High school roundup for Feb. 5, 2024: Thomas Jefferson girls beat Latrobe in OT to keep playoff hopes alive

By: Triblive
Monday, February 5, 2024 | 11:32 PM

Laekyn Flinn scored 17 points to lead Thomas Jefferson to a 42-39 overtime win over Latrobe in Section 3-5A girls basketball Monday night, keeping its playoff hopes alive.

Riley McCabe added 10 points for the Jaguars (8-12, 5-6). Elle Snyder and Carley Berk each put up 12 points and Belle Blossey added 10 for the Wildcats (10-11, 5-6).

The teams are tied for fourth place in the section with one game remaining. Since they split the season series, both teams will qualify with a win Thursday. Latrobe will meet Penn-Trafford and Thomas Jefferson will face Connellsville.

Albert Gallatin 57, Connellsville 35 – Mya Glisan netted 17 points, Grayce Panos added 14 and Mikayla Shea produced 13 for Albert Gallatin (5-16, 2-10) in a Section 3-5A victory. Elizabeth Painter scored 18 and Whitney Bobish finished with 11 for Connellsville (4-14, 0-10).

Aliquippa 40, Freedom 33 – Aunesty Johnson led all scorers with 21 points and Carla Brown added 10 for Aliquippa (19-1, 12-0) in a matchup of top teams in Section 1-2A. Shaye Bailey had 15 to lead Freedom (10-10, 8-3).

Armstrong 58, Fox Chapel 39 – Emma Paul hit for 27 points and Kyla Fitzgerald put up 17 to lead Armstrong (17-4, 10-2) to a Section 2-5A win. Natalie Schaffer scored 14 and Lyla Jablon added 12 for Fox Chapel (6-14, 4-7).

Avonworth 61, East Allegheny 11 – Greta O’Brien sank four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points as Avonworth (18-1, 9-0) handled East Allegheny (0-20, 0-9) in Section 2-3A. Ivy Barnett scored five points for the Tigers.

Bethel Park 49, Baldwin 36 – Sadie Orie led all scorers with 18 points, Becky Gillenberger followed with 14 and Ella Sabatos scored 10 for Bethel Park (8-12, 4-7) in a Section 2-6A. Katie Lucarrelli led Baldwin (9-12, 2-10) with 10 points.

Bishop Canevin 54, Aquinas Academy 47 – Amari Elliott scored 18 points, Kya Cooley produced 12, and Natalie Kirsch and Isabella Sysak each had 10 for Bishop Canevin (6-12, 2-5) in a Section 1-A win. Emily Fisher led all scorers with 25 points for Aquinas Academy (15-5, 3-3).

Blackhawk 56, Quaker Valley 17 – Alena Fusetti dropped 16 points and Aubree Hupp chipped in with 11 in a Section 2-4A win for Blackhawk (18-2, 9-0). Mimi Thiero scored 15 to pace Quaker Valley (4-14, 4-4).

Brownsville 68, Charleroi 45 – Zhariah Reed put up 26 points, Ava Clark finished with 16 and Skyler Gates followed with 15 for Brownsville (12-8, 5-4) in a Section 4-3A win. Bella Carroto scored 12 points while Camryn Musser and Ella Sypolt scored 10 points apiece for Charleroi (9-11, 1-8).

Burgettstown 51, Brentwood 20 – Paige Klodowski made four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points while Brooke Bowland added 10 points as Burgettstown (10-9, 6-1) defeated Brentwood (9-12, 5-4) in Section 2-2A. Paige Boehm had nine points for the Spartans.

Burrell 48, Apollo-Ridge 17 – Jules Fisher had a game-high 21 points and Casey Brancato scored 10 for Burrell (15-4, 7-2) in a Section 3-3A win. Sophie Yard scored 13 for Apollo-Ridge (8-12, 4-5).

Butler 71, Hempfield 51 – Led by 25 points from Amelia McMichael, 17 from Sydney Patterson and 12 from Avery Maier, Butler (5-15, 2-7) picked up a Section 1-6A win. Ashley Hosni scored 16 and Mia Shipman had 14 for Hempfield (8-13, 1-8).

Carmichaels 65, Frazier 43 – Ali Jacobs led all scorers with 25 points to boost Carmichaels (3-16, 2-8) over Frazier (5-15, 2-9) in Section 4-2A. Allie Yauch put up 19 points and Malana Burton had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Commodores.

Central Valley 43, Hopewell 36 – Izzy Miller drained five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points while Nyah Hayes scored 12 points to lift Central Valley (8-10, 5-4) past Hopewell (9-11, 4-5) in Section 2-4A. Avery Boyd paced the Vikings with 11 points.

Elizabeth Forward 55, Belle Vernon 28 – Chloe Zombeck had 17 points to pace Elizabeth Forward (18-2, 11-0) in a Section 3-4A win. Caroline Lee had eight points and 15 rebounds for Belle Vernon (10-12, 6-6).

Ellis School 53, Springdale 30 – Taelor Spencer led Ellis School (8-12, 3-8) with 22 points in a Section 3-2A win. Ashlyn Ferderbar scored 18 for Springdale (6-15, 2-9).

Ellwood City 46, Beaver Falls 40 – Kayla Jones scored 15 points and Delaney Sturgeon added 13 for Ellwood City (14-7, 6-3) in a Section 1-3A. Cali Legzdin put up 16 for Beaver Falls (13-6, 7-2).

Fort Cherry 54, Northgate 17 – Katie Blickenderfer scored 12 points and Raney Staub followed with 10 as Fort Cherry (16-4, 8-1) defeated Northgate (6-12, 3-5) in Section 2-2A. Nia Salih had eight points for the Flames.

Franklin Regional 39, Gateway 26 – Olivia Orndoff scored 16 points to pace Franklin Regional (7-14, 6-6) in a Section 1-5A win over Gateway (2-17, 0-11). Maia Jones led the Gators with 11 points.

Freeport 43, Derry 41 – Jaden Gaillot hit the game-winning shot with five seconds left to lead Freeport (8-12, 4-7) to a Section 1-4A win. Rachelle Marinchek and Samantha Gruska each scored 12 for Derry (5-15, 2-10).

Geibel 63, Avella 36 – Emma Larkin led all scorers with 24 points, Ava Henderson drained four 3-pointers and had 22 points and Ava Partridge followed with 17 as Geibel (14-6, 7-2) took care of Avella (4-17, 2-7) in Section 2-A. Ava Frank put up 21 points and Haleigh Rush added 11 for the Eagles.

Indiana 44, Woodland Hills 34 – Bella Antonacci led all scorers with 22 points as Indiana (15-5, 10-1) bested Woodland Hills (8-10, 6-5) in Section 1-5A. Hope Hawkins scored 12 points for the Wolverines.

Jeannette 46, Hillel Academy 24 – Venicia Vignoli scored 20 points and Adriana Allison added 10 as Jeannette (7-7, 2-3) won a Section 3-A matchup. Sima Reinherz led Hillel Academy (0-11, 0-8) with eight points. It was the first game back in the lineup for Vignoli and Allison, who were in a car accident Jan. 15. The Jayhawks hadn’t played since Jan. 22 because their roster was down to four healthy players.

Keystone Oaks 50, South Allegheny 17 – Bailey Rieg led all scorers with 18 points and Laney Wagner chipped in with eight as Keystone Oaks (14-6, 5-4) rolled to a Section 2-3A win over South Allegheny (5-14, 2-7).

Knoch 49, Valley 11 – Liv Foster put up 16 points and Naturelle Ewing added 10 as Knoch (12-8, 7-4) sank eight 3-pointers on the night to beat Valley (0-19, 0-11) in Section 1-4A. Neveah Lyle scored six points for the Vikings.

Laurel Highlands 60, West Mifflin 35 – Ayrianna Sumpter dropped 20 points and Aierra Jenkins finished with 16 as Laurel Highlands (17-2, 9-2) cruised to a Section 3-4A win over West Mifflin (10-7, 8-3).

Monessen 60, Mapletown 29 – Hailey Johnson had 14 points, Madison Johnson scored 12 and Sidney Campbell added 10 for Monessen (15-4, 9-0) in a Section 2-A victory. Isabella Garneck had a game-high 19 points for Mapletown (6-12, 3-6).

Mt. Pleasant 51, Ligonier Valley 29 – Morgan Gesinski put up 20 points, Riley Gesinski added 16 and Grace Arrigo hit for 11 as Mt. Pleasant (13-7, 5-4) beat Ligonier Valley (5-15, 2-7) in Section 3-3A. Marlee Miller had 10 points for the Rams.

Neshannock 54, Mohawk 50 (OT) – Kaitlyn Fries had 13 points to help Neshannock (15-5, 8-1) top Mohawk (11-9, 4-5) in overtime in Section 1-3A. Payton Newman added 12 points for the Lancers and Jaidon Nogay scored 11. Erynne Capalbo finished with a game-high 16 for the Warriors.

North Allegheny 39, Seneca Valley 35 – Caroline Henderson connected on six 3-pointers and had 22 points to lead North Allegheny (18-2, 7-2) to a Section 1-6A victory. Kellie McConnell added 10 points for the Tigers, who outscored the Raiders 10-2 in the final quarter. Emerson Peffer scored 14 for Seneca Valley (12-8, 4-5).

North Hills 57, Mars 31 – Olivia Waters posted 16 points, Gianna Sturdivant added 15 and Jayden Arnett followed with 14 to give North Hills (12-8, 9-2) a Section 2-5A win over Mars (10-9, 6-4). Alexis Cashdollar had 10 to pace the Fightin’ Planets.

Norwin 51, Pine-Richland 44 – Lauren Palangio scored 15 points and Ava Kobus produced 13 as Norwin (17-3, 9-0) beat Pine-Richland (7-12, 4-5) in a Section 1-6A matchup. Madison Zavasky led all scorers with 22 points and Cate Gentile added 12 for the Rams.

OLSH 40, Seton LaSalle 37 – Morgan O’Brien led all scorers with 21 points, sinking four 3-pointers, to lead OLSH (14-7, 5-4) past Seton LaSalle (12-7, 6-3) in Section 2-3A. Addie Lonegran scored 12 points, Tiara Curry followed with 11 and Mallory Daly added 10 for the Rebels.

Riverside 42, Laurel 27 – Gabriella Finch scored 17 points and Emma Stockman had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead Riverside (5-14, 1-8) to a Section 1-3A win. Morgan Barker led Laurel (4-16, 1-8) with 10 points.

Serra Catholic 63, Winchester Thurston 62 – Bri Battles scored 18 points and Caitlyn Cooley added 17 to lead Serra Catholic (16-4, 9-2) in a battle of playoff teams in Section 3-2A. Abby Genes and Cate Clarke each added 11 for the Eagles. DaShae Cochran scored 22, Jasmine Hollins finished with 20 and Alexis Bansah chipped in 11 for Winchester Thurston (10-10, 6-4).

South Park 53, Waynesburg 46 – Hayley Bennett led all scorers with 16 points, Ella Clifford produced 11 and Andrea Kuczma followed with 10 as South Park (14-6, 8-1) won a Section 4-3A showdown to move into a tie for first place. Kaley Rohanna scored 15 and Josie Horne added 11 for Waynesburg (18-2, 8-1).

South Side 61, Sewickley Academy 39 – Bailey Strnisa scored 23 points while Alison DeLong and Charity Tellish each added 14 as South Side (12-8, 6-5) defeated Sewickley Academy (7-12, 3-8) in Section 1-2A. Libby Eannarino put up 23 points and Grace Jardini had 10 for the Panthers.

Southmoreland 45, Ringgold 42 – Gianna Perbonish hit for 19 points as Southmoreland (3-17, 2-9) rallied from a 22-6 deficit after one quarter to defeat Ringgold (3-17, 0-11) in Section 3-4A. Addison Jenkins scored 13 for the Rams, who finished the game with three players due to foul trouble.

St. Joseph 79, Leechburg 11 – Julie Spinelli put up 22 points, Emma Swierczewski added 17 and Anna Kreinbrook tallied 14 as St. Joseph (17-2, 6-0) ran away with a Section 3-A victory over Leechburg (8-9, 3-4).

Trinity 52, South Fayette 46 – Ruby Morgan had 31 points, including nine 3-pointers, to propel Trinity (16-5, 7-2) past South Fayette (11-8, 5-4) in Section 4-5A. Erica Hall had 16 for the Lions.

Upper St. Clair 56, Canon-McMillan 48 – Meredith Huzjak scored 11 points while Ryan Prunzik and Claire Rosenberry each scored 10 as Upper St. Clair (12-9, 6-5) prevailed in a Section 2-6A matchup. Nadia Davis led all scorers with 21 points and Lauren Borella added 14 for Canon-McMillan (10-10, 3-8).

Yough 27, McGuffey 26 – Autumn Matthews scored nine points to lead Yough (9-11, 2-7) to a Section 4-3A win. Taylor Schumacher led McGuffey (13-7, 3-6) with six points.

Washington 60, California 36 – Caprice Johnson and Olivia Woods each scored 17 points and Teyler Barnes added 15 for Washington (12-8, 10-1) in a Section 4-2A win. Rakiyah Porter had 17 points to lead California (9-11, 6-5).

West Allegheny 52, Moon 50 – Alexis Santucci dropped 21 points, while Emma Ruperto and Ella Smith tallied 11 points apiece as West Allegheny (7-12, 1-8) edged out Moon (13-7, 3-5) in Section 4-5A. Jaedin Griggs led all scorers with 26 points for the Tigers.

Boys basketball

Greensburg Central Catholic 65, Clairton 27 – Tyree Turner scored 21 points, Franco Alvarez added 18 and Liam Gallagher had 14 to power Greensburg Central Catholic (19-2, 11-0) to a Section 3-2A win. Bryant Blair led Clairton (10-12, 6-6) with seven points.

Propel Andrew Street 58, Propel Montour 43 – Ahmir Calhoun scored 18 points, Maurice Lowry added 13 and Darryl McCullough had 10 in a win for Propel Andrew Street. John Anderson scored 17 and Ty’Aire Hawkins had 11 for Propel Montour.

Hockey

Bishop Canevin 6, Morgantown 3 – Ryan Saginaw scored a hat trick to lead Bishop Canevin (16-0) to a Varsity D2 win over Morgantown (10-7). Eion Tiernan, Brian Kalanish, Cole Evan and Aiden Malay also scored for the Crusaders. Lucas Wilson, Ayden Shepard and John Dibartolomeo scored for Morgantown.

Blackhawk 2, Wheeling Park 1 – Beck Harry and Bryce Leiper each tallied a goal for Blackhawk (13-2-1) in a Class A matchup. Landon Szazynski scored for Wheeling Park (14-5).

Chartiers Valley 5, Hampton 1 – Noah Callender scored twice while Jackson Chorey, Chris DeAngelis and Austin Efthimiades each added a goal for Chartiers Valley (17-0) in a Class A win. Preston Cochran scored the lone goal for Hampton (4-14).

Indiana 5, Montour 4 – Landin Wilson scored a hat trick while Gabe Nettleton and Garrett Goodirch each scored a goal to lead Indiana (13-2-2) past Montour (5-14) in Class A action. Thomas Barefoot scored a pair as Hunter Fiedler and Jonah Camardese Woodruff each tallied a goal for the Spartans.

Knoch 6, Sewickley Academy 5 – Alec Lattanzio scored twice and Brady Linamen and Nick Olshanski each had a goal and an assist to lead Knoch (5-11) to a Varsity D2 win. Jayden Garcha and Jacob Stanislaw each had a goal and an assist for Sewickley Academy (0-15-1).

Mars 10, West Allegheny 0 – Ben Bowser had a hat trick and an assist, while Ben Olshenske registered a pair of goals and three assists for Mars (14-4) in a Class A win over West Allegheny (2-16).

Meadville 7, McDowell 1 – Rocco Tartaglione scored twice and Robert Mahoney had a goal and two assists for Meadville (9-5-2) in a Class A win. Evan Stachera scored for McDowell (4-10-3).

Quaker Valley 2, Butler 0 – Colin York scored twice and Ian Lorang made 26 saves to earn the shutout as Quaker Valley (15-0-1) defeated Butler (9-10) in Class A.

Thomas Jefferson 5, Bishop McCort 2 – Derek Schliebner, Nathan Weiss, Jake Stock, Gavin Salopek and Lucas Blose scored to help Thomas Jefferson (15-2) secure a Class 2A win over Bishop McCort (5-11-1).

Wrestling

Bald Eagle Area 55, Quaker Valley 9 – Dawson Lomison (127), Lucas Fye (133), Kayson Tice (139) and Mason Reese (145) won the first four bouts as Bald Eagle Area jumped out to a 16-0 lead and didn’t look back in a PIAA Class 2A preliminary round match. Jack Diemert (152) won by decision and Marcus Richey (160) recorded a pin for Quaker Valley (13-3). Bald Eagle Area will meet Notre Dame Green Pond in the first round Thursday in Hershey.

Fort LeBoeuf 40, Mt. Pleasant 28 – Fort LeBoeuf raced out to an 18-3 lead and won a PIAA Class 2A preliminary round match to set up a meeting with Warrior Run in the first round Thursday in Hershey. Joseph Longhi (139) won by fall, Greg Shaulis (152) by major decision and Jamison Poklembo (145) and Tristan Wtorkiewicz by decision for Mt. Pleasant (12-5).

Franklin Regional 69, Obama Academy 6 – Franklin Regional (20-1) won all nine contested bouts in a PIAA Class 3A preliminary round match. Luke Ankney (152), Henry Patts (172), Troy McClelland (189), Juliano Marion (285), Mike Ruane (114), Tyler Kapusta (127), Nico Sarnic (133) and Dom Colaizzi (139) recorded pins and Ethan Cartwright (160) won by decision. The Panthers will meet Council Rock South in the first round Thursday in Hershey.

Knoch 53, Brashear 24 – Paul Kuczynski (127), Cameron Elliott (139), Braden Plugh (172) and Wyatt Foster (215) each had a pin and Brayden McGowan (133) won by tech fall as Knoch (9-7) beat Brashear (4-14) in nonsection play. Elijah Elser (152) and Mustafa Gurakar (189) had pins for the Bulls.

Peters Township 38, Norwin 29 – Peters Township (15-6) got pins from Isaac Meyers (127), Caleb Bebout (215) and AJ McGarrity (139), a tech fall from John Radnor (133), major decisions from Nicholas McGarrity (107), Colton Stocker (114) and Parker Nave (172) and a decision from Chris Cibrone (152) to beat Norwin (12-7) in a nonsection match.