Highlights of Both Girls & Boys Friday Night Hoop Action
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THE CHOPS
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Highlights of Both Girls & Boys Friday Night Hoop Action
Friday's W.P.I.A.L. Basketball Highlights.............
2/24/2007 -
A berth in the Final Four was at stake Friday night for eight boys teams in Class (AAA) and Class (A), as well as eight girls teams in Class (AAA) and Class (A). For one Cinderella, the dream lives on, while for the other, the clock struck midnight on Friday. Here is a brief recap from most of the action, including a pair of number two-seeds knocked out of the title chase in the 'Battle to the Bluff' heard on the MSA Sports Network.
Thanks to Bob Orkwis, Brian Mroziak, Rob Matzie, Jim Frederick, Sam Hall, Steve Nagler, Mike Azadian and Jonathan Whaley for helping to make these recaps possible.
W.P.I.A.L. BOYS:
Class (AAA):
WEST ALLEGHENY 42 - MONTOUR 39
A pair of Section 2/AAA foes renewed pleasantries in this match up, and if Cinderella needs a name, the call her West Allegheny. The Indians, who defeated Keystone Oaks in a preliminary round game, came into the quarterfinals as the 16th seed, after knocking of top-ranked Greensburg-Salem in the first round. The Indians, who would never trail in this game, led by three after on quarter and built their advantage to 14 points by half-time, after holding Montour to just two second-quarter points. Montour however, spurred on by some serious second half defense, would chip away at the West A lead. The Spartans would finally tie the game at 39, when Bryce Pfeuffer hit two free throws with 1:21 remaining. The Indians had an answer. A nice drive a pass to Mike Berreth put the 6-3 senior at the foul line with one minute left. Berreth made the second free throw to put West Allegheny ahead by one. After a pair of time outs, Montour was unable to score, and Nick Morelli would make both ends of a one-and one to put the Indians ahead 42-39 with 14.4 seconds remaining. After a West Allegheny time out, the Spartans would get three opportunities to tie the game from behind the arc, but could not convert. West Allegheny, who has now won two of the three games between these two schools this season, now advances to the semi-finals to face another Section2/AAA team in Ambridge. The Bridgers earned a spot in the semi’s with a 54-47 win over Hampton. West Allegheny improves to (15-11) on the season, while Montour falls to (17-8). The Indians have also earned berth in the State Playoffs. Montour would also qualify if West Allegheny beats Ambridge on Tuesday. Senior guard Emilio Nardi paced the Indians with 12 points in the win. Morelli added 9, to go with eight rebounds and two blocks. Berreth finished the game with 6 points and 7 rebounds for the Indians. Christian Wilson was a one man wrecking crew for Montour. The 6-4 junior forward scored game high 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the loss. Pfeuffer, who leads Montour in scoring at 15 points per game, finished with just six points, hitting all four of his foul shots, but converting on only one field goal.
VALLEY 62 - LAUREL HIGHLANDS 58
The 10th seeded Valley Vikings rallied from a 7 point third quarter deficit and defeated the 15th seeded Laurel Highlands Mustangs 62-58 in a Boys Triple "A" Quarterfinal Round Game at Belle Vernon High School. Down 35-28 at the
4 minute mark of the 3rd quarter Valley went on an 15-7 run to end the quarter to lead by one 43-42 at the end of the 3rd. In a strange 4th quarter which included two lengthy delays due to a bat flying into the gym, a technical
foul call for a Vikings illegal substitution that was overturned and a 5 second Violation on a Viking inbounds pass that was overruled for a timeout, the Vikings used clutch free throw shooting down the stretch for the 4 point win. The Vikings were lead by Bradley Flenory who scored 15 points, Troy Hill added 11 while Ryan Orr chipped in 10. Kaylib Ramsey lead the Mustangs with 17 points, Nick Thomas finished with 13 while Freshman Ron Fudala hit four, three
pointers to end the game with 12 points. The Vikings improve to 16-9 and advances to The McDonalds WPIAL Semi-Finals to take on the #3 Seed Chartiers Valley and also qualified for the PIAA Playoffs with the victory. Laurel
Highlands falls to 13-13 and must hope Valley defeats Chartiers Valley in order to qualify for the State Playoffs.
CHARTIERS VALLEY 49 - BLACKHAWK 47
All the talk this week was if Blackhawk guard Josh Gumbert would play or not. What wasn’t mentioned was the status of Chartiers Valley 6’0 Sophomore point guard Eli Maravich’s status. He fell hard in the early stages of the Colt’s win
Saturday over Hopewell. While he came back in the half he did not return at all after the intermission. He is now out for indefinitely as his right hand was in a red cast with a broken wrist. Gumbert’s status as of yesterday and as soon as this morning was he was out. Gumbert the 6’2 Senior didn’t start but played the majority of the ball game. He finished with 8 points including 2 three pointers.
The Colts came out firing at the start of the game in what would be a fast paced first half that had the score tied at 13-13 at the end of the first period. It seemed as thought the Cougars settled down when Gumbert came into the game, but there was no settling down Blackhawk 6’5 Junior Antoine Childs who took over scoring 19 first half points took the lead outscoring CV 11-6 in the second period to lead at the half 24-19. While Childs matched the Colt’s entire team scoring in the first half it was a 15 point second half by the Colts 6’1 Senior Mike Sherry that pushed the Colts into the win column 49-47. Teagen Lindsey hit 2 big 3-pointers for CV late in the game off the bench. The play of the game was the ability of Chartiers Valley’s Anthony Poletti’s ability to steal an inbounds pass after the Colts went up by two with under a minute to go and was able to call time-out while in mid-air falling out of bounds. They would eventually score as Polletti connected on 4 free
throws.
AMBRIDGE 54 - HAMPTON 47
Superb defense by Ambridge enabled the Bridgers to advance to the Boys AAA semis for the first time in over 30 years in a 54-47 win over 4th seeded Hampton. Ambridge held the Talbots to almost 20 points under their average by wrapping up the top two guns of Hampton in Asa Braxton and Corey McGinnis. Both were averaging over 17 points but were limited to a total of 18 by Jared Gibson and sophomore Frank Unis, respectively. 19-7 Ambridge led by as many as 13 with 1-30 to go before Hampton rallied behind two treys by McGinnis and another by Joe Cangilla. But that is when
the Bridgers, who missed 9 free throws in the 4th quarter, finially made some key ones as Slade Unis hit on 3 of 4. Frank Karl hit a pair and Zach Delo was 5-6 at the
charity stripe. Slade Unis scored 15 despite limited playing time due to foul trouble and Gibson added a dozen as Ambridge trailed only once in the game at 2-0 before mounting a 10-2 run and taking control. Bob Bartley scored 13 for 22-4 Hampton and Cangilla added a dozen.
Class (A):
SERRA CATHOLIC 75 - ST. JOSEPH 48
The Number one seed in the boys single AS bracket flexed their muscles Friday night at Gateway high school in a 75-48 quarter-final whitewashing of St. Joe's. The Serra
Catholic Eagles got 23 from SR Marc Rozanski and 17 from JR Pat Grubbs in the comfortable win. Grubbs scored the first 6 points of the 3rd quarter as the Eagles used a 28-7 run in that quarter to blow open a game that was close at the half (34-28). The Eagles improved to (22-2) on the year. St. Joseph's fell to (16-9) on the year despite 15 from Mike Barkowski (JR) and 13 from another JR Greg Conroy. Boys A semifinals coming up Tuesday night on the MSA Sports network as the "Battle to the Bluff" continues.
CLAIRTON 54 - SEWICKLEY ACADEMY 51
The Clairton Bears took another step in their effort to repeat as Class A Champions as they held on to defeat the Sewickley Academy Panthers 54 - 51. Clairton held a
10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and led 53 - 43 with about three minutes to go before Sewickley Academy scored eight straight points to cut the lead to 53 - 51 on the hot hand of freshman Tom Droney. The Sewickley Academy Panthers simply ran out of time as they had to continually foul in the final half-minute of play. The Bears showed a well-balanced attack offensively as five players scored at
least 8 points. They were led by senior Emmanuel Cottrell with a game-high 17. Kenny Chapman added 11, seven of those coming in the second half. Droney scored 11 of his 14 points in second half after sitting much of the first half with foul trouble. Senior guard Mike Jackson added 13 points as well for Sewickley Academy. With the win, the Clairton Bears will now take on California in the semi-final round of the Class A playoffs which will take place on February 27.
LEECHBURG 49 - WESTERN BEAVER 44
Leechburg opened up a 12 point second half lead before Western Beaver cut the margin to 2 at 42-40 with 2:43 remaining. The Golden Beavers could get no closer, however,
despite a furious finish as the Blue Devils advanced to the Class A semis 49-44. Missed free throws hampered Western Beaver as the club could hit just 1 of 8 for the game. Meanwhile, Steve Predebon, who scored 19, hit a layup to give Leechburg a 44-40 edge after W-B had cut the lead. A Terry Fluker drive and finish made it 44-42 but that is as close as the Golden Beavers would come. A Todd Ruppert tip-in plus a free throw by Nick Matviiko, who led all scorers with 24 points, put the game on ice. Marcus Platz had 10 for W-B.
CALIFORNIA 60 - AVELLA 41
John McVicker scored 15 points to lead the Trojans to a 23rd victory in 25 games and more importantly a berth in the WPIAL Class A Semifinals on Tuesday night with a 19-point victory over the Eagles. While California advances to play Clairton, Avella falls to 14-12 and now must have the Trojans win the WPIAL in order to keep their season alive with a PIAA state playoff berth.
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W.P.I.A.L. GIRLS:
Class (AAA):
GREENSBURG-SALEM 65 - WEST MIFFLIN 60 in DOUBLE OVERTIME
In a see saw battle at North Hills High School The Lions went to double overtime before ousting the Lady Titans in a quarter final match up. Rachel Roddy led the way with 25 points for Greensburg Salem going 10-10 from the free throw line and scoring 6 points in the over times. Mary Cook had 10 including the bucket to send it into OT number two. Anne Marie Olesky had 14 for the Lions including a huge three pointer in the first overtime. The game was tied after the first period 12 -12 and The Lions were down 22-20 at the half. Greensburg took a one point lead 36-35 into quarter number 4 but couldn't hold it and it was 48-48 at the end of regulation. Both teams score 10 points each
to make it 58-58 going into OT number two before the Lions pulled away to win it. Roddy scored 13 points in the second half and was a presence all over the court in leading her team to victory. West Mifflin was led by Terrica Jones with 18 (13 in the second half) Ayla Sparks had 13 and Ashley Bergman had 15 including 4 three pointers to pace the Titans. The Lions will move onto the semifinals to face Montour on Tuesday evening.
MONTOUR 62 - MARS 42
The Mars Planets came into this game as the third seed in the WPIAL Girls AAA basketball tournament and riding a 15-game winning streak. But this contest was no problem for the Montour Spartans, who efficiently took care of business to reach the semi-finals. Montour led by 5 after the first quarter, opened up a 12-point half-time lead thanks to some clutch three-point shooting by senior guard Jena Kacsur. Kascur, who came into the game hitting 48% of her three-point attempts canned, a buzzer beating trey after a steal right before the half. Kascur, who would hit another buzzer beating three to end the third quarter, hit 4 first-half three-pointers, and for the game ended up shooting 8-of-11 from behind the arc to finish with a game high 24 points. Audrey Jamilokowksi, who was plagued by foul trouble, added a double-double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jamilokowski has now grabbed 31 rebounds in the Spartans two playoff wins. Jordan Burkes, Montour’s leading scorer chipped in with 12 points and 8 rebounds, while senior forward Melanie Bihler finished with 11 for the Spartans.
Lilly Grenci led Mars with 16 points and eight rebounds. Maggie Bulman finished with 12 points for the Planets. Montour (19-7) will face Greensburg-Salem in the semi-finals on Tuesday. The Golden Lions took out the second seeded West Mifflin Titans 65-60 in double overtime. Mars' season is on hold at (23-3). The Planets would qualify for the PIAA Playoffs from District 7 if Montour defeats Greensburg-Salem to reach the WPIAL finals.
HOPEWELL 46 - RINGGOLD 34
The reigning WPIAL and PIAA Champions spun to an 11 point lst half lead due to an 8-0 run late in the 2nd quarter. Hopewell dominated on the glass in this game with a board advantage of 32 to 17 and put the game away in the second half by way of 6-6 free throw shooting in the final period. 6-1 Becky Novacek scored 14 points with 15 rebounds while 6-2 Joyce Novacek added 14 boards and point-guard Jordan Zuppe scored 15 points including 3-7 from beyond the arc. 24-2 Hopewell has won 18 in a row into the AAA semis against fellow Section 2 opponent Moon. Emily Schartner and another sophomore, Bethany Warren had 10 points each for 19-7 Ringgold.
MOON 59 - SOUTHMORELAND 50
University of Delaware recruit Gracie Palucis just missed a triple-double in guiding the Tigers to a victory over the Scotties at South Park High School. Palucis had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 14 assists for Moon. The Scotties Vanessa Abel did all she could for Southmoreland by scoring 30 of the teams 50 points. The win puts Moon into the WPIAL Class AAA Semifinals for a seventh consecutive postseason where they will face top-seed and section rival Hopewell on Tuesday night.
Class (A):
VINCENTIAN ACADEMY 58 - SERRA CATHOLIC 49
The Vincentian Academy Lady Royals built a 12 point half-time lead and then held on for dear life, advancing to the WPIAL Single A girls semi-finals with a 58-49 win over the Serra Catholic Eagles at Gateway high school Friday night. The Royals got four players into double digits on the scoresheet led by SR Melissa Spicer's 13 points, JRs Jackie Cortese and Lindsay Knapp added 12 and 11 points respectively while SR Becky Marusic scored 10. JR Guard Nicole Marks was huge in the 4th quarter for the Royals with 2 steals and 8 points while hitting 6 of 7 from the charity stripe for Vincentian as they moved to (13-12) on the season. Serra Catholic was led by JR Bria Gwosden's 16 points while SO Jade Stewart came off the bench to chip in
11 for Bill Cleary's team which misses out on a possible 5th straight trip to the WPIAL A Championship game falling to (21-5) on the year. Girls A semifinals coming up Tuesday night on the MSA Sports Network.
NORTH CATHOLIC 69 - CLAIRTON 43
The top seeded North Catholic Trojans started strong and finished even stronger as they soundly defeated the Clairton Bears by the score of 69-43. The Trojans outscored the Bears 25-9 in the first quarter and 23-4 in the fourth quarter to overwhelm a solid Clairton team (17-8). The Trojans were paced by senior April Austin who scored 22. Amy Longo added 14 and Ashley Bellovich scored 10 as well for North Catholic. Clairton was led by senior Carele Smith who poured in 15 for the Bears. The Bears cut the lead down to single digits in both the second and third quarter before North Catholic turned up the heat in the decisive fourth quarter. The North Catholic Trojans now advance into the semi-finals to face the Mount Alvernia Lions on Tuesday night.
MOUNT ALVERNIA 62 - MONESSEN 51 in OVERTIME
The Lions of Mount Alvernia continued on the road to the Palumbo Center with a thrilling overtime victory over the 4th seeded Lady Greyhounds of Monessen at Belle Vernon high school. In a game that featured several major momentum changes, it was Mount Alvernia that closed the game out in the overtime period. Junior Forward Renee Brown played a sensational game for Mount Alvernia scoring a game high
24 points. Senior Forward Tracie Ferrari contributed 12 points. The Greyhounds had 3 starters foul out in the fourth period, including their leading scorer, Christina Chukwuedo, who finished with 12 points to pace the
Lady Greyhounds. Monessen had 4 players reach double figures but it was not able to survive the overtime without Kelly Mornak (9 points) and Samone Stepoli (10 points) and Chukwuedo. Mount Alvernia moves on to face the North Catholic Trojanettes in the semi-final round. The team that has beaten them twice this year in Section 4 A play.
AVONWORTH 43 - QUIGLEY 33
Abbey Francis led the way for the Antelopes by scoring 13 points as Avonworth knocked out Quigley in a defensive battle at Aliquippa High School. Avonworth advanced to the Semifinals on Tuesday against Vincentian Academy despite playing without leading scorer Morgan Locher who sat out with a knee injury. The Spartans fell to 18-7 and must hope Avonworth wins the WPIAL if they are to gain a berth in the PIAA state playoffs.
THE CHOPS....
2/24/2007 -
A berth in the Final Four was at stake Friday night for eight boys teams in Class (AAA) and Class (A), as well as eight girls teams in Class (AAA) and Class (A). For one Cinderella, the dream lives on, while for the other, the clock struck midnight on Friday. Here is a brief recap from most of the action, including a pair of number two-seeds knocked out of the title chase in the 'Battle to the Bluff' heard on the MSA Sports Network.
Thanks to Bob Orkwis, Brian Mroziak, Rob Matzie, Jim Frederick, Sam Hall, Steve Nagler, Mike Azadian and Jonathan Whaley for helping to make these recaps possible.
W.P.I.A.L. BOYS:
Class (AAA):
WEST ALLEGHENY 42 - MONTOUR 39
A pair of Section 2/AAA foes renewed pleasantries in this match up, and if Cinderella needs a name, the call her West Allegheny. The Indians, who defeated Keystone Oaks in a preliminary round game, came into the quarterfinals as the 16th seed, after knocking of top-ranked Greensburg-Salem in the first round. The Indians, who would never trail in this game, led by three after on quarter and built their advantage to 14 points by half-time, after holding Montour to just two second-quarter points. Montour however, spurred on by some serious second half defense, would chip away at the West A lead. The Spartans would finally tie the game at 39, when Bryce Pfeuffer hit two free throws with 1:21 remaining. The Indians had an answer. A nice drive a pass to Mike Berreth put the 6-3 senior at the foul line with one minute left. Berreth made the second free throw to put West Allegheny ahead by one. After a pair of time outs, Montour was unable to score, and Nick Morelli would make both ends of a one-and one to put the Indians ahead 42-39 with 14.4 seconds remaining. After a West Allegheny time out, the Spartans would get three opportunities to tie the game from behind the arc, but could not convert. West Allegheny, who has now won two of the three games between these two schools this season, now advances to the semi-finals to face another Section2/AAA team in Ambridge. The Bridgers earned a spot in the semi’s with a 54-47 win over Hampton. West Allegheny improves to (15-11) on the season, while Montour falls to (17-8). The Indians have also earned berth in the State Playoffs. Montour would also qualify if West Allegheny beats Ambridge on Tuesday. Senior guard Emilio Nardi paced the Indians with 12 points in the win. Morelli added 9, to go with eight rebounds and two blocks. Berreth finished the game with 6 points and 7 rebounds for the Indians. Christian Wilson was a one man wrecking crew for Montour. The 6-4 junior forward scored game high 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the loss. Pfeuffer, who leads Montour in scoring at 15 points per game, finished with just six points, hitting all four of his foul shots, but converting on only one field goal.
VALLEY 62 - LAUREL HIGHLANDS 58
The 10th seeded Valley Vikings rallied from a 7 point third quarter deficit and defeated the 15th seeded Laurel Highlands Mustangs 62-58 in a Boys Triple "A" Quarterfinal Round Game at Belle Vernon High School. Down 35-28 at the
4 minute mark of the 3rd quarter Valley went on an 15-7 run to end the quarter to lead by one 43-42 at the end of the 3rd. In a strange 4th quarter which included two lengthy delays due to a bat flying into the gym, a technical
foul call for a Vikings illegal substitution that was overturned and a 5 second Violation on a Viking inbounds pass that was overruled for a timeout, the Vikings used clutch free throw shooting down the stretch for the 4 point win. The Vikings were lead by Bradley Flenory who scored 15 points, Troy Hill added 11 while Ryan Orr chipped in 10. Kaylib Ramsey lead the Mustangs with 17 points, Nick Thomas finished with 13 while Freshman Ron Fudala hit four, three
pointers to end the game with 12 points. The Vikings improve to 16-9 and advances to The McDonalds WPIAL Semi-Finals to take on the #3 Seed Chartiers Valley and also qualified for the PIAA Playoffs with the victory. Laurel
Highlands falls to 13-13 and must hope Valley defeats Chartiers Valley in order to qualify for the State Playoffs.
CHARTIERS VALLEY 49 - BLACKHAWK 47
All the talk this week was if Blackhawk guard Josh Gumbert would play or not. What wasn’t mentioned was the status of Chartiers Valley 6’0 Sophomore point guard Eli Maravich’s status. He fell hard in the early stages of the Colt’s win
Saturday over Hopewell. While he came back in the half he did not return at all after the intermission. He is now out for indefinitely as his right hand was in a red cast with a broken wrist. Gumbert’s status as of yesterday and as soon as this morning was he was out. Gumbert the 6’2 Senior didn’t start but played the majority of the ball game. He finished with 8 points including 2 three pointers.
The Colts came out firing at the start of the game in what would be a fast paced first half that had the score tied at 13-13 at the end of the first period. It seemed as thought the Cougars settled down when Gumbert came into the game, but there was no settling down Blackhawk 6’5 Junior Antoine Childs who took over scoring 19 first half points took the lead outscoring CV 11-6 in the second period to lead at the half 24-19. While Childs matched the Colt’s entire team scoring in the first half it was a 15 point second half by the Colts 6’1 Senior Mike Sherry that pushed the Colts into the win column 49-47. Teagen Lindsey hit 2 big 3-pointers for CV late in the game off the bench. The play of the game was the ability of Chartiers Valley’s Anthony Poletti’s ability to steal an inbounds pass after the Colts went up by two with under a minute to go and was able to call time-out while in mid-air falling out of bounds. They would eventually score as Polletti connected on 4 free
throws.
AMBRIDGE 54 - HAMPTON 47
Superb defense by Ambridge enabled the Bridgers to advance to the Boys AAA semis for the first time in over 30 years in a 54-47 win over 4th seeded Hampton. Ambridge held the Talbots to almost 20 points under their average by wrapping up the top two guns of Hampton in Asa Braxton and Corey McGinnis. Both were averaging over 17 points but were limited to a total of 18 by Jared Gibson and sophomore Frank Unis, respectively. 19-7 Ambridge led by as many as 13 with 1-30 to go before Hampton rallied behind two treys by McGinnis and another by Joe Cangilla. But that is when
the Bridgers, who missed 9 free throws in the 4th quarter, finially made some key ones as Slade Unis hit on 3 of 4. Frank Karl hit a pair and Zach Delo was 5-6 at the
charity stripe. Slade Unis scored 15 despite limited playing time due to foul trouble and Gibson added a dozen as Ambridge trailed only once in the game at 2-0 before mounting a 10-2 run and taking control. Bob Bartley scored 13 for 22-4 Hampton and Cangilla added a dozen.
Class (A):
SERRA CATHOLIC 75 - ST. JOSEPH 48
The Number one seed in the boys single AS bracket flexed their muscles Friday night at Gateway high school in a 75-48 quarter-final whitewashing of St. Joe's. The Serra
Catholic Eagles got 23 from SR Marc Rozanski and 17 from JR Pat Grubbs in the comfortable win. Grubbs scored the first 6 points of the 3rd quarter as the Eagles used a 28-7 run in that quarter to blow open a game that was close at the half (34-28). The Eagles improved to (22-2) on the year. St. Joseph's fell to (16-9) on the year despite 15 from Mike Barkowski (JR) and 13 from another JR Greg Conroy. Boys A semifinals coming up Tuesday night on the MSA Sports network as the "Battle to the Bluff" continues.
CLAIRTON 54 - SEWICKLEY ACADEMY 51
The Clairton Bears took another step in their effort to repeat as Class A Champions as they held on to defeat the Sewickley Academy Panthers 54 - 51. Clairton held a
10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and led 53 - 43 with about three minutes to go before Sewickley Academy scored eight straight points to cut the lead to 53 - 51 on the hot hand of freshman Tom Droney. The Sewickley Academy Panthers simply ran out of time as they had to continually foul in the final half-minute of play. The Bears showed a well-balanced attack offensively as five players scored at
least 8 points. They were led by senior Emmanuel Cottrell with a game-high 17. Kenny Chapman added 11, seven of those coming in the second half. Droney scored 11 of his 14 points in second half after sitting much of the first half with foul trouble. Senior guard Mike Jackson added 13 points as well for Sewickley Academy. With the win, the Clairton Bears will now take on California in the semi-final round of the Class A playoffs which will take place on February 27.
LEECHBURG 49 - WESTERN BEAVER 44
Leechburg opened up a 12 point second half lead before Western Beaver cut the margin to 2 at 42-40 with 2:43 remaining. The Golden Beavers could get no closer, however,
despite a furious finish as the Blue Devils advanced to the Class A semis 49-44. Missed free throws hampered Western Beaver as the club could hit just 1 of 8 for the game. Meanwhile, Steve Predebon, who scored 19, hit a layup to give Leechburg a 44-40 edge after W-B had cut the lead. A Terry Fluker drive and finish made it 44-42 but that is as close as the Golden Beavers would come. A Todd Ruppert tip-in plus a free throw by Nick Matviiko, who led all scorers with 24 points, put the game on ice. Marcus Platz had 10 for W-B.
CALIFORNIA 60 - AVELLA 41
John McVicker scored 15 points to lead the Trojans to a 23rd victory in 25 games and more importantly a berth in the WPIAL Class A Semifinals on Tuesday night with a 19-point victory over the Eagles. While California advances to play Clairton, Avella falls to 14-12 and now must have the Trojans win the WPIAL in order to keep their season alive with a PIAA state playoff berth.
========================================================
W.P.I.A.L. GIRLS:
Class (AAA):
GREENSBURG-SALEM 65 - WEST MIFFLIN 60 in DOUBLE OVERTIME
In a see saw battle at North Hills High School The Lions went to double overtime before ousting the Lady Titans in a quarter final match up. Rachel Roddy led the way with 25 points for Greensburg Salem going 10-10 from the free throw line and scoring 6 points in the over times. Mary Cook had 10 including the bucket to send it into OT number two. Anne Marie Olesky had 14 for the Lions including a huge three pointer in the first overtime. The game was tied after the first period 12 -12 and The Lions were down 22-20 at the half. Greensburg took a one point lead 36-35 into quarter number 4 but couldn't hold it and it was 48-48 at the end of regulation. Both teams score 10 points each
to make it 58-58 going into OT number two before the Lions pulled away to win it. Roddy scored 13 points in the second half and was a presence all over the court in leading her team to victory. West Mifflin was led by Terrica Jones with 18 (13 in the second half) Ayla Sparks had 13 and Ashley Bergman had 15 including 4 three pointers to pace the Titans. The Lions will move onto the semifinals to face Montour on Tuesday evening.
MONTOUR 62 - MARS 42
The Mars Planets came into this game as the third seed in the WPIAL Girls AAA basketball tournament and riding a 15-game winning streak. But this contest was no problem for the Montour Spartans, who efficiently took care of business to reach the semi-finals. Montour led by 5 after the first quarter, opened up a 12-point half-time lead thanks to some clutch three-point shooting by senior guard Jena Kacsur. Kascur, who came into the game hitting 48% of her three-point attempts canned, a buzzer beating trey after a steal right before the half. Kascur, who would hit another buzzer beating three to end the third quarter, hit 4 first-half three-pointers, and for the game ended up shooting 8-of-11 from behind the arc to finish with a game high 24 points. Audrey Jamilokowksi, who was plagued by foul trouble, added a double-double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jamilokowski has now grabbed 31 rebounds in the Spartans two playoff wins. Jordan Burkes, Montour’s leading scorer chipped in with 12 points and 8 rebounds, while senior forward Melanie Bihler finished with 11 for the Spartans.
Lilly Grenci led Mars with 16 points and eight rebounds. Maggie Bulman finished with 12 points for the Planets. Montour (19-7) will face Greensburg-Salem in the semi-finals on Tuesday. The Golden Lions took out the second seeded West Mifflin Titans 65-60 in double overtime. Mars' season is on hold at (23-3). The Planets would qualify for the PIAA Playoffs from District 7 if Montour defeats Greensburg-Salem to reach the WPIAL finals.
HOPEWELL 46 - RINGGOLD 34
The reigning WPIAL and PIAA Champions spun to an 11 point lst half lead due to an 8-0 run late in the 2nd quarter. Hopewell dominated on the glass in this game with a board advantage of 32 to 17 and put the game away in the second half by way of 6-6 free throw shooting in the final period. 6-1 Becky Novacek scored 14 points with 15 rebounds while 6-2 Joyce Novacek added 14 boards and point-guard Jordan Zuppe scored 15 points including 3-7 from beyond the arc. 24-2 Hopewell has won 18 in a row into the AAA semis against fellow Section 2 opponent Moon. Emily Schartner and another sophomore, Bethany Warren had 10 points each for 19-7 Ringgold.
MOON 59 - SOUTHMORELAND 50
University of Delaware recruit Gracie Palucis just missed a triple-double in guiding the Tigers to a victory over the Scotties at South Park High School. Palucis had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 14 assists for Moon. The Scotties Vanessa Abel did all she could for Southmoreland by scoring 30 of the teams 50 points. The win puts Moon into the WPIAL Class AAA Semifinals for a seventh consecutive postseason where they will face top-seed and section rival Hopewell on Tuesday night.
Class (A):
VINCENTIAN ACADEMY 58 - SERRA CATHOLIC 49
The Vincentian Academy Lady Royals built a 12 point half-time lead and then held on for dear life, advancing to the WPIAL Single A girls semi-finals with a 58-49 win over the Serra Catholic Eagles at Gateway high school Friday night. The Royals got four players into double digits on the scoresheet led by SR Melissa Spicer's 13 points, JRs Jackie Cortese and Lindsay Knapp added 12 and 11 points respectively while SR Becky Marusic scored 10. JR Guard Nicole Marks was huge in the 4th quarter for the Royals with 2 steals and 8 points while hitting 6 of 7 from the charity stripe for Vincentian as they moved to (13-12) on the season. Serra Catholic was led by JR Bria Gwosden's 16 points while SO Jade Stewart came off the bench to chip in
11 for Bill Cleary's team which misses out on a possible 5th straight trip to the WPIAL A Championship game falling to (21-5) on the year. Girls A semifinals coming up Tuesday night on the MSA Sports Network.
NORTH CATHOLIC 69 - CLAIRTON 43
The top seeded North Catholic Trojans started strong and finished even stronger as they soundly defeated the Clairton Bears by the score of 69-43. The Trojans outscored the Bears 25-9 in the first quarter and 23-4 in the fourth quarter to overwhelm a solid Clairton team (17-8). The Trojans were paced by senior April Austin who scored 22. Amy Longo added 14 and Ashley Bellovich scored 10 as well for North Catholic. Clairton was led by senior Carele Smith who poured in 15 for the Bears. The Bears cut the lead down to single digits in both the second and third quarter before North Catholic turned up the heat in the decisive fourth quarter. The North Catholic Trojans now advance into the semi-finals to face the Mount Alvernia Lions on Tuesday night.
MOUNT ALVERNIA 62 - MONESSEN 51 in OVERTIME
The Lions of Mount Alvernia continued on the road to the Palumbo Center with a thrilling overtime victory over the 4th seeded Lady Greyhounds of Monessen at Belle Vernon high school. In a game that featured several major momentum changes, it was Mount Alvernia that closed the game out in the overtime period. Junior Forward Renee Brown played a sensational game for Mount Alvernia scoring a game high
24 points. Senior Forward Tracie Ferrari contributed 12 points. The Greyhounds had 3 starters foul out in the fourth period, including their leading scorer, Christina Chukwuedo, who finished with 12 points to pace the
Lady Greyhounds. Monessen had 4 players reach double figures but it was not able to survive the overtime without Kelly Mornak (9 points) and Samone Stepoli (10 points) and Chukwuedo. Mount Alvernia moves on to face the North Catholic Trojanettes in the semi-final round. The team that has beaten them twice this year in Section 4 A play.
AVONWORTH 43 - QUIGLEY 33
Abbey Francis led the way for the Antelopes by scoring 13 points as Avonworth knocked out Quigley in a defensive battle at Aliquippa High School. Avonworth advanced to the Semifinals on Tuesday against Vincentian Academy despite playing without leading scorer Morgan Locher who sat out with a knee injury. The Spartans fell to 18-7 and must hope Avonworth wins the WPIAL if they are to gain a berth in the PIAA state playoffs.
THE CHOPS....