Sports
Vincentian Academy Comes Back to Oust North Catholic As Class A Girls Champs
March 3, 2012
The Vincentian Academy Royals saved their best for last, taking their first lead with 55 seconds remaining as the Royals take the rubber game of the series with the North Catholic Trojanettes by a 54-50 score in the Girls Class A championship game at the A.J. Palumbo Center. It’s the fourth title for the Royals, who also defeated North Catholic to win the 2010 title.North Catholic led 44-34 early in the fourth quarter, but Laura Primyon took over the show, hitting a three from the right corner, followed by a three from the left corner and a right wing three with 3:04 remaining, cut the lead to five at 48-43.MSA Sports Championship Saturday Blog
BOYS AAAA- PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS vs GATEWAY GATORSGATORS REPEAT !! Final score 49-39. Central out scores them 17-8 in the 4th quarter but its not enough. The Gateway Gators are your 2012 WPIAL AAAA champion.Harris at the line again, he hits 2-2 and its 49-37. Both coaches empty the bench as the starters leave to applause.Central with a basket but forced to foul Harris makes two free throws and its 47-37 Gators with 16.9 left in the game. Looks lilke a repeat for Gateway.WPIAL Class AAA Individual Wrestling Finals – Day Two Highlights
The Class AAA WPIAL Championships had a similar feel Friday as it did on Thursday, as the top wrestlers at each weight class continued to march toward the finals. The Quarterfinals and 1st round of consolations were wrestled on Friday, with four wrestlers being eliminated in each weight class.Only 8 of the 56 top 4 seeds from the 14 weight classes did not advance into the semi-finals that will be wrestled on Saturday. Some of the big upsets on Friday were at 138 pounds, where Hampton’s Kevin Synan beat 2nd seed Cole Landowski of Kiski by fall in 5:09, and at 160 pounds, where Kellan Stout of Mount Lebanon beat 2nd seed Marco Crivelli of Hopewell 4-0. Also pulling upsets were Zack DeLuca of Central Catholic at 220 pounds, beating 3rd seed John Phillips of Albert Gallatin by fall in 4:31, and Damon Sims Jr. of Hopewell beating Luke Fleck of Franklin Regional at 285 pounds 2-1 in double overtime.New Castle’s 8th WPIAL Championship is Perfect As Canes Sweep Past Hampton
March 2, 2012
It was a packed house at the AJ Palumbo Center as fans filled the stands to catch a glimpse of the highly touted New Castle Red Hurricane, as they battled the Hampton Talbots for WPIAL Class AAA gold. The Talbots kept pace with the Red Hurricane throughout the first quarter, trailing New Castle 14-10 at the end of the period. New Castle began to flex its muscles in the second quarter, however, extending the lead to 26-14 with 3:15 to go. The Red Hurricane stepped up their full court pressure defense, causing the Talbots continued struggles offensively. Ryan Luther hit a three pointer with 1:20 to go, ending a two minute scoring drought for the Talbots. New Castle spent the remaining minute of the quarter taking seconds off the clock, until Shawn Anderson converted a layup with five seconds to go.Mount Lebanon: Back On Top as Queens of the Girls AAAA Mountain
A year ago, heavily favored Mount Lebanon was stunned in the WPIAL Girls AAAA title game by Shaler, keeping them from a third straight district crown. Friday evening, it was the Blue Devils doing the stunning as they handed top-seed Oakland Catholic only their second loss of the season in a 58-49 victory at the A.J. Palumbo Center at Duquesne University. It looked like it would be an easy night for Mount Lebanon as they scored 13 of the games first 15 points en route to a 20-6 score after one quarter. With the exception of Bobbi Baker starting to heat up for the Eagles, the second quarter was much of the same for Oakland Catholic as they struggled from the field and had trouble against the taller Blue Devils. A late Eagles bucket by Rachel Vigliotti cut the deficit to 32-21 at halftime.Indiana Boys and West Allegheny Girls Win Class AA WPIAL Swimming Championships
At Trees Pool at the University of Pittsburgh on Friday, the West Allegheny Indians win their second consecutive AA WPIAL girls swimming championship. The Indians came into day two with a 35.5 point lead. They cruised to an easy victory outscoring 2nd place Blackhawk by 92 points. South Fayette also finished tied for 2nd place. Shady Side Academy finished 4th 98.5 back. In the boys AA championships, Indiana wins their second straight WPIAL title. The Indians led by 56 points a big first day, but the Hampton Talbots closed the gap to 10 points mid way thru day two. Indiana pulled away near the end to win by 28 points. Hampton was 2nd with Shady Side Academy 30 points back in 3rd.Lincoln Park Finally Strikes Gold in Winning WPIAL Boys Class A
The Lincoln Park Leopards claimed their first WPIAL Boys Class A championships with a 74-57 victory over the Cornell Raiders at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Ryan Hosack scored 27 points to lead the Leopards, Devontae Watson added a triple double with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocked shots before fouling out with 3:01 remaining.Cornell actually led 4-0, but Lincoln Park scored the next eleven points, grabbing a 17-10 lead after one quarter. Hosack helped the Leopards pull away in the second, he scored 16 points in the half, while Watson controlled the glass and swatted away several shots. Lincoln Park actually led 34-16, a three by Dustin Goins helped Cornell cut the lead to 34-23 at the break.Seton-LaSalle Perfect in Winning Second Straight WPIAL Girls AA Crown
Seton-LaSalle discovered that #13 is a lucky number. The Rebels outlasted section rival Bishop Canevin 73-60 Friday afternoon to capture their second consecutive WPIAL girls Class AA championship and become the 13th girl’s school to win a district title with a perfect record as Seton-LaSalle picked up their 25th win in 25 games. In the third meeting between these Section 5 teams, Bishop Canevin actually jumped out to a 7-3 first quarter lead before Natalie Piaggesi hit three field goals in an 8-0 run for the Rebels that put Seton-LaSalle up 11-7. The Crusaders tied the game at 11-11 before the Rebels scored 10 of the final 13 points in the quarter and claimed a 21-14 lead after one. The second quarter was back and forth as the lead for Seton-LaSalle was never more than eleven points, but was never fewer than seven points as the Rebels led the Crusaders at the break 38-27.North Allegheny Sweeps Boys and Girls Swimming Titles in Class AAA
The North Allegheny Tigers dominated the AAA WPIAL boys and girls swimming championships on day two held at Trees Pool at the University of Pittsburgh Friday afternoon..MSA Sports Championship Friday Blog
While you are listening to the game on the MSA Sports Network, be sure to follow along with the Championship Blog. All four games with up to date information right here:THAT'LL DO IT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP FRIDAY BLOG. THREE #1-SEEDS WON AND A #2 SEED. WE'LL BE BACK TOMORROW WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY BLOG AT 3 PM, 5PM, 7PM AND 9PM. CONGRATS TO SETON-LaSALLE, LINCOLN PARK, MOUNT LEBANON AND NEW CASTLE.BOYS AAA: NEW CASTLE vs HAMPTONNew Castle scored about 24 points less than they do on average, had their lowest scoring output of the season, BUT had their 5th-best defensive showing of the season. It is deafening in AJ Palumbo everyone from NC has stuck around to watch the trophy be raised. Congrats to the Red Hurricane, 26-0!FINAL SCORE: NEW CASTLE-57, HAMPTON-44Hampton fans are heading for the gates. 1:17 to go, New Castle by 13.2012 WPIAL Boys Basketball Championship Previews
For the WPIAL boys basketball championships this weekend, the theme might be: “Weren’t you just here?” Three of the eight finalists at Duquesne University’s Palumbo Center were in the title games a year ago – Gateway in Class AAAA, Monessen in Class AA and Lincoln Park in Class A. Lincoln Park has actually been in the title game the past two seasons. Here is a look at the title games. CLASS AAAA The game: Gateway (19-6) vs. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (15-10), Saturday at 9 p.m. The statistics: Central Catholic senior guard Lincoln Davis averages 20.2 points a game while senior guard Tyler Scott leads Gateway at 16.5 points a game. … Central Catholic has held three playoff opponents below 50 points. Gateway has scored 60 or more in three playoff games.2012 WPIAL Girls Basketball Championship Previews
Rematch is a popular word for the WPIAL girls basketball championships this weekend. Three of the four title games are between teams that already have played this year – South Park vs. Blackhawk, Seton-LaSalle vs. Bishop Canevin and North Catholic vs. Vincentian. Seton-LaSalle-Bishop Canevin and North Catholic-Vincentian are from the same sections. The only game that is not a rematch is Oakland Catholic vs. Mount Lebanon. All four championship games will be played at Duquesne University’s Palumbo Center. Here is a look at the four championship games:WPIAL Class AAA Individual Wrestling Finals – Day One Highlights
The AAA WPIAL Championships kicked off from Norwin High School Thursday night. Four wrestlers were eliminated from the 20 man bracket to leave 8 wrestlers remaining in the quarterfinals and 8 wrestlers in the consolations.Overall there weren’t many surprises on the first night of action at Norwin. From the top 6 seeds in each weight class, only 3 lost on Thursday. At 132 pounds, 6th seed Josh Gudenburr of Ringgold lost to Chris Olszewski of Hampton 12-3. At 138 pounds, 5th seed Erik Rayman of Norwin lost to Italo Merante of Peters Township 4-3. The biggest upset of all however came at 152 pounds, when 3rd seed John Kyriacopoulos of Upper St. Clair lost 8-3 to Joe Fiasco of Penn Trafford.AAA WPIAL Champion Canon-McMillan leads the way with 10 wrestlers in the quarterfinals. Central Catholic and Hampton both have 8 wrestlers still alive in the winners bracket.WPIAL Basketball Teams That Have Qualified for PIAA Basketball Playoffs
March 1, 2012
The 2012 WPIAL Boys and Girls Basketball Playoffs conclude this weekend with eight championship games at the A.J. Palumbo Center at Duquesne University. Starting next week, 46 district teams hop on the Highway to Happy Valley with the start of the PIAA Boys and Girls Basketball state playoffs. Here are the teams that have qualified for the 'second chance' at gold and their seeding for those classifications that have played their title game.WPIAL BOYS AAAA PIAA QUALIFIERS - 5:Gateway GatorsPittsburgh Central Catholic VikingsButler Golden TornadoShaler Titans(If Gateway wins - Seneca Valley is in) (If Pgh Central Catholic wins - Peters Township is in)WPIAL BOYS AAA PIAA QUALIFIERS - 6:#1 - New Castle Red HurricaneGolden Freshmen Shine in Day One of WPIAL Class AA Swimming Championships
After Day One of the McDonald’s/WPIAL Boys and Girls Swimming Championships, the West Allegheny Indians hold a 33 point lead to try and claim a second straight Girls Class AA championship, while on the boys side, Indiana holds a sizable lead over Hampton for a second straight boys championship.Individually on the girls side, junior Braelyn Tracy of Elizabeth Forward upset defending champion Kara Kaulius of West Allegheny for the 200 Freestyle title. Margaret Gruber of Mars claimed her second straight championship in the 100 Butterfly. A pair of freshman also claimed WPIAL gold, Maddie Bartrug of South Fayette in the 50 Freestyle and Bria Otwell of Freeport in the 200 IM.Senior Bobby Francis of Quaker Valley, the 2011 breaststroke champion, claimed gold in the 200 IM on the boys side.Here are the individual and team standings after the opening day:Records Fall On Day One At WPIAL Class AAA Swimming Championships
The McDonald’s WPIAL Class AAA Swimming Championships kicked off Day 1 at Trees Pool on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Several WPIAL records were broken and North Allegheny staked a major claim towards taking both the boys and girls titles after the first day’s events.North Allegheny set the first record of the day, in the very first event, setting a new mark in the Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay. The NA girls also set a record in the final event, the 200 Freestyle Relay. The NA boys also broke a record in the 200 Medley Relay.Senior Andrew Rich of Peters Township set an individual record in the 100 Butterfly. Senior Matthew Buerger of North Allegheny bested his brother Zachery in the 200 IM by 51 hundreds of a second.Here are the individual results and team standings from Day 1, the top 4 finishers qualify to the PIAA Championships next month at Bucknell University.
WPIAL Basketball Playoff Recaps for Wednesday, February 29th
February 29, 2012
February 29th. Leap Year. It happens once every four years. Semifinals Wednesday in the WPIAL Basketball Playoffs. It happens once a year. This edition saw the first top seed fall, two defending boys champs return to the finals and two more sets of girls top seeds advancing to title weekend, setting up four #1 vs #2 girls championship games. Here are the recaps from Semifinals Wednesday in Boys AAAA, Boys AA, Girls AAA and Girls A in the final stop on the Battle to the Bluff.a special THANKS to Johnny Lee, Glenn Thompson, Ken Laird, Bob Barrickman, Jim Frederick, Matt Vandriak, Josh Rowntree and Bob Gregg for their help on these recaps.WPIAL CLASS AAAA Semifinals:2012 WPIAL BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS – FINALS NOW SET
It took until the final game of the Semifinals, but finally a top-seed has fallen. Shaler becomes the only #1 seed in all eight tournaments to not make it to the Palumbo Center. Meanwhile, AAAA defending champion Gateway and 2011 AA winner Monessen remain alive and are one victory away from a golden repeat. Here are ALL of the final results through the Semifinals round, plus the four Championship Game matchups AND TIMES are set for this weekend in the 2012 WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs.Once again, MSA Sports will broadcast every WPIAL boys basketball playoff game sponsored in part by McDonalds.2012 WPIAL BOYS CLASS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:2012 WPIAL GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS – FOUR FINALS FEATURE #1 vs #2
All this talk about upsets and bracket busters and after all of the smoke cleared in three plus rounds of girls basketball, the storyline is simple...#1 vs #2. The top two seeds in each of the four girls basketball tournaments have wrapped up Semifinals victories and are on their way to the bluff this weekend at Duquesne University to play for district gold. Only Seton-LaSalle in AA and North Catholic in A are alive looking for a repeat title performance here in 2012. Here are ALL of the final scores through the Semifinals round, PLUS the four Championship Game matchups AND TIMES in the 2012 WPIAL Girls Basketball Playoffs.Once again, MSA Sports will broadcast every WPIAL girls basketball playoff game sponsored in part by McDonalds and Carlow University.2012 WPIAL GIRLS CLASS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
MSA Sports Top Seven – PIHL High School Hockey – 02/29/2012
Each Wednesday during the regular season, MSA Sports will rank the top seven teams in all four classifications/divisions in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League...including NEW #1 teams in Class AAA, Class AA and the Open Class. Don't miss “The PIHL Power Play Show” every Wednesday at 8:00pm and the "PIHL High School Hockey Notebook" every Monday during the season only here on the MSA Sports Network.PIHL CLASS AAA:1) PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS (18-2-1) (Last Week #3)2) NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (16-4-1) (Last Week #4)3) CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (17-3-0) (Last Week #2)4) BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS (12-7-1) (Last Week #6)5) MOUNT LEBANON BLUE DEVILS (15-5-1) (Last Week #5)6) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (12-5-3) (Last Week #1)
