High school roundup for March 14, 2023: North Allegheny, Norwin girls win to set up 4th showdown

By: Tribune-Review
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 | 11:33 PM

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Jasmine Timmerson dropped 19 points and Kellie McConnell finished with 18 to lead North Allegheny to a 57-34 victory over Mt. Lebanon in the PIAA Class 6A girls basketball second round Tuesday night.

The Tigers (22-5) jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead and never looked back. Jenny Smith scored 10 points and Gina Smith added eight for Mt. Lebanon (18-9), which scored just 15 more points after posting a 19-point first quarter.

North Allegheny will face Norwin for the fourth time this season when the teams meet in Friday’s quarterfinals. They split in the regular season and the Tigers won 38-36 in the WPIAL semifinals.

Norwin 57, Lebanon 43 – Lauren Palangio put up 24 points and Kendall Beger added 17 to lead Norwin (23-4) over Lebanon (27-3) in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. Norwin, which trailed by a point after the first quarter, took control of the game by scoring the first six points of the second half, turning a five-point lead into an 11-point advantage.

Kennedy Catholic 56, Burgettstown 39 – Kaitlyn Nease and Jill Frazier each scored 15 points as Burgettstown (21-7) could not overcome a third quarter that saw the Blue Devils outscored 19-9 in a defeat at the hands of Kennedy Catholic (23-4) in the second round in Class 2A. Bella Magestro dropped 29 points and drained seven 3-pointers and Layke Fields added 10 for Kennedy Catholic.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 39, Avonworth 23 – Kyleigh Nagy and Mia Grisafi scored eight points apiece to lead OLSH (21-7) to a Class 3A second-round win over WPIAL champion Avonworth (20-6). Greta O’Brien scored nine points to lead the Antelopes. OLSH will play District 6 runner-up Westmont Hilltop in Friday’s quarterfinals.

River Valley 56, Laurel 54 – Abby Pynos hit the game-winning shot with less than a second left as River Valley (27-2) overcame a nine-point halftime deficit and outscored Laurel (24-4) by 11 in the second half in a Class 3A second-round win. Hannah Artley scored 16 points, Pynos had 14 and Ava Persichetti finished with 13 for District 6 champion River Valley. Regan Atkins led the Spartans with 26 points.

Shady Side Academy 59, Mercyhurst Prep 37 – Karis Thomas led Shady Side Academy (25-3) with 27 points, and the Bulldogs, who were without standout freshman Maggie Spell, jumped out to a 33-12 halftime lead and never looked back en route to defeating Mercyhurst Prep (20-6) in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs. Shady Side Academy advances to play District 6 champion River Valley in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Shenango 42, Lakeview 29 – Emilee Fedrizzi put up 23 points and Kylee Rubin produced 12 as Shenango (24-4) held Lakeview (19-8) to just 18 first-half points in a Class 3A second round win. The Wildcats will play Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinals Friday.

Upper St. Clair 42, Pennsbury 31 – Rylee Kalocay scored a game-high 25 points and Kate Robbins added nine as Upper St. Clair (23-3) held Pennsbury (21-9) under double digits in three of four quarters for a Class 6A second-round win. Sofia Vitucci led Pennsbury with 19 points. The Panthers advance to play undefeated District 3 champion Cedar Cliff in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Boys basketball

Carlynton 49, Elk County Catholic 44 – Chase Jones scored 13 points and Jaiden McClure contributed 12 as Carlynton (19-7) rallied from a nine-point first half deficit and outscored District 9 champion Elk County Catholic (26-3) by 14 points in the second half to secure a PIAA Class A second-round win. The Cougars will face Union in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Erie Cathedral Prep 66, Mars 54 – Mars (17-11) stumbled in the second quarter and was outscored by 10 points as Erie Cathedral Prep (23-3) secured the win in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. Amaree Pickens led all scorers with 25 points and Jake Sambuchino followed with 21 for Cathedral Prep. Tasso Sfanos led the Fightin’ Planets with 26 points and Remi Black finished with 10.

Imani Christian 80, Union-Rimersburg 48 – Imani Christian (20-6) had no trouble defeating District 9 runner-up Union (15-13) in the second round of the Class A playoffs. The Saints advance to play District 10 champion Farrell (22-4) in the quarterfinals Friday.

Penn Hills 50, Hershey 42 – Daemar Kelly scored 15 points, Michai Oliver added 11 and Noah Barren finished with 10 as Penn Hills (22-3) broke a 31-31 third quarter tie and outscored Hershey (19-8) by eight in the fourth quarter to win a second-round matchup in Class 5A. Joey Alander put up 18 and Matthew DeDonatis scored 11 for Hershey. Penn Hills will face District 10 champion Cathedral Prep in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Peters Township 58, Lampeter-Strasburg 56 – Peters Township (24-4) survived a last-second desperation attempt to get past Lampeter-Strasburg (20-8) in the Class 5A second round. Jack Dunbar scored 14 points and Jake Ziegler followed with 11 for Peters. Dean Herr scored a game-high 16 points and Chase Smucker had 13 for Lampeter-Strasburg. Peters Township will face District 3 champion Exeter Township in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Union 51, Cameron County 37 – Matt Stanley put up 22 points and Lucas Stanley added 11 as Union (24-3) held Cameron County (18-9) to three points in the second quarter and eight in the fourth for the victory in the second round of the Class A playoffs. Josh Smith led Cameron County with 16 points. The Scotties will face Carlynton on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Uniontown 67, Littletown 46 – Uniontown (22-5) held Littletown (21-7) to 10 points in each of the first three quarters and dropped 25 points in the fourth quarter to earn the win in the Class 4A second round. Bakari Wallace led all scorers with 18 points, Notorious Grooms scored 12, Jamire Braxton added 11 and Calvin Winfrey had 10 for the Red Raiders. Christopher Meakin scored 17 points for Littletown. Uniontown advances to play the winner of Wednesday’s game between Valley View and North Catholic, which was postponed Tuesday because of bad weather in the northeast part of the state, in Friday’s quarterfinals.