WPIAL Basketball Playoff Recaps for Saturday, February 19th

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, February 19, 2011 | 12:00 AM

Opening weekend of the Battle to the Bluff, the 2011 edition of the WPIAL Basketball Playoffs continued with plenty of Saturday afternoon action. Preliminary and First Round action in Boys AAAA, Boys AA, Girls AAA and Girls A helped end the first two days of the district postseason. Here are recaps from ALL of the games…which were all heard here on the MSA Sports Network.

Thanks to T.J. DiStefano, Mike Krcil, Don Rebel, Randy Gore, Adam Hoerner, Paul Paterra, Greg Kuntz, Jonathan Whaley, Mike Azadian, Bob Barrickman, Dennis Fischer, Brian Mroziak, Sam Hall, Bob Gregg, Matt Vandriak and Bobby Fox for their help on these recaps.

BOYS WPIAL CLASS AAAA PRELIMINARY ROUND:

Plum Mustangs 53 – Latrobe Wildcats 51
The Plum Mustangs controlled the entire game and outplayed the Greater Latrobe Wildcats for the most part, but the Wildcats fought their way back and ultimately come up short 53-51 in preliminary round action Saturday at Gateway High School. Going into the game Latrobe had won the last four meetings between the two schools, including two wins last year 51-43 in the regular season and 42-40 win in the first round of the playoffs. Latrobe led 12-11 after one, even after a slow start and being out played by the Mustangs. Plum turned it up in the second outscoring the Wildcats 15-7 to take a 29-16 lead into the break. The Wildcats would cut the Plum lead to 35-29 after three thanks to outscoring the Mustangs 10-9 in that frame. Latrobe continued to battle in the fourth and outscored Plum 22-18, but it was not enough to beat the Mustangs. Nolan Cressler paced the Mustangs with 29 points. He was the key in the fourth quarter from the foul line going 8 for10. Tarique Ellis ended with 11 before fouling out. The Wildcats were led by 14 points from Doug Johnson and 13 points from Chris Dudzenski. Johnson and Jordan Giannini both fouled out of the game for the Wildcats. Plum is now 10-12 and will have a rematch with #1 seed Shaler Wednesday night at a site and time to be determined. Shaler defeated Plum 53-49 back on December 22nd. Greater Latrobe finishes the season at 12-10.

BOYS WPIAL CLASS AAAA FIRST ROUND:

Gateway Gators 52 – Penn-Trafford Warriors 34
Penn-Trafford senior forward Joe Bortak nailed a three-pointer on his team's opening possession to take a 3-2 lead, but then it was all Gateway. Last year's WPIAL Quad-A runners-up were more than equal to the challenge presented by the Warriors, taking a double-digit lead in the locker room at halftime and silencing Penn-Trafford's offense in a 52-34 victory. Despite some sloppy offensive play early on, Gateway's defense rarely wavered, creating turnovers, blocking shots, and contesting nearly everything the Warriors tried to do. Senior forward Devon Cottrell scored 18 for the Gators while D.J. Boyce delivered 14. Gateway (19-4) will play the Upper Saint Clair Panthers on Saturday, February 26. Penn-Trafford (13-9) was led by Bortak, who fouled out early in the fourth quarter with a team-high 18 points. The next closest scorers were junior guard Zach Emerick and sophomore guard Christian Rohaus with just four points a piece.

Upper St. Clair Panthers 70 – Franklin Regional Panthers 54
Upper St. Clair busted open a close game after one quarter by outscoring Franklin Regional 37-16 in the second and third quarters en route to a 16-point victory in a Saturday afternoon battle of the Panthers at Baldwin High School. Senior Steve Limberiou was a force on both ends of the floor as he scored 18 points, 14 in the first half and four 3-pointers. Dakota Conwell added 13 points for USC. Sam Ayasso finished his Franklin Regional career with a game-high 19 points. Upper St. Clair improved to 16-7 as the tournaments 5th-seed moved on to the Class AAAA Quarterfinals next Saturday where they will face the Gateway Gators. USC has now won four straight First Round playoff games. Section 2 runner-up Franklin Regional's season ends with a final record of 10-13.

North Allegheny Tigers 84 – Woodland Hills Wolverines 36
North Allegheny used their pressure defense and exceptional three-point shooting to hammer the Woodland Hills Wolverines 84-36 on Saturday afternoon to advance to the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Quad-A playoffs. As a team, NA hit 15 of 24 three-pointers for an astounding 67% shooting from beyond the arc. Senior Anton Constantino was the catalyst for North Allegheny, knocking down 6-of-7 from three-point land for 18 points on the day. Five of those treys came in the first half as the Tigers stretched an 11-9 first quarter lead into a 43-17 halftime advantage. Junior J.C. Howard drained a trio of three-pointers on his way to a 13 point performance and North Allegheny's leading scorer, Anthony Dallier, finished with 23 points. In contrast, Woodland Hills shot a paltry 2 of 22 from beyond the arc and gave the ball away 18 times on turnovers while NA committed only five turnovers all game. The three-point shooting and turnover statistics told the story of this game as the Wolverines ran into a Tigers team that was hitting on all cylinders. Standout junior Shakim Alonzo led the Wolverines with 18 points and Jaimere Dutrieulle added another eight. Woodland Hills finishes the season with a 10-12 mark while North Allegheny improves to 20-3 and will face Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals next week.

Chartiers Valley Colts 70 – Norwin Knights 58
A contest with two high powered offenses was tight until Chartiers Valley pulled away in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to secure a 12-point victory over Norwin Saturday afternoon at Baldwin High School. Colts coach Timmy McConnell said he knew his team would have to step it up on defense. "We had to hold them under their average (77.7 PPG) on offense. We felt we would be in trouble if we allowed them to score over 70 points." The Colts built a 41-31 lead at halftime only to watch the Knights come back and pull to within one point when Matt Palo hit a desperation three at the buzzer to end the third quarter with Norwin down 49-48. But 6th-seed Chartiers Valley never lost the lead and held on to advance to the Quad A Quarterfinals where they will face the 3rd-seed North Allegheny Tigers next Saturday. After serving a 3-game suspension because of an off-court incident, senior Matt Noszka led the Colts with a game-high 22 points while junior Zach Wallace added 14 points. Wayne Capers made his 2010-2011 debut for Chartiers Valley after missing the entire regular season with a torn ACL suffered in the season opener of the football season back in September. He showed flashed of brilliance in scoring only two points. Senior Matt Ross led the Knights with 19 points and senior Andy Carter chipped in 16 points. Norwin's season ends with a final record of 13-10.

BOYS WPIAL CLASS AA PRELIMINARY ROUND:

Carlynton Cougars 57 – Riverside Panthers 55
It is rare for a high school basketball playoff game with a two-point margin of victory to be decided almost entirely on the floor, but such was the case as #17 Carlynton (13-9) defeated #16 Riverside (12-11) in a mild upset on a buzzer-beating half-court three-pointer from junior Shane Conley. Both teams played their games to perfection for much of the contest. With Conley largely shutting down senior guard Zac Rorick, the Panthers were more than content to let the offense run through the big men. Senior Jake Thellman put up a game-high 22 points while sophomore Gig Jewell contributed 12. For the Cougars, it was all about the perimeter shooting of seniors Jake Howard (14), Tristan Adams (13) and Ryan Laepple (12). Then in the fourth quarter, it was all about their full-court press. Trailing 43-38 entering the final period, Carlynton put on a clinic, battling their way back until Howard gave his team a 54-53 advantage with under 10 seconds on the clock. On the ensuing inbound, Rorick was fouled as the Panthers broke the press, and then did his best Scott Howard impression to put Riverside up 55-54 with two free throws. With two seconds left, some may have thought it was over, but Conley strongly disagreed, launching a prayer from the left sideline which sent the crowd at West Allegheny High School into a frenzy. Carlynton will ride the emotional high into a first-round contest against #1 Greensburg Central Catholic on Wednesday night.

Summit Academy Knights 59 – Charleroi Cougars 46
The Summit Academy Knights are heading back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007-08 with a 59-46 win in preliminary round action over the Charleroi Cougars in a game they never trailed Saturday afternoon at Gateway High School. Knights coach Art McCray has turned a team that went 0-13 in 2008-09 and 0-14 last year around in his first year at the helm. The Knights jumped out to a 16-8 lead after one quarter by taking advantage of Charleroi miscues and the Cougars inability to put the ball in the basket. The lead was extended to 29-16 at the half as the 2nd quarter was sloppy at times with both teams exchanging turnovers and having trouble making shots. The Knights continued to pour in on in the 2nd half and lead 42-28 after three quarters of action. The Knights outscored the Cougars in all but the fourth, but it was too little too late for the Cougars, who were really never in the game. The Knights had three players in double figures and were led by Ronald Smith who had 15. David Murray added 11 and JaDonte Richardson scored 10 coming off the bench. Charleroi had two players in double figures with Kyle Shannon's 16 and 12 by Tony Bristol. Summit Academy is now 15-8 and will play Shady Side Academy on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined. Charleroi ends the season at 7-15.

Shady Side Academy Indians 62 – Burgettstown Blue Devils 51
Shadyside Academy did not let the absence of two of its top players keep it from winning this preliminary – round game. The Indians (15-6) stormed out to a 33-14 halftime lead despite the absence of leading scorer Cooper Handelsman (family reasons) and Reggie Mitchell (injury). Burgettstown made a run at the lead by outscoring Shadyside Academy 17-9 in the third quarter. Evan Lutins paced Shadyside's scoring attack with 20 points while Will Supowitz added 16 points off the bench. Burgettstown (11-11) was led by Tyler Pavan who scored 25 points, 21 in the second half. Seth Bonacci chipped in with 12 points for the Blue Devils. Shadyside Academy advances to the first round to take on Summit Academy, which defeated Charleroi 59-46 Saturday.

Bishop Canevin Crusaders 60 – Ford City Sabers 42
Bishop Canevin wasted no time establishing the team's collective quickness against a very quick Ford City Sabres' lineup as they outscored them 22-6 in the 1st quarter en route to an 18-point victory. The Crusaders hit 5 3-pointers in that first stretch especially with the ball in the hands of Gino Palmosina, who led all scorers in the game with 18 points. Palmosina was one of four Bishop Canevin starters in double figures as they also got 16 from Mike Bolla and 10 each from Matt Butter and Bobby Gustine. The Sabres were led on the scoreboard by Gabe valasek and Garrett Sigler, who each had 10 of their own, and Kent Commodore with 8. The Crusaders move on in the Boys AA playoffs to take on Quaker Valley Wednesday night. Ford City's season ends, however, at 14-9.

Steel Valley Ironmen 52 – Northgate Flames 34
It was a very entertaining and quite competitive Class AA Boys Preliminary Round game at North Hills High School on Saturday afternoon between the number 12 seeded Northgate Flames and the number 21 seeded Steel Valley Ironmen. The contest featured two squads that did not qualify for the 2010 WPIAL playoffs but the winner was assured of a spot in the 2011 Class AA tournament with a victory.
Steel Valley head coach Shawn McCallister had described his Ironmen's season as a "roller coaster". Today, he enjoyed the ride as Steel Valley (9-14) ended the Northgate Flames season (10-13) with a scrappy 52-43 victory. There were three main reasons that the Ironmen earned this win. 5'11", junior, forward, Chris Dixon, 6'0", junior, guard, Michael Todd and 6'0", senior, guard, Corey Keyes. Dixon played an excellent game both offensively and defensively. Chris had the assignment of defending the Flames, 6'4", junior, center, John Girven in the Steel Valley box and one defense in the first half and he did a remarkable job. He held Girven to only (3) first half points while scoring (13) first half points himself including (3) three-point baskets. The Ironmen were inspired in the third quarter by the effort and determination of Corey Keyes who was a "bear" on the offensive and defensive boards and scored (6) points on three large field goals during the period. Ironically, it was a game time decision by coach McCallister to start Keyes in what might have been the last high school game for Steel Valley's dual sport performer (football) and the only senior on the Steel Valley roster. Steel Valley was led in the final stanza by the strong hands and intense play of Michael Todd. Todd scored (5) points in the fourth quarter and he consistently ripped the ball away from his Northgate opponents and led the way in Steel Valley winning the confrontations in the effort plays category. Northgate was led in scoring by their smallest player on the floor, junior, David Natale who contributed (11) points. Steel Valley's Chris Dixon led all scorers with (19) points and was joined in double figure scoring by his teammate, Michael Todd with (11) markers. Northgate led after the first period (11-10) and the game was tied at 25-all at the half time break. Steel Valley led after three frames (37-36) and the Ironmen outscored the Flames in the final quarter 15-6 to grab the win, 52-43. Steel Valley advances to the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday night when they will take on the number 5 seeded Sto-Rox Vikings at a site and time to be announced.

California Trojans 65 – Fort Cherry Rangers 59
John Tyler's 13 points in the fourth helped California to a come-from-behind win over Fort Cherry, 65-59. The Trojans trailed 50-45 a minute into the final period but scored 14 of the next 19 points to take a 4-point lead with 2:25 to play. Behind Nate Bellhy's game-high 30 points, the Rangers twice got to within two but couldn't finish the deal. California (15-8) hit 9 of the last 10 foul shots to clinch the win and a berth in the Sweet Sixteen against #2 Beaver Falls Wednesday. Tyler finished with 24 points. Tanner Huffman added 19, including hitting three 3-poitners. Brian Fisher had 14 for California. California took a 10-0 lead to start the game, only to see Fort Cherry (11-12) battle back to take a lead early in the second quarter. The lead went back and forth until the Rangers went up 23-20 with 3:50 to go in the half and 31-27 at the break. California tied the game late in the third and took the lead back at the 5:22 mark in the fourth, never trailing again.

Neshannock Lancers 59 – Brownsville Falcons 52
Before this preliminary round contest began on Saturday, many would have assumed #10 Neshannock (17-5) would have an easy time with #23 Brownsville (11-12), but those people would have been wrong. The Falcons came to play, and were able to work their ball control offense to perfection for much of the first half, leading 13-8 after one. Things started to turn the Lancers' way late in the second quarter, but the half ended with a 27-27 score on the board. The turning point in the game really came right off the hop in the third. Brownsville needed to slow the pace down again, but Neshannock came out running and never looked back, carrying a seven-point lead into the fourth which proved to be enough. Senior Brandon Marinelli put up a game-high 19 points for the Lancers, with junior John Sansone chipping in with 16 and freshman David Burkes impressing with 11. Junior C.J. Gaddis paced the Falcons with 13, most of them in the second half, while sophomore Josh Mapstone poured in 11 points. Neshannock advances to face #7 Wilkinsburg on Wednesday night.

Ellwood City Wolverines 51 – Springdale Dynamos 32
In WPIAL Boys AA Prelilminary round action at North Allegheny High School the Ellwood City Wolverines had an easy win over the Springdale Dynamos by a score of 51-32. Ellwood City started strong and got off to an 11-0 start and led 13-2 after the first quarter . Ryan Horgan scored 6 points to lead the way. In the second quarter the Wolverine defense was strong playing man to man and limiting the Dynamos opportunities as they jumped to a 21-5 lead only 1:40 into the quarter. Springdale would rebound on strong play from Bryan Weimerskirch as he scored 7 points, but the Wolverines would lead 34-14 at the half. Into the third quarter both defenses were strong as there were only a combined 17 points in the quarter. Horgan scored 6 again for Ellwood City as they led 42-23 going into the 4th quarter. Again in the fourth quarter the defenses were strong and 18 total points were scored, 7 by Weimerskirch but Springdale couldn't catch up to the speedy hot shooting Wolverines, and were defeated 51-32. Springdale finishes at 11-11 and were led by Weimerskirch with 14. Ellwood City improves to 12-9, they were led in scoring by Horgan with 16, and Gino Ceriani with 14 and will face Monesson on Wednesday February 23rd at a site and time to be determined.

Aliquippa Quips 53 – Riverview Raiders 49
Riverview battled back from an early 10-0 deficit and twice cut an Aliquippa lead to one point in the second half but the Quips prevailed at Chartiers Valley on Saturday, 53-49, in a WPIAL AA boys preliminary playoff game. The Raiders had ample opportunities to go on top but never gained the lead after missing a considerable number of short range shots. Junior guard Davion Hall paced Aliquippa with 16 points while Malik Stewart chipped in with 12 and Anthony Lindsey added 10. Stewart made five consecutive free throws down the stretch to aid the Quips. Brandon Wilhelm led Riverview with 13 points, which saw its season end at 10-11. Aliquippa, 10-13, will meet Jeannette on Wednesday in a first round contest.

GIRLS WPIAL CLASS AAA PRELIMINARY ROUND:

West Allegheny Indians 48 – Hampton Talbots 37
The #16 seeded West Allegheny Indians advanced to the First Round of the WPIAL Triple A Girls basketball playoffs with a 48-37 Preliminary Round victory over the #17 seeded Hampton Talbots at North Allegheny High School on Saturday afternoon. The game was a rematch of a contest won by Hampton, 41-35, back on December 27. West Allegheny led 17-12 at the end of the first quarter on the strength of senior Lindsay Trautman's six points. Hampton narrowed the gap to three at the half, 23-20, as both defenses took control. West Allegheny extended its lead to four, 32-28, at the end of the third quarter by employing a trapping defense that led to multiple Talbot turnovers. The Indians continued to thwart Hampton's offense in the fourth period as they stretched their lead to eleven. Senior Alexis Johns led West Allegheny with 18 points, with Trautman pitching in 12. Hampton was paced by sophomore Sara Pilarski with 15. West Allegheny (10-13) will meet the top seeded Indiana Little Indians on Wednesday evening at a site and time yet to be determined. Hampton ends its season with a 9-13 record.

Uniontown Red Raiders 57 – Ringgold Rams 38
After trailing 31-30 midway through the 3rd quarter, Uniontown closed the game on 27 to 7 run in the final 12 minutes to down Ringgold 57 to 38 in a Girls Triple "A" Preliminary Round Game at Yough High School on Saturday Afternoon. Lydia Dennis lead Uniontown with 14 points, while Kelsey Sleighter 11 points and Jessie Madison 11 points were also in double figures for the Lady Raiders. Chantee Sivek was the only Ringgold player in double figures with 10 points. Ringgold's season ends with a 7-15 record. Uniontown improves to 18-4 and will play Kittanning on Wednesday Night.

Mount Pleasant Vikings 51 – Belle Vernon Leopards 33
Belle Vernon jumped out to a 13 to 3 lead and managed to lead at halftime 21 to 20, but Mt. Pleasant held the Lady Leopards to only 1 point in the 3rd quarter and cruised in the 2nd half for a 51 to 33 win on Saturday Afternoon in a Girls Triple "A" Preliminary Round game at Yough High School. Nicole Malera lead Mt. Pleasant with 20 points. Kessica Slagus was the only Leopard in double figures with 12 points. Belle Vernon's season ends with a 7-14 record. Mt. Pleasant improves to 17-5 and advances to play Chartiers Valley on Wednesday evening.

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 62 – Valley Vikings 20
The 12th-seed Jaguars raced out to a 23-0 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in routing the Vikings Saturday afternoon at Baldwin High School. After a sluggish second quarter, Thomas Jefferson outscored Valley in the third quarter 29-4. The Jaguars were led by Ashley Stoner, who scored 16 of her game-high 29 points in the opening quarter. Alexis Yanief came off the bench and added 10 points for TJ. Senior Mariah Hudzick led the Vikings with 9 points. Thomas Jefferson improved to 15-8 in winning its first playoff game in three years. The Jaguars will face the 5th-seed Blackhawk Cougars at a site and time to be determined on Wednesday night in a Class AAA First Round game. Despite the overall record of 8-15, Valley, which played with only seven players dressed, completed a memorable season. The Vikings won a combined four games over three years and were making their first playoff trip since 2003.

Laurel Highlands Mustangs 46 – Mars Fighting Planets 39
The Laurel Highlands Lady Fillies were able to hold off acouple runs by the Mars Fighting Lady Planets for a 46-39 win in preliminary round action Saturday afternoon at Gateway High School. The Lady Planets were close several times in the game, but just couldnt find a way to push ahead of the Lady Fillies. The Fillies jumped out to a 10-4 lead after one by taking advantage of slow start by the Planets. Mars bounced back scoring 12 in the 2nd period and only trailed 23-16 at the intermission. Mars continued to stay within striking distance by outscoring Laurel Highlands 10-9 in the third and only trailed 32-26 after three.The wheels fell off the track for the Planets in the 4th with missed shots and turnovers ultimately costing them and sealing the win for Laurel Highlands. The Fillies were led by Caitlin Wontroba who scored 16. Brandi Liptock added 13. The Planets had two players in double figures with 13 from Kelsey Pelles and 10 from Meghan Kelly. Laurel Highlands is now 14-9 and plays #2 seed New Castle on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined. Mars closes out the season at 14-9.

South Fayette Lions 62 – Highlands Golden Rams 35
This was the third consecutive season that the Highlands Lady Rams had made it to the postseason under Head Coach Meghan Ziemianski after not making the playoffs since 1975. Like the previous two seasons, however, the Lady Rams were bounced from the playoffs in the preliminary round as they were just overmatched by the South Fayette Lady Lions, 62-35. The Lady Lions led right from the opening tip and never looked back as they were led by the triumvirate of Erika Ford, Lizzy King, who each had 17, and Taylor Uram, who chipped in 13. Abby Hetrick, who was one of four seniors playing her final game with the Lady Rams, led the way in the losing effort with 11 points while sophomore forward Nikki Masejka had 10. Britany Cook had 8 as well. South Fayette moves on to challenge West Mifflin in the next round of the Girls AAA playoffs while Highlands finishes the year with a 5-15 overall mark.

Hopewell Vikings 65 – Knoch Knights 35
Like Highlands and Valley from Class AAA Section 1, the Knoch Lady Knights made the playoffs with a 2-8 conference record, but also like those 2 aforementioned teams, they were weeded out of the playoffs by a much stronger and faster Hopewell Lady Vikings team. The Lady Vikings started the game on an 11-0 run, and as was the case with all three games at Fox Chapel High School Saturday afternoon, they never looked back either. The first 15 points for Hopewell were scored by either Shatori Walker-Kimbrough or Jharrin Gill. Walker-Kimbrough finished the game with 20 points to lead all scorers, and she was one of four starters in double figures as Shaniya Rivers added did 12, Kari Steuer cane off the bench with 12, and Gill had 10. Sam Logan led the Lady Knights with 12 points, and Celina Sanks added 10. Knoch finishes the the 2010-11 campaign with a 518 overall record, but hopewell moves on to the next round of the Girls AAA tournament to take on South Park in a rematch of the final game of the regular season, one in which the Lady Vikings lost 49-45.

Ambridge Bridgers 65 – Elizabeth Forward Warriors 29
The Ambridge Bridgers were completely dominate in their AAA preliminary game against the Elizabeth-Forward Warriors at West Allegheny high school Saturday afternoon in coming away with a 65-29 win. Ambridge led 25-6 after one quarter and never looked back in improving to 17-6 on the year and moving into an opening round game against the sixth seeded Montour Spartans. Four Bridgers reached double figures in the win led by senior guard Sam Santiago who also was a complete and total force on the defensive unit for Ambridge. Santiago was well into double digits with steals on the night. A very young Elizabeth-Forward club looked overmatched from the get go but they also showed they might have a bright future with three freshman gaining valuable experience in the loss and sophomore Dana Buck leading them with 12 points on the night. The Warriors fall to 7-16 for the 2010-2011 campaign.

GIRLS WPIAL CLASS A PRELIMINARY ROUND:

Cornell Raiders 60 – California Trojans 34
Karissa Lee and Marcena Shepherd each scored 15 points as Cornell moved to the Class A Sweet Sixteen with a 60-34 win over California. Lee hit three 3-pointers in the game, along with Mason DePetro who finished with 12 points. Cornell (9-14) used full-court pressure, creating turnovers early on to lead 15-3 after one quarter. The Raiders then used an 18-4 run early in the third to put the game away. California (11-11) senior Danielle Zajicek scored 13 points in her final game, Tristen Conaway added 12 for the Trojans. Cornell faces #1 Vincentian Academy in the second round on Wednesday.

GIRLS WPIAL CLASS A FIRST ROUND:

Fort Cherry Rangers 61 – Geibel Gators 22
Rebekah Bellhy scored 22 points, a dozen in the first quarter, as Fort Cherry beat Geibel, 61-22, Saturday afternoon. The Rangers (20-3) sprinted to a 15-0 lead and never looked back. Fort Cherry led 22-5 after one quarter and 43-14 at the half. Hannah Lazuka scored 16 points for Geibel, the only Gator with more than two points in the game. The senior hit a three-pointer early in the third quarter to finish a 5-point run for Geibel (9-14) but Fort Cherry went on a 16-point run to the end of the quarter, invoking the PIAA mercy rule. Jessie Merckle scored 13 points for the winners, Rachel Bellhy added a dozen. The Rangers face Serra Catholic in the quarterfinals next Saturday.

Serra Catholic Eagles 40 – Avella Eagles 38
A late 3-pointer helped #5 Serra hold off #12 Avella in a Class-A first round game played at Chartiers Valley. Avella scored the games first three points, but Serra took control of the first quarter and outscored Avella 10-3 the rest of the oepning period. Serra would push their lead to seven in the 2nd quarter, but Avella battled back and only trailed 19-17 at halftime. In the 1st half, Serra was strong defensively, switching from zone to man to neutralize Avella's Amanda Temple. Temple, who led the WPIAL in regular season scoring average at 23.1 points per game, was unable to get many good looks in the opening half and was held to just 6 points through two-quarters. Serra would control the early part of the 2nd half as well, pushing their lead to eight in the 3rd quarter. But Avella wouldn't quit, and Temple started to find her game as Avella cut the lead to three and trailed 31-28 after the 3rd. Led by Temple's strong play, where she scored 15 points in the 2nd half, Avella would take a one-point lead late in the 4th quarter. However, in the game's final minute, Lauren Mrazik hit a three-pointer to put Serra ahead 38-36. Avella than turned the in-bounds pass over, leading to two clutch free throws by Jaime Tedesco to put Serra ahead for good. Temple, in her final game at Avella, led all scorers with 21 points. Serra was led by Tedesco and Mrazik, who netted 13 points each. Serra (17-6) moves on to the Class-A Quarterfinals where they will take on #4 seed Fort Cherry. Avella, after losing in the 1st round for the fourth straight year, finishes 2010-2011 with a record of 14-9.

Monessen Greyhounds 67 – Carmichaels Mighty Mikes 36
After leading by just 10 at halftime, the undefeated Monessen Greyhounds showed why they are one of the top seeds in this year's McDonald' Class A WPIAL Basketball Tournament. The Hounds out-scored Carmichaels 37-16 in the second half to pick up a 67-36 win. The Monessen duo of sophomore Chelsea Szakal and junior Geena Shrader led all scorers with 17 points each, while sophomore guards Morgan Berardi and Anna Cree paced Carmichaels with 13 and 11 respectively.

St. Joseph Spartans 51 – Quigley Spartans 43
With her team down eight at halftime, St. Joseph's junior guard Shayna Panchik decided to take over. Panchik hit two critical three-pointers in a pivotal third quarter, then drained two more treys in the final frame to lead her Spartans over the Spartans from Quigley Catholic 51-43 Saturday afternoon. Quigley appeared to be in control throughout the first half, with junior guard Jennifer DelTondo scoring all 11 of her points in the first quarter and a smothering full court press that allowed only 15 points. After allowing two buckets to start the third quarter, extending Quigley's lead to 12, St. Joseph's ralled with a 12-0 run to pull even in the third, spurred by Panchik's hustle. Panchik was also clutch from the free throw line, going 6-for-6 in the final period. St. Joseph also received contributions from junior forward Rachel Edwards with 9 points, and freshman forward Amanda Klawinski with 7. St. Joseph (15-7) will next face the Monessen Greyhounds on Saturday, February 26. Quigley (14-7) was paced by freshman forward Kristen Jackson, who had a team high 14 points in defeat. Sophomore forward Natalie Delon added 11.

North Catholic Trojanettes 62 – Sewickley Academy Panthers 20
North Catholic jumped out to a 22-3 after the first quarter and cruised to round two with a rout of Sewickley Academy Saturday afternoon at North Hills High School. The Trojanettes extended their lead to 34-8 by halftime as the Panthers never scored more than seven points in a quarter. Kendall Hoffman scored a game high 16 points for North Catholic while teammates Lynzi Mueller and Lauren Wolosik scored 11 and 10 points each. The Panthers, who end their season with a 7-13 record, were paced by Amanda Nocera's five points. The 3rd-seed Trojanettes improve to 16-7 and will face the 6th-seed Aliquippa Quips on Saturday in the Class A Quarterfinals.

Aliquippa Quips 67 – Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers 54
Junior forward Nakira Emerson scored 25 points to lead Aliquippa past Chartiers-Houston, 67-54, in a WPIAL girls first round playoff game at Chartiers Valley Saturday afternoon. The Lady Quips seemingly had the game under control with a 12-point lead after three quarters, but the Lady Bucs made a spurt early in the fourth to cut the deficit to seven. Aliquippa rebounded to improve to 21-2 on the season while Chartiers-Houston, led by sophomore Ashley Balzer with 15 points, ended its season at 15-8. Gabby Provenzano scored 14 points while Rachel Burgess had 12 and Tori Foster added 10 in a losing cause. Jaclyn Watkins had 10 points after battling early foul troubles for Aliquippa while point guard Danyia Perry paced the Lady Quips floor game The Lady Quips move on to meet North Catholic in a quarterfinal match up on Saturday, February 26.