High school roundup for Dec. 27, 2023: Lincoln Park wins 1st girls basketball game at PPG Paints Arena

By: Tribune-Review
Wednesday, December 27, 2023 | 11:28 PM

Maddie Syka had 22 points to lead four Lincoln Park players in double figures in a 69-45 win over West Allegheny at the Pittsburgh Holiday Hoops Classic at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday.

J’la Kizart scored 20, Abbi Januzzi had 13 and Sarah Scott netted 11 for the Leopards (8-0). Emma Ruperto led West Allegheny (4-5) with 23 points.

Aquinas Academy 59, Rockwood 9 – Aquinas Academy (8-1) raced out to a 19-2 lead in the first quarter en route to a win at the Cal (Pa.) Hoopfest. Tess Duer (17), Ellie Junker (16) and Emily Fisher (12) scored in double figures for Aquinas.

Baldwin 62, Mars 48 – Katie Lucarelli scored 23 points to power Baldwin (5-3) at the Highlands tournament. Lynsey Bernotas added 15 and Laci Bernotas had 13. Vita Vargo scored 17 and Cecilia Christy had 15 for Mars (6-3).

Bentworth 60, Propel Montour 7 – Amber Sallee scored a career-high 28 points and Gianna Brown added 10 for Bentworth (3-6) in a win over Propel Montour (2-7) at the Bentworth tournament.

Bethel Park 76, Franklin Regional 44 – Sadie Orie paced Bethel Park with 24 points in a win at the Cal (Pa.) Hoopfest. Ella Harmon added 17 points for the Black Hawks (3-6) and Julia Benlock scored 11. Toryn Fulton had 11 for Franklin Regional (1-7).

Brentwood 45, Jefferson-Morgan 6 – Mia March and Ay’maree Henry scored 11 points apiece for Brentwood (2-5) in a win over Jefferson-Morgan (2-7) at the Carmichaels Lions tournament.

Chartiers-Houston 33, Freedom 31 – Mia Mitrik scored 10 points for Chartiers-Houston (5-2), including the game-winning basket with 10 seconds left, in a Burgettstown tournament win. Allison Wingard added 12 points for the Buccaneers. Shaye Bailey led Freedom (3-5) with 13 points.

Elizabeth Forward 56, South Allegheny 21 – Michelle Jellison had 12 points and Kaelynn Settles scored 11 for Betsy Invitational host Elizabeth Forward (5-2) in a win over South Allegheny (3-5).

Ellwood City 59, Beaver 44 – Kayla Jones led with 14 points, Maddy Long added 13 and Claire Noble had 11 to lead Ellwood City (6-3) past Beaver (3-6) in a win at the Shenango tournament. Bridget Mayo scored 16 points and Annsley Baker had 10 for the Bobcats.

Fort Cherry 54, Steel Valley 9 – Raney Staub scored 17 points and Brooke Cornali added 12 for Fort Cherry (4-2) in a win over Steel Valley (0-8) at the McGuffey tournament.

Geibel 55, Neighborhood Academy 8 – Emma Larkin hit for 39 points and Ava Henderson contributed 14 to help Geibel (5-2) to a win at the Neighborhood Academy tournament. Aamira Abdul-Waalee led the hosts with five points.

Greensburg Central Catholic 44, Canon-McMillan 35 – Mya Morgan scored 13 points, hitting the 1,000-point mark for her career, to lead Greensburg Central Catholic (5-2) to a win at the Cal (Pa.) Hoopfest. Erica Gribble led the Centurions with 18 points. Nadia Davis scored 14 for Canon-McMillan (6-3).

Greensburg Salem 61, Brownsville 35 – Ashlan Price scored 16 points and Kaitlyn Mankins added 14 for Greensburg Salem (8-1) in a win at the Mt. Pleasant tournament. Skyler Gates scored 15 and Zhariah Reed had 12 for Brownsville (7-3).

Hampton 60, The Rock Academy (CA) 13 – Meghan Murray scored 22 points and Emma Rick added 14 to lead Hampton (3-5) at the Gold Crown Holiday tournament in San Diego.

Highlands 49, North Hills 28 – Katelyn Myers scored 16 points and Kalleigh Nerone added 12 as Highlands (5-3) defeated North Hills (5-5) at the tournament hosted by the Golden Rams.

Kennedy Catholic 51, Norwin 50 – Layke Fields scored 20 points and Tori Harvey added 14 to lead Kennedy Catholic to a nonsection win. Kendall Berger scored 18 and Lauren Palangio had 16 for Norwin (7-2). Lochlyn Shimrack made two free throws with 2.6 seconds left to give Kennedy Catholic the lead. Berger made 1 of 3 free throws after being fouled taking a half-court shot at the buzzer.

Keystone Oaks 64, Burgettstown 44 – Lainey Wagner scored 17 points, Bailey Rieg added 11 and Jay Scott had 10 to lead Keystone Oaks (7-1) past Burgettstown (4-6) in a win at the Burgettstown tournament.

McGuffey 61, Avella 24 – Lexi Ewing put up 18 points, Faith Ealy added 13, Taylor Schumacher followed with 12 and Madison Gaso had 11 as McGuffey (8-0) rolled to a win in a tournament hosted by the Highlanders. Ava Frank paced Avella (1-7) with 12 points.

Mt. Pleasant 30, Connellsville 27 – Riley Gesinksi scored 12 points to pace Mt. Pleasant (7-2) in a win over Connellsville (2-6) in the Vikings’ tournament. Whitney Bobish put up 11 for the Falcons.

Oakland Catholic 46, Sanford School 39 – London Creach scored 21 points and Jada Snow added 18 for Oakland Catholic (7-0) at the Governor’s Challenge in Maryland. Kaylee DeAngelo had 10 points for the Eagles.

OLSH 42, Belle Vernon 26 – Claudia Ierullo led all scorers with 16 points to help OLSH (6-2) to a victory at the Cal (Pa.) Hoopfest. Kenzi Seliga led Belle Vernon (4-4) with 10 points.

Seton LaSalle 67, Gateway 26 – Mallory Daly had 21 points and Tiara Curry scored 20 to lead Seton LaSalle (5-2) past Gateway (1-7) in the Betsy Invitational at Elizabeth Forward. Addie Lonergan had 14 points for the Rebels and hit four 3-pointers.

Sto-Rox 44, Carrick 42 – Kamiyah Thompson scored 15 points and Arianna Johnston added 10 to lead Sto-Rox (4-4) to a win at the Neighborhood Academy tournament. Kaliyah Hairston scored 18 for Carrick (2-4).

Upper St. Clair 51, Thomas Jefferson 36 – Rylee Kalocay led with 20 points and Meredith Huzjak added 14 and made four 3-pointers for Upper St. Clair (6-3) in a win at Cal (Pa.) Hoopfest. Lakelyn Flinn scored 14 points for Thomas Jefferson (3-4).

Waynesburg 42, Winter Park (FL) 29 – Kaley Rohanna scored 15 points and Peyton Cowell added 12 for Waynesburg (8-0) at the KSA tournament in Kissimmee, Fla.

Boys basketball

Canon-McMillan 60, Albert Gallatin 40 – Eamon O’Donoghue dropped 25 points and Roman Koenemund put up 12 to lead Canon-McMillan (5-4) to a win in the Trinity tournament. Blake Wilson scored 10 points to pace Albert Gallatin (4-3).

Charleroi 59, California 33 – Jackson Keranko scored 20 points and Jake Beveridge added 10 as Charleroi (3-5) defeated California (0-7) in a tournament hosted by the Cougars. Caden Monticelli led the Trojans with nine points.

Deer Lakes 67, Steel Valley 24 – Billy Schaeffer scored 19 points to lead Deer Lakes over Steel Valley (0-9) in the tournament hosted by the Lancers (7-1). It was a rematch of last year’s WPIAL semifinals, also won by Deer Lakes. Luca Mangieri added 11 points and Wayne Love Jr. had nine for the Lancers. Nahjir Norris had 11 for the Ironmen.

East Allegheny 50, Ringgold 49 – Damar Young scored 22 points and East Allegheny (3-5) got a last second 3-pointer to edge Ringgold (2-6) in the Charleroi Tournament. Daryl Tolliver put up 22 points and Aidan Angotti added 11 for the Rams.

Ellwood City 77, Redbank Valley 71 – Joe Roth recorded a double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds to lead Ellwood City (4-5) to a win at the Mercer tournament. Aaron Lake scored 22 points and Colten Crizer added 12 for the Wolverines. Owen Clouse, Kieran Fricko and Brecklin Minich each scored 15 points, Braylon Wagner had 13 and Mason Clouse added 11 for Redbank Valley.

Greensburg Salem 54, Mt. Pleasant 48 (OT) – Host Greensburg Salem (2-8) rallied from a seven-point third quarter deficit to force overtime and get past Mt. Pleasant at the Coach Paul Sapotichne Holiday Classic. Greensburg Salem’s A.J. Tarpley made two free throws with no time left in regulation to force overtime at 46-46.

Ryan Burkart had two blocks, then drove in for a layup to give the Golden Lions a 48-47 lead with two minutes to play in OT. After Mt. Pleasant (2-5) tied it on a free throw by Dante Giallonardo, Braedon Leatherman hit a 3-pointer for the Golden Lions with one minute to go, and free throws, including two by Tarpley, sealed it from there.

Leatherman tied a game high with 16 points, Burkart had 12 and Tarpley added 10. Giallonardo had 16 and Chase McCloy added 13 for the Vikings.

Grove City 57, North Hills 51 – Brett Loughry had 22 points to lead Grove City to a win at the Hampton tournament. Eric James scored 24 for North Hills (3-4).

Hampton 71, Altoona 34 – Hampton (6-2) received a 24-point performance from Peter Kramer while Liam Mignogna added 16 and Alex Nyilas finished with 11 to defeat Altoona in a tournament hosted by the Talbots. Roan Greaser had nine points for the Mountain Lions.

Jeannette 76, Connellsville 48 – At the Coach Paul Sapotichne Holiday Classic at Greensburg Salem, Jeannette (6-2) posted its fourth straight win as Markus McGowan (16 points), Noah Sunder (15), Xavier Odorisio-Farrow (14) and Kymone Brown (10) all scored in double figures. The Jayhawks led the winless Falcons (0-8), 31-16, at the half.

Mapletown 60, Carmichaels 58 – Led by 18 points from Jeremiah Mick, 14 from Roger Gradek and 12 from Lucas Stevenson, Mapletown (1-5) won at the Carmichaels Lions tournament. Dominic Colarusso scored 34 for the host Mighty Mikes (3-5).

Mars 75, McNicholas (OH) 70 – Ryan Ceh put up 30 points and Drew Navetta scored 12 to boost Mars (3-4) past McNicholas (Ohio) in the Pensacola Beach (Fla.) tournament.

McKeesport 66, West Mifflin 55 – Lamont Perkins scored 21 points and Keith Spell added 14 for McKeesport (3-3) at the Pittsburgh Holiday Hoops Classic at PPG Paints Arena. Braeden Walker led West Mifflin (6-3) with 21 points. Aaron Smith had 12 and Daven Reynolds 10.

Monessen 58, Propel Braddock Hills 34 – Lorenzo Gardner hit for 27 points to lead Monessen (5-1) to a win at the tournament hosted by the Greyhounds. Tim Kershaw added 13. Elijah Toole-Fowler and Micah Kirkland each had eight for Propel Braddock Hills (3-5).

Moon 62, Roswell (GA) 55 – Aiden Reesman scored 20 points and Charlie Depner added 11 for Moon (5-2) at the Pensacola Beach tournament in Florida.

Mt. Lebanon 88, Coconut Creek (FL) 28 – Nate Girod and Sam Diebert scored 16 points each as Mt. Lebanon (7-0) cruised to a win at the Sunshine State Explosion in Florida. Brody Barber added 15 and Riley Farabaugh finished with 10 for the Blue Devils.

Neshannock 73, Greenville 29 – David Kwiat scored 17 points and Jake Rynd buried five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points as Neshannock (8-1) cruised to a victory over Greenville in the Medure Bonner Law Holiday Classic hosted by the Lancers.

Northgate 79, Freeport 43 – Josh Williams scored 20 points to lead Northgate (4-2) to victory at the tournament hosted by the Flames. Four Northgate players – Austin Mitchell, Landon Lockett, Tyler Daniels and Kaden Kemp – scored 10 points each. Brady Sullivan led Freeport (2-7) with nine points.

Penn Hills 47, Hempfield 44 – Darien Roberson scored 14 points and Robert Thomas added 13 as Penn Hills (4-1) rallied past Hempfield (2-7) in the Coach Paul Sapotichne Holiday Classic at Greensburg Salem. The Indians trailed the Spartans at halftime, 25-18. Drew Gordon had 15 points and Maximus Williams added 13 for Hempfield.

Southmoreland 69, South Park 68 – Ty Keffer scored 29 points and Noah Felentzer added 18 to lead Southmoreland (8-0) to a win at the Charleroi tournament. Cooper Hochendoner led South Park (4-3) with 24 points and Luke Scarff had 22.

Trinity 64, Hickory 57 – Kaden Hathaway scored 15 points, Tyler Johnson made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, Jonah Williamson also produced 14 points and Jacob Dunkle had 12 for Trinity (4-4) in a win in a tournament hosted by the Hillers. Ryan Robich sank four 3-pointers and scored 16 points for Hickory.

Upper St. Clair 70, Beaver 45 – Christian Ito led all scorers with 29 points, Tyler Robbins had 11 and Kaamil Jackson chipped in 10 for Upper St. Clair (5-3) in a win at the Peters Township/Upper St. Clair tournament. Ty Butler scored 17 points and Brady Mayo followed with 16 for Beaver (4-4).

Washington 61, Winchester Thurston 46 – Led by 15 points from Ruben Gordon, 14 from Zxavian Willis and 11 from Braiden Wise, Washington (3-5) won at the Monessen tournament. Henry McComb and Anthony Pipkin each scored 13 for Winchester Thurston (4-3).

West Allegheny 56, Bishop Canevin 45 – Justin Manns scored 18 points and Brandon Bell added 16 to lead West Allegheny (8-0) at the Montour tournament. Drew Allen scored 20 and Jason Cross had 10 for Bishop Canevin (1-5).

West Greene 46, Bentworth 45 (OT) – Parker Burns had 14 points and Lane Allison scored 13 to help West Greene (4-4) edge tournament host Bentworth (1-6) in overtime. Ben Hays netted a game-high 29 for the Bearcats.

Westmont Hilltop 91, Ligonier Valley 30 – Noah Brownlee led all scorers with 23 points, Jonathan Crocco followed with 22 and Grant Craig had 13 as Westmont Hilltop defeated Ligonier Valley (2-6) in the Hilltoppers’ tournament. Michael Vargulish-Graver scored 13 points for the Rams.

Wheeling Central Catholic 71, Armstrong 62 – Quinton Burlenski scored 18 points, Troy Anthony added 17, Eli Sancomb had 16 and Jeremy Ratcliffe followed with 13 for Wheeling Central Catholic in a win at the Snowball Tournament at Southern Garrett, Md. Jack Valasek put up 23 points and Ian Olsen finished with 18 for Armstrong (6-3).

Yorba Linda (CA) 36, Seneca Valley 33 – Orlando Laws had 11 points to help Yorba Linda slip past Seneca Valley (3-6) at the KSA Holiday Tournament in Florida. Tyler Pepin scored 10 for the Raiders.

Wrestling

Powerade tournament – Natalie Rush pinned Valley’s Arianna Bernard to win the 190-pound championship and lead Canon-McMillan to the team title in the girls high school division. Canon-McMillan’s Bailey Emery (124), Paige Ward (148) and Audrey Calgaro (170) were runners-up. Other WPIAL runners-up were Connellsville’s Trinity Moore (118), Kiski Area’s Ava Golding (136), Peters Township’s Grace O’Korn (142) and Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy (235).

Southmoreland tournament – Plum and Corry led the way with five wrestlers through to the semifinals on the first day of the tournament. Owen Campbell (114), Sam Snyder (127), Trent Reese (145), Antonino Walker (160) and Julien Sepelyak (189) won quarterfinals for the Mustangs. Forest Hills and United sent four wrestlers through to the semifinals. Somerset, Derry and Baldwin each advanced three.