ten seconds was all it took to undo the reign of the Seton-LaSalle Rebels as PIAA Champions. The Rebels went without a field goal from the 4:30 mark of the opening quarter to 4:20 of the second as the Neumann-Goretti Saints pulled away to take a 20-point lead during that stretch and finish a 30-0 undefeated season with a 79-34 victory in the Class AA girls title game at Hershey’s Giant Center. {Left: The seven seniors from Seton-LaSalle girls team hold silver basketball trophy as runner-up after falling to Neumann-Goretti}
Indiana Takes Down Unbeaten Carrick For First PIHL Division 2 Championship
Someone should really stop calling Indiana “Little.” In a massively tenacious defensive effort, the Indiana Little Indians (16-5-1) used a physical trap and special teams to grab a 5-2 win over Carrick (23-1-0) in the PIHL Division 2 Championship Game on Thursday night at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center. T.J. Petro’s shorthanded goal at 10:59 of the second period evened the game at 2-2 and swung momentum to the Little Indians, who scored the final four goals of the game, claiming their first Division 2 (previously the Open Classification) Championship in program history.PIHL Playoff Recaps for Monday, March 16th
March 17, 2015
The Final Four teams from the PIHL's Class B and Class C went head-to-head Monday in the PIHL Division II Semifinals. in the end, Carrick remained undefeated while 2nd-seed Indiana is title game bound after both the Cougars and Little Indians were on the winning side of 4-2 results. Here are summaries from both games played at the Bladerunners in Warrendale on Monday. A special thanks to Adam Hoerner and Cory Campano for their help on these recaps. PIHL DIVISION II Semifinals:Indiana Win First Ever 2015 PIHL Division II Hockey Championship
March 16, 2015
In previous years, it was called the PIHL Open Class high school hockey playoffs. Now it is titled the PIHL Division II hockey postseason for teams from this years Class B and Class C. The first ever champion was crowned Thursday at the Robert Morris University Sports Complex on Neville Island. It was there that Indiana handed Carrick the Cougars first loss of the 2014-2015 season to secure the schools first ever high school hockey golden crown. Here are all of the results from the 2015 PIHL Division II Hockey Playoffs. Any results marked with (MSA) after it can be heard archived here on the MSA Sports Network. PIHL DIVISION II CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:PIHL Notebook – 03/16/2015
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. With the 2015 Penguins Cup champions crowned, there is still more to do. Since we honored the three “pure” classifications with semifinal preview capsules last week, it’s only fair we give the same treatment to the fine folks in Division II. Plus, we have a brief look at the PA Cup Finals being played this weekend in State College, though at present we only know two out of the three final matchups. So, let’s light the lamp on this special postseason edition of “PIHL Notebook.” PIHL DIVISION II SEMIFINALS:
Canon-McMillan, Cathedral Prep & Mars Win 2015 PIHL Penguins Cup Titles
March 15, 2015
It took four goals for Canon-McMillan, Erie Cathedral Prep and Mars to be crowned new champions in the PIHL. All three winning teams at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh scored four goals and skated away with Penguins Cup championships. All three will now represent the west in the three Pennsylvania Cup state championship games on Saturday, March 21st at Penn State. Here are ALL the final results from the 2015 PIHL Penguins Cup Playoffs. All games marked with (MSA) afterward can be heard archived here on the MSA Sports Network. 2015 PIHL PENGUINS CUP CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Canon-McMillan Big Macs 4 - Butler Golden Tornado 0 (MSA)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/15/2015
After a loooong four months, the winter high school sports season is finally coming to a golden end this week on the MSA Sports Network.
Mars Dethrones Three-Time Champ Quaker Valley 4-2
Mars turned in an out-of-this-world performance in dethroning the three-time defending champion Quaker Valley 4-2 to capture the Class A Penguins Cup Championship at Consol Energy Center. {Left: Mars didn't miss much Saturday, but this third period shot goes sailing wide of the Quaker Valley cage}
