WPIAL Basketball Playoff Recaps for Wednesday, February 18th

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, February 19, 2015 | 1:28 AM

After four days, the First Round of the 2015 WPIAL Basketball Playoffs is in the books. While there were few surprises in the first three days, that changed big on Day Four when a handful of double-digit seeds were surprising winners are are on their way to Quarterfinals Weekend. Here are recaps from all the First Round games played on a frigid Wednesday.

A special thanks to Chris Lackner, Dennis Fischer, Mark Uriah, Mark Schaas, Brian Mroziak, Steve Nagler, Terry Neary, Scott Majesky, T.J. DiStefano, Bob Barrickman, Bob Gregg, Josh Rowntree, Mike Sackley, Brandon Showers, Lee Mohn, Adam Hoerner, Bob Orkwis, Lou Rood, Jason Kern and Gero Von Dahn for their help on these recaps,

BOYS WPIAL CLASS AAAA First Round:

Hempfield Spartans 65 – Gateway Gators 56 
In a back and forth affair that saw eight lead changes, the Spartans go to 20-2 with the hard fought win over the Gators at Norwin High School. Kason Harrel scored 32 points to lead the Spartans into the quarterfinals, despite missing half of the fourth quarter with foul trouble. Hempfield controlled the pace in the first two quarters, leading 17-10 after one and 35-27 at the break, with Harrel scoring 20 of his points in the half. Gateway would pull even and take the lead in the third quarter, led by Daylon Harris, the senior in his final game, scored 13 of his game high 33 points in that period to stake Gateway to a 50-48 lead after three. Harrel picked up his fourth foul early in the final frame on a charging call, forcing him to sit down. Hempfield was able to take the lead back for good on a three pointer by Chris Clayton with 5:15 remaining from the left wing. Zach Irwin nailed a top of the key three to put the Spartans up 60-54 and seal the win. Coach Bill Swan of Hempfield could not praise the shooting of Irwin and Clayton enough, Swan was very emotional after the game. He gave credit to Harrel as well, for his ability to create his own shots and ability to drive the lane to score. Tony Pilato added 15 points, he also battled foul trouble in the first half, Irwin had four trifectas for 12 points. Hempfield was 8 of 11 from the line, including 5 of 6 in the final quarter and committed 11 turnovers. Freshman John Paul Kromka scored 10 points for Gateway, who finishes 13-10. The Gators were 5 of 10 from the line and turned the ball over 12 times.

Fox Chapel Foxes 49 – Pine-Richland Rams 35 
The Fox Chapel Foxes played inspired defense in notching one of the bigger upsets on the opening round of the WPIAL Boys Playoffs at North Allegheny High School.  The 12th-seeded Foxes limited Pine-Richland to just eight points at the half en route to a 14-point win against the 5th-seeded Rams.  Both teams got off to slow shooting starts as Fox Chapel held a slim 4-2 lead after one quarter.  But, the Foxes would reel off the first 9 points of the 2nd quarter to take a commanding 13-2 lead, a lead they would never relinquish.  The Foxes leading scorer coming into the playoffs, Billy Urso, matched his point-per-game total by draining 18 points on the night and was a clutch 7-8 from the foul line down the stretch.  While Urso was the only Foxes player in double-digits, the big-man combination of Jack Lundy, Jake Livingston and David Brown combined for 19 points and many big rebounds.  Pine-Richland’s Phil Jurkovec led the way with 12 points on the night before fouling out late in the 4th quarter.  With the win, the Fox Chapel Foxes (15-8) advance to the quarterfinals to take on Hempfield, time and location to be determined.

Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 77 – Norwin Knights 60 
Baldwin played host to Mt. Lebanon and Norwin as the two teams squared off in 1st round action.  The Blue Devils took command early jumping out to a 19-6 lead after 1 quarter on the strength of 6-8 center Pat Ehland’s 8 points, numerous offensive/defensive boards and blocked shots.  Eddie Jenkins chipped in 5 points for Mt. Lebo and Ehland’s 6 points in the 2nd quarter along with Mark Lamendola’s 4 points continued the Blue Devils momentum as they outscored Norwin 14-10 to increase their lead to 31-16 at the half.  The Blue Devils continued to add to their lead after the break outscoring the Knights 19 to 15 in the 3rd quarter, but this time it was Jonny David that led the way with 11 points in the period.  David continued his tear in the final stanza adding 9 including 7-7 from the free throw line. Overall David was 13-13 from the charity stripe and led all scorers with 24 points.  Mt. Lebanon was 25-35 from the free throw line in the game as Norwin racked up 27 fouls in the game and had three players foul out.  Pat Ehland finished with 21 for Mt. Lebanon and Mark Lamendola added 11 as the only other Blue Devil to score in double figures.  Curtis Perz led the way for Norwin with 23 points and Zeke Kljucaric added 11 for the Knights.  Mt. Lebanon moves on to the quarterfinals where they will take on North Hills. Norwin finishes their season at 15-8.

North Hills Indians 48 – Plum Mustangs 42 
In what was their second year in a row as a favored team in the first round the Plum Mustangs made another early exit. The six seeded Mustangs used stifling defense and a slow methodical defense to take an early 8-5 lead over the Indians of North Hills but the Indians scored 4 of the next 7 points reach the break only down one a score of 10-9. The second quarter was played just as tight as North Hills Scored 9 points and Plum 8 sending us to the break at 18. The 3rd quarter is where North Hills took over scoring 20 points. They were aided by the sharp play of sophomore sensation Nick Smith as well as senior Kindhal Taylor. After three the Indians were up 38-28 and they didn’t look back from there. The game was within a possession with 48 seconds to go Plum fouled senior Nick Sabolovic of North Hills, who at that time was 0-3 from the charity stripe. Sabolovic missed the first free throw and looked up at the score board, almost realizing that if he made the 2nd of his free shots it would all but end the game. Sabolovic did just that and put his team up 46-42. The ensuing Plum possession was a fatal effort where North Hills was able to pull down the rebound and it was none other than Sabolovic that pulled it down. He was promptly fouled and sent to the line where he sank the last two to give North Hills the final lead of 48-42. Head coach Buzz Gabos said after the game that that is very uncharacteristic of Sabolovic to start that slow from the stripe and was not surprised at all when he made the last three free throws he took. North Hills will go on to play the number three seeded Mount Lebanon Blue Devils on Saturday and will look to continue their run. For the Mustangs their season is over and Head Coach Ron Richards will go back to the drawing board for next season.

BOYS WPIAL CLASS AA First Round:

Aliquippa Quips 61 – Ford City Sabers 26 
ALIQUIPPA HAD NOT PLAYED IN 12 DAYS AND APPEARED RUSTY FOR MUCH OF THE GAME BUT STILL OVERMATCHED FORD CITY IN A WPIAL BOYS AA FIRST ROUND GAME AT MOON HIGH WEDNESDAY EVENING, 61-26.  IN A DELIBERATE CONTEST, THE QUIPS NORMALLY HIGH POWERED OFFENSE ONLY LED 22-12 AT THE HALF.  ALIQUIPPA STEAMROLLED THE SABERS IN THE FINAL TWO PERIODS BY OUTSCORING FORD CITY 39-14 IN THE SECOND HALF.  STEPHON MCGINNIS CONNECTED ON SIX 3-POINTERS AND LED ALIQUIPPA WITH 23 POINTS.  BRANDON HEILMAN HAD 10 POINTS TO LEAD THE SABERS, WHICH FINISHED AT 13-11.  ALIQUIPPA IMPROVED TO 22-0, AS THE QUIPS AND SEWICKLEY ACADEMY FROM CLASS A REMAIN THE ONLY UNBEATEN BOYS TEAMS IN THE WPIAL.  NUMBER ONE SEEDED ALIQUIPPA WILL TAKE ON BISHOP CANEVIN SATURDAY IN THE QUARTERFINALS.

Bishop Canevin Crusaders 63 – Apollo-Ridge Vikings 54 
At Northgate High School The Bishop Canevin Crusaders raced out to a 15-2 lead to open the game thanks in part to four 3 pointers from sophomore guard Justin Dix.  Dix would finish the game as the top scorer with 23 points and shot 6-11 from beyond the arc.  Apollo-Ridge would keep fighting back but never got closer than 5 points the rest of the way.  Bishop Canevin led 33-27 at halftime and never allowed the Vikings to go on a significant run.  Apollo-Ridge got only 6 points from their top scorer, Alex Smith. Smith never found his range and was visibly frustrated all night after averaging 17 ppg this season.  Senior guard Charles “Tre” Tipton led the way for the Vikings with 19 points in his final high school game before heading to Pitt to play football.  Bishop Canevin will move on to the quarterfinals to face the winner of the Aliquippa-Ford City game on Saturday..

Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 61 – Laurel Spartans 53 
In a rematch from last year’s WPIAL Boys AA First Round, Greensburg Central Catholic improved to (20-2) on the season with the 8-point win over Laurel at Gateway High School. Last season, the Centurions won by 17 on their way to finishing as the Double-A runner up to Seton-LaSalle. The 13th seeded Spartans gave the third seeded Centurions everything they could handle before running out gas and time in the 4th quarter. Laurel took a 9-point lead in the 2nd quarter before GCC head coach Greg Bisignani called timeout to refocus his team’s defensive effort. The pep talk worked as the Centurions ended the first half with a 32-30 lead. Another big moment in the contest came with 5:10 remaining and Laurel leading by 1 point. Guard Sam Nowicki nailed a three-pointer from the left corner to put GCC on top 47-45 and then on the defensive end the 5-9 junior drew a charge to get the basketball back. Junior guard Tyler White buried a trey to put Greensburg Central Catholic in front by 5 and the Centurions would never relinquish the lead. The game’s final big moment came with 1:54 remaining when 6-4 junior forward Domenic Rullo picked up his fifth personal foul. Rullo said something to the officials and also picked up a technical foul which not only gave Laurel four free-throws but possession of the basketball with a chance to tie or take the lead. But the Spartans would make only 1 of the 4 foul shots and Laurel then missed a layup attempt as Greensburg Central Catholic survived the sequence. The Centurions leading scorer Romano Sebastiani who came into the game averaging 22.4 PPG would make a big steal and hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to put Greensburg Central Catholic back into the quarterfinals. Sebastiani led GCC with 18 points in the win. Nowicki had 3-three pointers and finished with 11 points on the night. Rullo added 6-points but had 8 blocked shots to pace the Centurions defensive effort. Laurel sophomore Mason Mraz, who scored 16 points in the Spartans preliminary round win over Waynesburg was strong again, finishing with 22 points in a losing effort. Guard Noah Wertz, the only senior on the Laurel roster, ended his career with 2-three pointers and 12 points as the Spartans season ends at (16-8). Greensburg Central Catholic, which made it to the PIAA semifinals last season, will now face another Section 1 AA opponent in 12th seeded Neshannock. The Lancers (16-6) edged Washington 71-69 to earn their spot in the Double A round of eight.

Neshannock Lancers 71 – Washington Little Prexies 69 
Jake Rylott hit a three-pointer just before the final buzzer, lifting Neshannock to a 71-69 win over Washington.  The trey was Rylott’s fourth in the game, the tenth for the Lancers.  The Little Prexies (15-8) built a 7-point lead with four minutes to play, making 13 straight free throws.  But Wash High converted just two of their last six at the line, leaving the door open.  With four seconds to play and Wash High leading 69-68, the Lancers inbounded at midcourt, made two passes and Rylott buried the shot from the left wing, propelling Neshannock (16-6) to the quarterfinals.  Ethan Moose led Neshannock with 19 points.  Rylott had 16, Jimmy Powers 13 and Fran Frashetti 11.  Markem Pulliam led Washington with 22, Nate Swart had 20.

Lincoln Park Leopards 66 – Avonworth Antelopes 41 
SOPHOMORE GUARD NELLY CUMMINGS SCORED 11 POINTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER AND 21 OVERALL TO LIFT LINCOLN PARK TO A 66-41 VICTORY OVER AVONWORTH IN A WPIAL AA BOYS FIRST ROUND GAME WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT CARDINAL WUERL NORTH CATHOLIC.  THE LEOPARDS PILED UP 13 FOULS IN THE FIRST HALF BUT POROUS FREE THROW SHOOTING BY THE ANTELOPES HELPED THEIR DEMISE.  LINCOLN PARK LED 30-19 AT THE INTERMISSION AND STRETCHED ITS LEAD TO 14 IN THE THIRD BEFORE AVONWORTH WENT ON A 6-0 RUN TO MAKE IT 33-25.  HOWEVER, THE LEOPARDS RECOVERED AND BUILT THEIR CUSHION UP TO 16 AFTER THREE QUARTERS AND CRUISED TO THE WIN.  ANTONIO KELLEM ADDED 18 POINTS FOR LINCOLN PARK WHILE GARRETT DAY PACED AVONWORTH WITH 12 POINTS.  IT WAS THE 10TH STRAIGHT PLAYOFF TRIUMPH FOR THE LEOPARDS AFTER CAPTURING THE WPIAL AND PIAA CLASS A TITLES LAST YEAR.  AVONWORTH FINISHED AT 13-11 WHILE LINCOLN PARK WILL NOW CARRY A 21-2 RECORD INTO THE QUARTERFINALS ON SATURDAY AGAINST QUAKER VALLEY.

Quaker Valley Quakers 80 – Brownsville Falcons 42 
The 7th-seeded Quaker Valley Quakers outscored 10th-seeded Brownsville 24-4 in the 3rd quarter en route to an 80-42 win in the first round of the Boys Class AA playoffs Wednesday night at Peters Township High School. The game was evenly contested in the 1st half, with the Quakers holding a 25-21 lead at halftime. But the Quakers came out strong in the 2nd half, turning things up offensively and taking Brownsville out of rhythm. Quaker Valley’s defense gave Brownsville problems all night, forcing turnovers and keeping Brownsville from converting on transition opportunities. In a starting lineup full of seniors, Quaker Valley’s one sophomore, Amos Luptak, had arguably the best game. His hustle was evident and he came on strong in the 2nd half, scoring 13 points. Quaker Valley senior Chris Conlan was strong as well, leading all scorers with 20 points. Senior Clay Noyes hit five three-pointers from the corner, finishing with 15 points. For Brownsville, junior Noah Brown led the way with 18 points. The Quakers had their struggles with Brownsville’s zone in the 1st half, but found some openings to work with in the 2nd half in the lopsided victory. Brownsville has a number of important players returning next year as they finish the season at (16-6). Senior-laden Quaker Valley improves to (18-5) and moves on to face #2 Lincoln Park Saturday.

Seton-LaSalle Rebels 57 – Shady Side Academy Indians 52 
This was a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final in-bound play, but ultimately the defending champion Rebels (21-2) delivered the “expected” result against the Indians (16-8). The first quarter was marred by sloppy shooting and a lot of turnovers, but Seton found its stroke late in a 16-9 second quarter to lead by seven at halftime. Shady Side battled back and took the third 15-10, trailing by a mere two points entering the final frame. It was a tight last stanza, but the Rebels got a handful of baskets off turnovers down the stretch to take the quarter and the game. Ryan Norkus had a game-high 18 points in the victory, Paris Ford put up 13 and William O’Malley buried 10 off the bench. The Indians got 12 points from each of the Groff brothers, Dylan and Etai, while Jackson Fitzgerald chipped in with 11.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers 72 – Charleroi Cougars 36
The #6 seed OLSH Chargers from Section 5 had little trouble with the #11 seed Charleroi Cougars on Wednesday night, doubling up on the Section 4 co-champs, 72 to 36 in a first round Class AA playoff matchup at Canon McMillan High School. The game started out close, with the Cougars having a 6-4 lead three minutes into quarter number one.  Charleroi big man John Arnold picked up his second foul and had to leave the game at that point and the Chargers took full advantage, going on a 15-0 run on the way to a 19-8 lead at quarter’s end,  OLSH poured it on in the second quarter, outscoring the Cougars 21-8 to take a 40-16 lead into the intermission and effectively end the game there. The Chargers had ten players hit the scoresheet, led by Santino Platt with 15 points.  Hunter Szilagy and Colin Neville each scored 13.  OLSH improved their record to 15-7 and advanced to a quarterfinal matchup Saturday against Seton-LaSalle.  Arnold led the Cougars with 13 points.  Their season ends at 12-10.

GIRLS WPIAL CLASS AAA First Round:

Blackhawk Cougars 60 – Ringgold Rams 40 
The #1 seed Blackhawk Cougars outscored the #16 seed Ringgold Rams 18-4 after the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 60-40 win in the first round of the playoffs at North Allegheny High School Wednesday night. The Cougars extended the lead to 32-15 at the half and 42-24 after three. Ringgold would make a late run in the 4th quarter, but it was too little too late. Blackhawk did a nice job on Ringgold’s top two inside players Marlena Schmidt and Ashley Briscoe holding them to seven points apiece. The Cougars were led by their star and Duquesne recruit Chassidy Omogrosso who scored 32 points. Ringgold’s Bailey Cooper, who missed the preliminary round game against Greensburg Salem Saturday due to a concussion, was able to play and scored 10 points. Blackhawk improves to 20-3 and has won 13  games in a row as they move to the quarterfinals on Saturday against #8 seed Trinity. Ringgold ends the season at 13-11.

Trinity Hillers 46 – Belle Vernon Leopards 45 
A basket by Rachel Phillis with 20 seconds remaining lifted Trinity to a 46-45 win over Belle Vernon Wednesday night in the AAA Girls WPIAL basketball playoffs. The lead changed hands often through three and a half quarters that never saw a lead larger than four points until the Hillers built a seven point cushion late in the third. But the Leopards came back and had a one-point lead with Trinity inbounding from mid court with under 30 seconds to play. Phillis caught a long pass under the basket and her high-arching shot fell in to give the Hillers the lead. Belle Vernon had one last chance, and after a missed shot, a scramble for the rebound eventually left the ball on the floor and Trinity gained possession as time ran out. Mary Dunn led all scores with 17 points for Trinity. Belle Vernon had two players in double figures, Kaitlyn Slagus with 15 and Bria Rathway with 13.

Chartiers Valley Colts 46 – Ford City Sabers 31 
In what turned out to be the final girls basketball game in Ford City history, No. 4 Chartiers Valley was able to edge the gritty Sabers, 46-31, on Wednesday night at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School. Alexa Golden scored a game-high 22 points for the Colts (19-4), who advance to the WPIAL Quarterfinals for the third time in four seasons. Amazingly, Chartiers Valley only managed to make two field goals in the second half – both by Golden – but were able to make 13 foul shots, finishing the game 17-of-20 at the line. After Ford City (18-4) freshman Kenzie Lasher banked in a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the first quarter, cutting the Colts’ lead to 16-10, Chartiers Valley would stiffen up and extend their lead to 28-17 at halftime thanks, in part, to Melissa Rickens’ 10 points. Ford City would make a run in the second half, getting as close as four points behind inspired play from Christina Davis (16 points) and Lasher (11 points).  But in the final frame, the Sabers would only manage four points, while the Colts made 11-of-12 free throws. Only three players scored in the game for Ford City, as Catelyn Cujas added four points to Davis’ and Lasher’s efforts. Nicole Oklosky scored only six points, but grabbed 11 rebounds for the Colts, who will continue their quest for a first WPIAL Championship when they meet No. 12 Beaver on Saturday at a site and time to be determined in the Quarterfinals. This was the final game in the history of Ford City girls basketball, as the school will combine with Kittanning High School next year to form Armstrong High School. The Sabers made the playoffs the final 20 years of their history, but never won a WPIAL Championship. Wednesday night also saw the end of Ford City basketball in general, as the boys team fell to No. 1 Aliquippa, 61-26, in the WPIAL Boys AA First Round.

Beaver Bobcats 51 – Hampton Talbots 36 
The #12 seed Beaver Bobcats pulled off the first upset of the girls Triple A basketball tournament on Wednesday night with a 51-36 win over the #5 seed Hampton Talbots in a first round game at Fox Chapel High School.  The Bobcats led 12-7 after one period, and then extended their lead to 10 midway through the second quarter only to see the Talbots rally to within one, 24-23, to close out the first half.  Hampton scored quickly to open the third quarter take a 25-24 lead and then went scoreless for the next nine plus minutes as Beaver regained the lead and cruised to the win.  Bobcats senior Lexi Posset showed the way with 26 points while Hampton was led by freshmen Alison Collins and Laryn Edwards with 10 point a piece.  Beaver (16-7) will meet #4 seed Chartiers Valley, a 46-31 winner over Ford City, in the quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at a site and time to be determined.  Hampton ended its season at 17-6.

South Park Eagles 52 – Mars Fighting Planets 34 
Coming into this one, both teams were pretty much even offensively, but the Fighting Planets (18-6) were 13 points per game better defensively than the Eagles (14-10). Ergo, South Park had to exceed expectations to pull an upset in this #2 versus #15 contest. Well, Juliet Highberger’s team did just that, holding Mars to 20 points below its season average while meeting its own offensively. It was 7-2 Planets midway through the first quarter, but the Eagles outscored them from there, taking all three ensuing quarters, including a 20-8 fourth period. Natalie Clydesdale had a game-high 18 points to lead South Park with teammate Allison McGrath right behind her at 17. Mars got double figures from Sarah Getsy with 14 and Ali Goetz with 10.

South Fayette Lions 66 – Ambridge Bridgers 43 
A MILD UPSET OCCURRED AS 10TH SEED SOUTH FAYETTE UPENDED 7TH SEED AMBRIDGE WITH RELATIVE EASE, 66-43  IN A WPIAL AAA GIRLS FIRST ROUND GAME WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT MOON HIGH SCHOOL.  THE LADY BRIDGERS SIMPLY HAD NO ANSWER FOR THE LADY LIONS 6’4” JUNIOR CENTER EMILY ANDERSON, WHO HAD 18 POINTS AND 14 REBOUNDS.  POOR SHOOTING ALSO HINDERED AMBRIDGE, WHICH WRAPPED UP ITS SEASON AT 17-6.  NOW MOVING ON TO THE QUARTERFINALS WITH THE SAME RECORD, SOUTH FAYETTE ALSO RECEIVED 16 POINTS FROM AUTUMN MOZICK WHILE CARLEE KILQUS ADDED 13.  SARAH FISCHER LED THE BRIDGERS WITH 20.  SOUTH FAYETTE WILL MEET SOUTH PARK ON SATURDAY, WHICH UPSET NUMBER TWO SEED MARS.

McGuffey Highlanders 64 – Indiana Little Indians 54 
McGuffey overcame turnover issues and leaned on Senior Rachael Czulewicz to come from behind and defeat #3 seed Indiana 64-54 in overtime at Gateway High School. Indiana held McGuffey standout Sammie Weiss in check for most of the game. Weiss scored her first field goal of the game with :38 seconds remaining in the first half. Weiss finished with 12 points. Junior Katie Demi had one of her best games of the year scoring 17 and constantly being a thorn in the side of Indiana in the defensive zone. The night belonged to Czulewicz, with time ticking away in her high school career, she connected on two 3-pointers and went 10 of 11 from the foul line for a game high 23 points. With the game tied 49, Sophomore Jessica Stever of Indiana scored on a turnover with :07 seconds remaining to put her team up by 2. But McGuffey Junior Sarah Sushl was left open underneath the basket for a long throw in and easy layup to send the game into overtime tied at 51. It was all McGuffey in OT. outscoring Indiana 13-3 and sending the Lady Highlanders into the quarterfinals on Saturday. Lucy Bujdos and Stever led the way for Indiana with 15 points.

Elizabeth Forward Warriors 64 – Mount Pleasant Vikings 43 
In first round WPIAL AAA girls basketball action from Norwin High School it was the Warriors of Elizabeth-Forward defeating the Mt. Pleasant Vikings 64-43 to advance to the Elite 8 in the path to the Peterson Event Center.  The Warriors were paced by Seniors Abigail Sporio (20 pts) and Olivia Barkley (19pts), as the two teamed up to deliver both on the offensive and defensive fronts for the Warriors.  Morgan Barlock for the Vikings put up 13pts in the losing effort as she played the entire game with right wrist cast.  The Warriors will advance to take on #14 seed McGuffey in the Quarterfinals on Saturday 2-21-15.

GIRLS WPIAL CLASS A First Round:

Quigley Catholic Spartans 66 – St. Joseph Spartans 45 
It was a battle of Spartans Wednesday night between Quigley and St. Joesph’s in first round action and the Quigley Spartans came out on top 66-45.  Quiqley jumped out to a 21-10 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.  St Joe’s would never cut the lead below 10 points all night. Gabrielle Smith controlled the post for Quigley leading all scorers with 24 points while Kaitlyn Smith would chip in 15.  For St. Joe’s  Lizzy Celko would score 16.  Quigley will now face Serra Catholic on Saturday in the quarterfinals.

Serra Catholic Eagles 54 – Geibel Catholic Gators 28 
The Serra Catholic Eagles took on the Geibel Catholic Gators at Canon-McMillan High School on Wednesday night. The first round game was each team’s opener in the WPIAL Girl’s A tournament. The #5-#12 match-up pit two young teams looking to advance in this year’s tourney. The 1st quarter was tightly contested. Each team had taken the first few minutes of the ballgame getting into the swing of things. The basketball stayed mainly in transition for the better part of the period with each team creating turnovers and disrupting each other’s attempts at setting plays. Geibel was led in the 1st half by sophomore guard/forward Grace Nowicki.  She led the Lady Gators with 10 of her team’s 14 points in the 1st half. For the Serra Catholic Lady Eagles, they were led in the 1st half by senior guard/forward Katie Sieg. A 1st half that was relatively low scoring due to each team’s standards. Serra led Geibel at the half by the score of 19-14. Sieg had 10 of her team’s 19 total points in the half. Nowicki dominated in the points department for the Lady Gators erupting for 10 of her team’s 14 total points. The 3rd period is where Serra Catholic really broke away and put this game out of reach. Stellar play in the 3rd by Aaliyah Coleman and Sieg boosted them to 20 point lead after 3 and all signs pointing to them moving on. The second chance opportunities and outstanding rebounding by Serra’s junior center Felicia Moon stood out as a game changer as well. Geibel fought hard in the remaining quarter to close the gap but, there was just not enough time to overcome the big deficit. The Serra Catholic Eagles defeat the Lady Gators in this opener by the final score of 54-28. Leading scorers for Serra are Katie Sieg 14, Aaliyah Coleman 11, and Felicia Moon 10. Geibel was paced by Grace Nowicki totaling 16 of her team’s 28. Serra now moves on to face Quigley Catholic on Saturday as the Path To The Pete continues.

California Trojans 63 – Sewickley Academy Panthers 37 
The California Lady Trojans defeated the Sewickley Academy Lady Panthers 63 to 37 in a Girls (A) First Round game on Wednesday Night at Baldwin High School.  California lead Sewickley 17 to 12 after one quarter of play, but the Trojans scored the first 17 points of the 2nd quarter to extend the lead to 34 to 12 Maddy Casale ended the run with a made free throw.  The Trojans lead 38 to 15 at halftime and cruised in the 2nd half for the 63 to 37 win.  Lyndsey Huhn lead California with a game high 19 points, Freshman Bailey Vig(12 points) and Kylie Huffman(10 points) were also in double figures for the Trojans.  Freshman Olivia Ryder lead Sewickley Academy with 12 points.  The Panthers season ends with a 12-9 record.  California is now 22-1 and has won 22 straight games, after losing their season opener to Mars.  The Trojans advance to the (A) Quarterfinals on Saturday and will take on Riverview.

Riverview Raiders 47 – Fort Cherry Rangers 28 
Sadie Buchser scored 19 points, 16 in the second half, helping Riverview pull away from Ft. Cherry on the way to a 47-28 win.  The Raiders held Ft Cherry without a field goal in the second quarter but struggled to a 19-8 lead at intermission.  The scoring drought continued for another six minutes for the Rangers (11-12) and by the time they got a bucket from the floor, Buchser had put the game away.  Riverview (16-7) went on a 14-2 run in the fourth to close the deal  Buchser was the only player in double figures for Riverview.  Hannah Greene finished with 13 for Ft. Cherry, while the Rangers’ leading scorer, Tina Bellhy, was held to four points, just one field goal.