High school roundup for Feb. 24, 2024: Imani Christian wins WPIAL finals rematch with Union

By: Triblive
Saturday, February 24, 2024 | 7:42 PM

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RJ Sledge hit five 3-pointers and scored 28 points as top-seeded Imani Christian won a rematch of last year’s WPIAL championship game, defeating No. 5 Union, 101-67, in the Class A boys basketball semifinals Saturday at Montour.

Nate Brazil added 26 points for the Saints (13-10), who will meet No. 2 Neighborhood Academy in the WPIAL championship game at 5 p.m. Thursday at Petersen Events Center.

Union jumped out to a 10-2 lead to open the game, but the Saints evened the score 17-17 by the end of the first quarter. Imani’s Avery Wesley added 17 points in a game that was played at a high pace all afternoon.

Union turned the ball over 20 times and struggled in the later stages of the second quarter. Lucas Stanley fired a game-high 37 before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Union (14-11) will take on Rochester in the third-place game Tuesday night.

Girls basketball

Semifinals

Avonworth 72, Neshannock 51 – Greta O’Brien scored 22 points, including the 1,000th of her career, to lead top-seeded Avonworth (22-1) to victory over No. 4 Neshannock (17-8) in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals at North Allegheny. Fiona Mahan added 13 points, Rebecca Goetz 12 and Emma Obersteiner 11 for Avonworth, which will play Shady Side Academy in Friday’s championship game at the Petersen Events Center. Kait Fries scored nine points for Neshannock, who will meet No. 3 Beaver Falls for third place Tuesday.

Serra Catholic 42, Aliquippa 36 – Abby Genes scored 13 points and Bri Battles added nine points and 15 rebounds as No. 3 Serra Catholic (21-4) earned a Class 2A semifinal win. The Eagles, who are seeking their first WPIAL championship since 2005, will face section rival and top seed Greensburg Central Catholic in the finals Thursday night at the Petersen Events Center. Carla Brown scored 22 points for No. 2 Aliquippa (21-4), which will play No. 12 South Side for third place Tuesday.

Consolation

Boys

Bethel Park 55, Gateway 53 – Nick Brown scored 21 points and Michael Mathias hit two late 3-pointers and finished with 11 points as No. 11 Bethel Park (13-12) beat No. 7 Gateway (17-8) in the WPIAL Class 5A first-round consolation game. Alec Dunsmore led Gateway with 15 points while Mykel Bruce-McCrommon added 11 points. Bethel Park will meet Fox Chapel for fifth place Wednesday. Gateway will play No. 12 Kiski Area for seventh place and a spot in the PIAA field.

Derry 59, Ellwood City 40 – Stanley Rajkovich scored 18 points to lead No. 12 Derry (15-7) to a WPIAL Class 3A first-round consolation win against No. 9 Ellwood City (16-9), earning the first PIAA tournament berth in program history for the Trojans. Nate Papuga tallied 17 points for Derry while Brady Angus contributed 10 points. Ellwood City’s Joe Roth led all scorers with 23 points. Derry will play No. 3 Shady Side Academy for fifth place Wednesday. Ellwood City will play No. 7 Yough for seventh place and a PIAA berth.

Fox Chapel 62, Kiski Area 55 – In the first-round WPIAL Class 5A consolation matchup, Jefferson Moorefield-Brown and Will Siegel scored 17 points each as No. 8 Fox Chapel (14-11) defeated No. 12 Kiski Area (16-9). Caden Kaiser and Asher White added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Fox Chapel, which trailed 33-26 at halftime. Noah Thimons paced Kiski Area with 16 points and Isaiah Gonzalez chipped in 14 points. The Foxes will play No. 11 Bethel Park for fifth place Wednesday. The Cavaliers will meet No. 7 Gateway for seventh place with a PIAA berth on the line.

Shady Side Academy 61, Yough 47 – Seamus Riordan scored 30 points and Eli Teslovich added 19 as No. 3 Shady Side Academy (17-8) won a Class 3A consolation game. The Bulldogs, who jumped out to a 19-6 lead after one quarter, will play No. 12 Derry for fifth place Wednesday. Austin Matthews scored 20 points and Terek Crosby added 18, hitting the 2,000-point mark for his career, for No. 7 Yough (19-7), which will face No. 9 Ellwood City for seventh place and a spot in the PIAA tournament on Wednesday.

Girls

Monessen 34, West Greene 30 – Madison Johnson and MyAsia Majors scored 10 points each as No. 5 Monessen (19-6) defeated No. 8 West Greene (10-15) in the WPIAL Class A first-round consolation game. Kasie Meek (16 points) and Kendra Tharp (10 points) accounted for all but four of West Greene’s points. The Greyhounds will play the winner of Monday night’s consolation game between No. 10 Eden Christian and No. 6 Bishop Canevin for fifth place Wednesday night with a PIAA berth up for grabs.