High school roundup for Feb. 7, 2020: North Allegheny overcomes North Hills in winner-take-all battle for playoff spot

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, February 8, 2020 | 12:07 AM

Two of the WPIAL’s fiercest rivals met Friday in a winner-take-all showdown on the final night of section play.

North Allegheny claimed both bragging rights over North Hills and a spot in WPIAL playoffs.

Khalil Dinkins and Zach Andreykovich scored 16 points apiece and the Tigers defeated the Indians, 61-40, to claim the fourth and final playoff spot out of Section 1-6A.

Grant Timmerson added 14 points for North Allegheny (9-11, 4-6). Devin Burgess had 15 points and Alex Smith 14 for North Hills (8-13, 3-7).

Playoff-bound North Allegheny (18-3, 13-1) also won the girls’ half of the doubleheader, 44-27. Lizzy Groetsch had 19 points and Paige Morningstar added 10 as the Tigers clinched a share of the Section 1-6A title. Abbey McElhaney led North Hills (6-15, 2-12) with 14 points.

Penn Hills 71, Woodland Hills 59 — Kyree Mitchell and Daemar Kelly scored 21 points each to lead No. 2 Penn Hills (17-4, 11-1) to a Section 1-5A win. Ed Daniels added 14 points. Raeshon Robertson led Woodland Hills (8-13, 5-7) with 22 points.

Thomas Jefferson 59, West Mifflin 54 — Isaac McNeil scored 23 points and Jake Pugh added 13 to lead Thomas Jefferson (15-7, 10-4) in Section 2-5A. It was coach Dom DeCicco’s 200th win at TJ. Braden Moore and Skyjuan Walker had 14 each for West Mifflin (1-20, 0-14).

Franklin Regional 72, Kiski Area 55 — Johnny O’Toole scored 21 points and Luke Kimmich added 17 as Franklin Regional (11-11, 8-6) won its Section 3-5A finale to earn a WPIAL playoff berth. Jason Baker led Kiski Area (9-12, 6-8) with 19 points.

Plum 63, Shaler 62 — Hunter Williams went 1 for 2 at the free-throw line with less than a second left to seal the win for the Mustangs (8-13, 7-7) in a Section 3-5A matchup against Shaler (13-9, 10-4). Plum led 41-28 at halftime before the Titans mounted a rally over the final 16 minutes. The Mustangs celebrated senior night and were led by Connor Moss’ 19 points. Nick Flinko added 14, and Ta’Rasi Means had 11. Mekhi Reynolds had a game-high 21 points for the Titans, and Jake Miller added 14.

Quaker Valley 74, Ambridge 52 — Adou Thiero scored 21 points and Jack Gardiner added 15 to lead Quaker Valley (16-5, 9-3) to a share of the Section 2-4A title. Devozbre Steals had 24 for Ambridge (11-7, 7-4).

Blackhawk 62, Beaver 31 — James Darno led all scorers with 19 points and was one of four Cougars with 10 points or more as Blackhawk (10-10, 9-3) upended Beaver (6-15, 1-11) to earn a share of the Section 2-4A title. After trailing by just five points after the first quarter, Beaver was held to seven points or under in the last three periods. Beckett Connelly led the Bobcats with 10 points. Ryan Heckathorn also added 16 points for Blackhawk.

Central Valley 82, Hopewell 51 — Isiah Warfield scored 29 points and Brenden McKeel added 21 as Central Valley (12-7, 7-5) kept its Section 2-4A playoff hopes alive. Jacob McGovern led Hopewell (8-14, 1-11) with 21 points.

Lincoln Park 61, Neshannock 43 — Isaiah Smith scored 22 points and Andre Wilder added 16 as No. 1 Lincoln Park (18-3, 12-0) wrapped up an undefeated Section 1-3A season. Spencer Perry led Neshannock (14-7, 7-5) with 16 points.

Ellwood City 62, Riverside 55 — Led by 15 points from Steve Antuono, 14 from Nate Coonfare and 13 from Alexander Roth, Ellwood City (10-12, 5-7) picked up a Section 1-3A win. Ben Hughes had 19 and Nathan Sciarro 17 for Riverside (8-13, 2-10).

Carlynton 59, Fort Cherry 43 — Chauncie Mickens scored 15 points and DeQuay Canton chipped in 10 to help Carlynton (14-7, 8-4) to a Section 2-3A win. Nathan Turk led Fort Cherry (4-17, 1-11) with 13.

North Catholic 99, Avonworth 59 — Isaiah Jackson scored 22 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and Isaac DeGregorio made six shots from behind the arc to lead No. 2 North Catholic (19-2, 12-0) to a Section 2-3A win. Andrew Gannon led Avonworth (11-11, 6-6) with 11 points.

Seton LaSalle 83, Keystone Oaks 43 — Michael Bigley scored 27 points to lead Seton LaSalle (14-6, 10-2) in Section 2-3A. Jake Verner added 14 and Dylan Preston 12. Owen Minford had 17 for Keystone Oaks (7-14, 3-9).

Shady Side Academy 55, Deer Lakes 47 — The Indians (10-10, 6-6) clinched their 17th consecutive playoff appearance with a Section 3-3A victory over Deer Lakes (11-9, 6-6). Shady Side was led by Thompson Lau with 17 points on five 3-pointers, and Mason Tomlin added 13 points. Grady Munroe also scored 12 points for the Indians on four 3-pointers. Bryce Robson led the playoff-bound Lancers with nine points.

Southmoreland 57, Frazier 43 — Riley Comforti scored 28 points as Southmoreland (11-11, 8-4) overcame a slow start to win in Section 4-3A. Brandon Peterson added 10 for the Scotties, who trailed 15-8 after the first quarter before going on a 21-5 run. Owen Newcomer led Frazier (4-17, 2-10) with 11 points.

Springdale 58, Riverview 51 — Springdale clinched at least a share of the Section 1-2A championship with a victory over rival Riverview. The No. 4 Dynamos (19-3, 13-1) hold a half-game lead atop the Section 1 standings and will wait for the outcome of Saturday’s matchup between 12-1 Sto-Rox and Northgate. The Vikings and Dynamos split their season series. Demitri Fritch, who scored his 1,000th career point earlier this week, led Springdale in Friday’s win with 24 points. Logan Dexter and Ben Myford added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Aiden Sebastian drained five 3-pointers for Riverview and led the team with 19 points. Gideon Deasy added 13 in the loss. The Raiders capped their season at 9-13 overall and 4-10 in the section.

South Side 70, Burgettstown 26 — Trent Seik scored 24 points and Aidan English hit five 3-pointers to lead South Side (11-10, 6-6) in Section 3-2A. Dylan Poirier led Burgettstown (6-16, 2-10) with 19 points.

Laurel 72, Shenango 70 — Luke Barker hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift Laurel (14-7, 8-4) to a Section 3-2A victory. Marcus Haswell led Laurel with 20 points. Barker had 19 and Sam Haswell added 16. Colin McQuiston racked up 35 points for Shenango (16-5, 8-4), hitting six 3-pointers.

Cornell 66, Vincentian Academy 57 — Kaden DiVito and Isaiah Langston scored 21 points apiece as No. 5 Cornell (15-5, 12-2) kept No. 1 Vincentian Academy (17-4, 13-1) from a perfect Section 1-A season. Blaine Sams added 16 for Cornell, hitting five 3-pointers. Matt McDonough led Vincentian with 15.

Nazareth Prep 81, Eden Christian 70 — Will Taylor scored 28 points and Nehemiah Brazil added 22 to lead No. 3 Nazareth Prep (15-7, 11-3) to a Section 1-A win. Thomas Medure and Elijah Manges had 22 points each for Eden Christian (12-8, 7-7).

Bishop Canevin 96, Avella 57 — KeVaughn Price produced a game-best 23 points with four 3-pointers for Bishop Canevin (17-4, 12-0) as the Crusaders used a 62-point first half to cruise to a Section 2-A victory over Avella (5-17, 2-10). Gabe Lis totaled 17 points to lead the Eagles. Dom Elliott scored 12 while Mark Ingold added 11 with three 3-pointers for Bishop Canevin.

Erie 55, Highlands 52 — The Royals edged WPIAL Class 4A No. 1 Highlands (19-3) in a nonsection matchup behind 16 points from John Woodward. He sank a pair of 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter. The Golden Rams had three players finish in double figures, led by Luke Cochran with 17 points. Johnny Crise had 11 points, and Jimmy Kunst contributed 10.

Canon-McMillan 60, Ringgold 53 — Syncere Southern scored 16 points and Tommy Samosky and Cole Stanley added 15 each to lead Canon-mcMillan (8-13) to a nonsection win. Demetrius Butler had 19 for Rinngold (12-9).

Girls basketball

Clairton 49, Greensburg Central Catholic 47 — Taylor Jackson scored 14 points and Iyanna Chapman added 12 as No. 5 Clairton (16-3, 9-1) won at home to tie No. 4 Greensburg Central Catholic (14-6, 9-1) for the Section 3-A championship. Southmoreland transfer Bailey Kuhns had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Centurions. Laura Kondas added 11 points.

Norwin 57, Fox Chapel 37 — Olivia Gribble scored 22 points to lead No. 3 Norwin over Fox Chapel, clinching a share of the Section 1-6A title with North Allegheny. Norwin (17-4, 13-1) held Fox Chapel to five field goals over the first three quarters. Jayla Wehner added 14 points for the Knights. Fox Chapel (7-7, 12-9) was led by Ellie Schwartzman’s 14 points. The Foxes finished fourth in the section, earning a playoff berth.

Thomas Jefferson 58, West Mifflin 40 — Alyssa DeAngelo scored 15 points and Graci Fairman added 14, including four 3-pointers, to lead Thomas Jefferson (16-6) to a nonsection win in a matchup of playoff teams. Lauren Yuhas had 18 points for West Mifflin (11-9).

Franklin Regional 51, Kiski Area 21 — Sydney Lindeman scored nine points to lead Franklin Regional (6-15, 3-9) to a Section 2-5A win. Hannah Potter led Kiski Area (6-16, 0-12) with seven points.

Penns Manor 42, United 23 — Lauren Bagley scored 19 points and Penns Manor (21-2) defeated United (19-4) in the championship game of the District 6 Heritage Conference at IUP. The Comets, who split a pair of regular-season games with the United, pulled away from an 18-16 halftime lead by outscoring the Lions, 24-7, in the second half. Penns Manor held United scoreless in the third quarter. Maizee Fry’s nine points paced United.

Tags: North Allegheny, North Hills