WPIAL Basketball Playoffs – Friday 2/14 Recaps

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 14, 2014 | 11:28 PM

The curtain rose on the 2014 WPIAL Basketball Playoffs Friday night with First Round action in Boys Class A and Girls Class AAAA along with Preliminary Round play in Boys Class AAA and Girls Class AA. Here are recaps from most of the games played on opening night of the Battle to the Bluff.

A special thanks to Bob Gregg, Mark Uriah, Mike Azadian, Mark Schaas, Jason Colangelo, Bob Orkwis, T.J. DiStefano, Terry Neary, Steve Nagler, Sam Hall, Sean Meyers, Jason Tennant, Randy Gore, Don Rebel, Lanfer Simpson, Josh Rowntree, Bob Barrickman, Lou Rood and Brian Mroziak for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL CLASS AAA Preliminary Round:

Mount Pleasant Vikings 70 – Kittanning Wildcats 53 
As they have done all season, Mount Pleasant used incredible balance to lead them to victory in the WPIAL Boys AAA Preliminary Round. Four different players reached double figures for the Vikings (16-6), who took down a competitive group from Kittanning, 70-53, at Penn Hills High School on Friday night. Kittanning (7-16) would jump out to an early 12-8, but Mount Pleasant would go on a 10-0 run to end the 1st quarter. The Vikings would be pushed, but never relinquish their lead the rest of the way. Kittanning was able to keep the game in striking distance until late in the 4th quarter behind a stellar, 20 point effort from Alek Schaffer. The Wildcats, who end their season on a five-game losing streak, also received 15 points from Noah Kunst. But Mount Pleasant received 20 points, including four 3-pointers from Mitch Matlas, 17 points and 10 rebounds from Marcus Malara, 15 points and 9 rebounds from Luke Liprando and 10 points from Ryan Gumbita. Those four players, as well as fellow starter Dante Porter, all average between 9.1 and 11.5 points per game. The Vikings, who went 12-of-14 from the foul line in the 4th quarter, move into the AAA First Round and take on No. 1 Chartiers Valley on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. The Vikings last met the Colts in the 2008 AAA First Round, a game in which Chartiers Valley won.

South Fayette Lions 54 – Greensburg-Salem Golden Lions 42 
South Fayette defeated Greensburg Salem 54-42 Friday night at Peters Twp. in a WPIAL class AAA preliminary round game.  With the victory South Fayette advances to take on the number 4 seed Elizabeth Forward on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
The first half was a low scoring affair as each team had difficulty scoring.  It was 10-8 South Fayette after 1 quarter, and 23-10 South Fayette at the half.  A combination of great defense by the Lions and many missed opportunities for the Golden Lions of Greensburg that led to only two points being recorded by GS in that 2nd quarter.  Nick Mckee of South Fayette led all scorers hitting 14 points in the first half with four 3’s and two free throws. Five different Golden Lions were tied as their leading scorer with 2 points each. In fact there were more turnovers by both sides than anything else in a sloppy first half. After the half both teams came out shooting and put up big numbers in the 3rd quarter finally finding a rhythm as each offense started to jell.  Antonio Ferrari put up 10 points alone in the 3rd for GS on a pair of 3’s and two buckets.  He was backed up by 5 points by Patrick Boyer and 3 from Delaine Hughes as GS came close to doubling their total first half output in one quarter.  Still balanced scoring by South Fayette kept the Lions in the lead after three as Justin Watson and Patrick Brady tallied five points each and Jack Relihan added four as the Lions led by 11 heading into the fourth quarter.  In the 4th quarter Brett Brumbaugh and Relihan carried the load for South Fayette as they combined for 14 points to keep South Fayette in charge the rest of the way.  Despite a valiant effort, Greensburg Salem was unable to cut the deficit to less than 7 points and South Fayette pulled out the win.  Nick Mckee led the Lions with 16 points, followed by Jack Relihan with 14 and Brett Brumbaugh with 10.  Antonio Ferrari topped the Golden Lions with 14 points followed by Pat Boyer with 13, and Dlaine Hughes with 10.

Ambridge Bridgers 71 – Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles 58 
The Bridgers scored a first round victory over the Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles 71-58 at North Allegheny High School on Friday Evening. With the game tied 24-24 in the second quarter and standout forward Keenan Baker on the bench with three early fouls, Ambridge’s Kody Nichi delivered a key 3 point basket. It was one of five on the evening for Nichi and it sparked a 10-2 run to conclude the first half of play.  The 36-26 lead at the intermission was an advantage the Bridgers would never relinquish.The Golden Eagles got a stellar effort from Senior Braydon Griffiths, who contributed 15 points as did Senior teammate Erat Ojoko.  Each time the Golden Eagles appeared poised to cut deep into the Bridger lead, Ambridge’s Daylon Carter (24 points) and Stephon McGinnis (21 points) were equal to the task. The lead would grow to as high as 17 in the fourth quarter behind nine three point field goals for the Bridgers. With his 498th Career Coaching victory, Ambridge Head Coach Mark Jula and his Bridgers can now turn their attention to the once beaten Uniontown Red Raiders (19-1) in second round action Wednesday night.

West Mifflin Titans 63 – Laurel Highlands Mustangs 51 
West Mifflin’s speed and depth were too much for Laurel Highlands to overcome on Friday Night as the Titans came away with a 63 to 51 win over Laurel Highlands on Friday Night in a Boys “AAA” Preliminary Round game at Plum High School.  Ten players scored for the Titans who made regular wholesale substitutions throughout the course of the evening and wore down the Mustangs in the 2nd half.  The Titans who are without their leading scorer Ryan Maha(19.2 ppg.) who had knee surgery Thursday for the entire playoffs were lead on Friday night by Aaron Adams who connected on 5-3’s and scored 20 points.  Karyln Garner (10 pts) was also in double figures for the Titans who improved to 13-6 on the season and will meet the #2 seed Central Valley in the 1st round on Tuesday.  Laurel Highlands whose season ends with a 11-11 record got a game high 22 points from David Rusko.

West Allegheny Indians 54 – South Park Eagles 47 
It was seven years ago that West Allegheny shocked the world by winning the boys Class AAA championship after winning a Preliminary Round game to earn the #16-seed. The Indians took the first step toward what they hope is re-living history as they beat the South Park Eagles by 7 Friday night at Baldwin High School to earn the #14-seed in the boys Class AAA tournament.  West A led for most of the contest, holding a 17-12 lead after one quarter, 26-23 after two and 37-33 after three quarters. But South Park kept in tight and ended up taking the lead in the fourth quarter thanks to Dan Wanker scoring 14 of his 24 points. But West Allegheny regained the lead and held on down the stretch thanks in large part to the ball handling and free throw shooting of senior guard Mike Miara, who scored 24 points to lead the Indians. Justin Gorny had 10 points for the Eagles, who see their season end at 7-16. West Allegheny improves to 13-10 and will now face the third-seed Thomas Jefferson Jaguars in a Round One contest Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

WPIAL CLASS A First Round:

Lincoln Park Leopards 84 – Mapletown Maples 27 
For the Mapletown Maples they had to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. The rematch of last years McDonalds WPIAL first round game between the number one Leopards of Lincoln Park and Mapletown was déjà vu. A year ago the final score was 95-37. Friday’s game was only a point closer. Lincoln Park raced out to a 26-0 first quarter lead and never looked back. By half time it was 42-11. Maverick Rowan lead the Leopards in scoring with 23 points. Ryan Skovranko added 15 and Lincoln Park won this opening round game easily 84-27. Mapletown got 10 from Eric Atwood but not nearly enough to come close to the powerful team from Beaver County. Lincoln Park I will face Western Beaver in the quarterfinals. Maybe they can put up a better match up for the top seed, but don’t plan on it. The other times they met this year were 101-50 and 92-57. Look for the Leopards to be playing for quite a bit longer this season.

Western Beaver Golden Beavers 77 – Carmichaels Mighty Mikes 37 
The #8 Vs. #9 matchup in the McDonald’s WPIAL Class A Boys Basketball First Round turned out to be a mismatch in favor of the #9 Western Beaver Golden Beavers who trounced Carmichaels, 77-37 at Moon Area High School.  It took a while to get going as there was no score until about 3-and-a-half minutes in when Nick Miller broke the ice for Western Beaver.  Soon after that things totally caved in on Carmichaels as Miller continued to rack up points offensively and Carmichaels had no answer for the Golden Beaver’s zone defense.  The Mighty Mikes mustered only two Brandon Lawless free throws in the opening quarter, while Miller and the Golden Beavers finished the quarter with 14.  Western Beaver led by a score of 34-13 at the half led by 14 points from Miller and 12 from John Petrosky.  The third quarter was the closest played, but even then the Beavers outscored the Mikes by 6 with Miller putting up another 16 in the third quarter alone.  The final few minutes were played under the mercy rule.  Miller ended up leading all scorers with 34.  Petrosky put up 16 for the Golden Beavers and Cody Acon added 9.  For the Mikes, Lawless led them with 14, Ty Aeschbacher finished with 8 and Justin Newman with 7.  The only bright spot for the Mikes was free-throw shooting as the three Mikes mentioned above combined to go 16 for 18 from the line.  Western Beaver made only 7 free throws all night, scoring a total of 70 points from the floor.  The Golden Beavers will move on to face Lincoln Park in the Quarterfinals.

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans 75 – Winchester Thurston Bears 45 
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, fueled by torrid perimeter shooting and an opportunistic defense, defeated Winchester Thurston 75-45 in WPIAL Class A first round action on Friday at North Hills High School. After the Bears battled tough into the second quarter, the Trojans used a 14-0 run to break the game open. Although Winchester Thurston’s offense began to find its rhythm in the third, North Catholic’s pressure defense allowed the Trojans to maintain their lead, as they created turnovers into transition baskets. In addition, the Trojans knocked down 10 three-pointers in the contest, including seven from Timon Gribbin. He finished with a game-high 24 points, while teammates Jon Savulchak and Ryan Kirby each tallied 18. Also, six-foot-six center Dominic Robb scored 13 points, all of which came in the second half, including an emphatic dunk that seemingly sealed the outcome. Tyler Coleman led the way for the Bears in the team’s first-ever WPIAL postseason appearance, as he netted 17.  Zac Ettensohn and Max Calhoun also reached double-figures in the loss, as they scored 15 and 10 points, respectively. With the victory, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic advances to the quarterfinals, where the Trojans will meet Our Lady of Sacred Heart next Friday.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers 86 – St. Joseph Spartans 36 
In a one sided performance, the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers cruised to an 86-36 victory over the St. Joseph Spartans in a first round matchup in the WPIAL Class A Boys playoffs Friday night at Northgate High School.  The Charger defense came out pressing right away and forced the undersized Spartans into many errors, taking a 24-5 lead after one quarter and effectively controlling the game from there. OLSH Coach Mike Rodriguez substituted liberally from that point, and eleven different Chargers got on the scoreboard.  Senior Cameron Johnson led all scorers with 20 points, senior forward Ian Schrenk scored 16, while senior Nick Metz, juniors Hunter Szilagy and Santino Platt scored 10 points each.  Sophomore Noah Ferguson paced St. Joe’s with 9, while senior Chris a Gamble and junior Daniel Sullivan each had 7. The Chargers advance to a quarterfinal matchup with the Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans for the third consecutive year next Friday, while the Spartans’ season ends at 9-14.

Vincentian Academy Royals 85 – Trinity Christian Falcons 44 
Vincentian is a team known for a frenetic style of basketball and the Royals did not disappoint storming out to a 32-8 lead after one quarter en route to victory. Relentless pressure and a high-octane offense keyed the win. Ryan Wolf and Jay Cortese lead 12 Royals on the score sheet with 15 points apiece. Greg Kaniecki had 11 and Ian Taylor 10. Leading the way for Trinity Christian was Ty Carter with 11 points. Vincentian improves to 21-2 on the season. Trinity Christian falls to 9-14.

Clairton Bears 55 – Sewickley Academy Panthers 51 in Overtime
The Clairton Bears outscored the Sewickley Academy Panthers in overtime 13-9 to win their opening round game in single A by a score of 55-51. The two teams started the overtime period tied at 42 and Sewickley took an early two point lead but Clairton responded with a pair of three-pointers, one from Isaiah Hollis and another from Rashead Pacley to take a lead they would never relinquish. The Bears were led by 15 points from senior Jaquan Ford and also got double digit nights from Pacley (14) and Hollis (13) in the win. The Panthers led at the end of the first three quarters but never could put the Bears away. Sewickley had a chance to win the game in regulation at the charity stripe when, trialing by one with 1.9 seconds to play Drew Johnson went to the  line to shoot a pair of free throws. Johnson missed the first but made the second to force the overtime period. The Panthers were led by Anthony Muscato’s 16 points on the night. Sewickley’s season comes to an end with a 13-8 record. The Bears improve to 10-6 and move onto the quarter finals for a rematch of last year’s championship game against the Vincentian Royals next Friday night only on the MSA Sports Network. 

Monessen Greyhounds 78 – Eden Christian Academy Warriors 54 
recap still to come

Wilkinsburg Tigers 74 – Union Scotties 62 
The Scotties hung with the Tigers for the opening half, trailing 37-28 at the break, but Wilkinsburg pulled away in the third quarter as the sixth seeded Tigers move on to next Friday’s quarterfinals. Wilkinsburg drained eight three-pointers, four by D’Shawn Adair and three in the second half by Isaiah Pete, the junior ended the night with 28 points to lead all scorers. Pete hit back to back threes in the third as the Tigers outscored the Scotties 23-14. Adair finished with 18 points, Dremar Everette added 10 points, including a buzzer-beating three to end the third. The Tigers are now 13-7. Union was led by senior Ben Young, he finished his career as a Scottie with 26 points. Union ends the season at 10-13.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA First Round:

North Allegheny Tigers 77 – Latrobe Wildcats 34
The Lady Tigers pounced on Latrobe early and invoked the mercy rule by the second half as top-seeded North Allegheny rolled to a 77-34 victory in round one of the WPIAL Class AAAA Playoffs.  Latrobe played without its top scoring threat, sophomore Madison Kollar due to a leg injury suffered in Monday’s regular season finale, and the Wildcats could do little to thwart the impending avalanche of points from the Tigers.  NA opened up a 19-2 lead in the first quarter, and despite a 9-2 run by Latrobe that cut the score to 21-11, the Lady Tigers coasted to the win. North Allegheny was paced by junior guard Devvin LaBarge who poured in a game-high 25 points.  Sophomore guard Abby Gonzales pumped in 19 points and sophomore forward Taylor Lake added 10 points.  With Kollar out, Latrobe was led by senior Emma Kate Womack’s team-high 12 points and six rebounds.  Latrobe, who reached the playoffs for the second consecutive season, sees its season end with a record of 12-10.  With their 20th straight win, the Lady Tigers improve to 21-1 and will face Section 3-AAAA rival Shaler in the quarterfinals on Friday, February 21.  North Allegheny defeated Shaler twice in the regular season and once in overtime. 

Shaler Titans 48 – Baldwin Highlanders 35 
In the eight seed versus nine seed girls AAAA first round WPIAL playoff game at North Allegheny High School the nine seed Shaler Titans come away with a 48-35 victory over the Baldwin Highlanders. Shaler improves to 16-6 on the season and will take on section rival North Allegheny next Friday night February 21st in the second round. The Titans and Highlanders played strong defense thru half of the first quarter before  Shalers Abbey Conrad hit a three pointer. The Titans led 13-8 after one quarter. Liz Kline had 6 points for Shaler in the first frame.The second quarter saw Baldwin outscore the Titans 8-4 and only trail at the half 17-16. For the Highlanders Amanda Larkin had 6 points in the first half. Baldwin had a 16-10 rebound advantage but couldn’t hit shots when they needed. The second half was all Shaler as they took a 9-0 run at the start of the half to take a 26-16 lead. They would lead 36-26 at the end of quarter three. Kline was on fire scoring 7 in the quarter and playing aggressive defense.The 4th quarter was Shaler playing keep away and hitting foul shots as they went 8 of 10 from the line for the game. Baldwin could only cut the lead under 10 one time getting it to 9 with under 3:00 minutes to play. Despite the Titans seven 4th quarter turnovers the Highlanders couldn’t take advantage on their way to the loss. Baldwin finishes their season at 12-9. They were led in scoring by Larkin with 13. Both Amanda Johnston and Lauren Gilbert were held to 4 points each. Both averaged over 10 points during the season. Shaler came into the game as the 3rd best scoring defense in AAAA so it came as no surprise that it was a major reason in the win. For the Titans Kline had 21 points and Conrad 11 to pace Shaler.

Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 63 – Gateway Gators 46 
A deep bench and constant pressure eventually paid off as the second-seed Mount Lebanon Blue Devils busted a close game open in the second half en-route to a 17-point victory over the Gateway Gators in a Class AAAA First Round matchup of Semifinals teams a year ago. With strong guard play by the duo of senior Jada Epps and junior London Wade, the Gators led most of the first half at Baldwin High School, but trailed 24-23 at the half. In the second half however, the constant substitutions paid off for Dori Oldaker’s squad as they had much more success in the second half on the boards and in the battle for loose balls. Sophomore Maura Wallace hit a pair of third quarter 3-pointers while senior Anna Miller drained a trey before the third quarter buzzer that gave Mount Lebanon a 43-35 lead. The lone senior in the Gateway lineup, Epps led the Gators with 14 points while Wade chipped in 10 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter as the Gators season ends at 13-9. Senior Christine Ehland had a game high 24 points for Mount Lebanon while Wallace and senior Madeleine Collins each added 11 points. The Blue Devils improve to 16-5 and will battle the Penn-Trafford Warriors in the Quad-A Quarterfinals on Friday.     

Penn-Trafford Warriors 46 – Plum Mustangs 43 
For the second season in a row, the Plum girls basketball team was bounced in the first round of the WPIAL AAAA Playoffs by Penn-Trafford. Though, this time around, it was not nearly as easy for the Warriors (17-6). No. 7 Penn-Trafford overcame a 13-point 3rd quarter deficit, spoiling the upset bid from a very game Plum Mustangs, 46-43, at Penn Hills High School. For Penn-Trafford, Casey Aunkst scored 15 points, including 7 in the 4th quarter and grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds. Maria Palarino added 12 points and 8 rebounds, while Kaila Simcoviak scored 11 points for the Warriors, who move into the Quarterfinals for the third time in four seasons. After playing to a 20-20 tie at halftime, Plum would go on a 12-0 run to start the 3rd quarter and eventually push their lead to 13. But Penn-Trafford would chip away and Plum would go 10-of-21 from the foul line and score only 7 points in the 4th quarter, opening the door for a Warriors comeback. Krista Pietropola would score 15 points and grab 8 rebounds, Courtney Zezza would score 12 points and grab 11 rebounds and Alyson Weifenbaugh would score 11 points and grab 8 rebounds for Plum, who bookend their season with losses to Penn-Trafford for the second-straight season. The Mustangs lost to Penn-Trafford in a tip-off tournament last season, in the WPIAL AAAA First Round last season and in the Penn-Trafford Tipoff Tournament this season as well. The Warriors have now won six-straight games over Plum. Penn-Trafford will next meet No. 2 Mt. Lebanon on Friday at a site and time to be determined.

WPIAL CLASS AA Preliminary Round:

West Shamokin Wolves 27 – Riverview Raiders 21 
West Shamokin held Riverview without a field goal for a 16 minute stretch of the game and won a defensive struggle 27-21 in a Girls “AA” Preliminary Round Game on Friday Night at Plum High School.  Riverview lead early 8 to 2, but West Shamokin went on a 14 to 1 run over a 16 minute stretch until Nikki Polens of Riverview hit a jumper late in the 3rd Quarter to pull Riverview back to within 18 to 13 of West Shamokin after 3 quarters of play.  The Wolves outscored the Raiders 9 to 8 in the 4th quarter for the 27 to 21 win.  Liz Cornish lead West Shamokin with 10 points and was the only player in double figures on either side.  Riverview was lead by Bree Patsey who scored 8.  West Shamokin who improved to 13-10 with the win will meet the #1 seed Seaton Lasalle in the 1st Round of the playoffs on Tuesday Night.  The Raiders season ends with a 13-10 record.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers 39 – Apollo-Ridge Vikings 28
Using a combination of good defense and timely foul shooting, the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Lady Chargers defeated the Apollo Ridge Lady Vikings 39-28 Friday evening at Northgate High School to advance to the First Round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.  Apollo Ridge led 10-9 after one quarter of play but the Lady Chargers turned up the pressure at both ends of the court and forced the Lady Vikings into numerous turnovers and fouls, out scoring them 30-18 the rest of the way. Sophomore point guard Courtney Alexander led OLSH with 15 points and junior center Heidi Langhorst chipped in 8 along with a strong rebounding performance.  Junior Julia Demeno led Apollo Ridge with 9 before fouling out late in the contest.  The Lady Chargers record improved to 15-7 and they will meet Fort Cherry in a first round game on Tuesday night.  The Lady Vikings ended their season at 14-8.

Fort Cherry Rangers 60 – Avonworth Antelopes 35 
Jenna Lucas and Rachel Bellhy combined for 41 points as Fort Cherry downed Avonworth, 60-35.  Lucas put up 17 points in the first half, finishing with 21.  Bellhy, who crossed the 1,000-point plateau a week ago, pumped in 13 after intermission to finish with 20. The Rangers (15-6) never trailed in the game, opening leads of 4-0 and 12-4 in the first before closing the period with a 6-0 run to lead by 10.  Lucas hit a three-pointer with just under a minute to play, her second of the quarter, giving the senior 13 points in the first.  With a nine-point lead at the half, Fort Cherry used a 10-3 run to open the quarter and put the game out of reach.  Bellhy hit four field goals in the fourth, wrapped around Lucas’ third trey of the night.  Mackenzie Mayernik had 15 points, including 11 of 12 at the foul line for Avonworth (12-10), eliminated in the preliminary round for the second straight year.  Hannah Greene added 11 for Fort Cherry as the Rangers look to get back to the WPIAL semifinals for the third time in four years after missing the post-season a year ago.

Washington Little Prexies 43 – Shady Side Academy Indians 27 
Washington raced out to a 22-6 lead after one quarter and defeated Shady Side Academy 43-27 Friday night in the opening round of the WPIAL AA Girls Basketball Playoffs. The Little Prexies dominated the glass and got ten points each from senior India March and sophomore Mikala Maltony. Natlie Palmer, a sophomore, led the Indians (10-13) with ten points. Washington (14-8) advances to face Neshannok (21-1) Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

Beaver Bobcats 56 – Jeannette Jayhawks 20 
The Bobcats entered the WPIAL Playoffs with the second best scoring defense (28.5) in all of the classifications and the defense was on display in this preliminary round win over the Jayhawks. Beaver held Jeannette to just 3 first-half point including holding the Jayhawks scoreless in the 2nd quarter on their way to the 36 point victory. Offensively, Lexi Posset led the way for Beaver. The junior guard, who came into the contest averaging (22.4) points per game, finished with a game-high 28 points, converting 16-of-22 free throw attempts. Jayda Justice added 8-points for the Bobcats. Jeannette played the game without leading scorer Monique Redman (20.9) points per game who did not dress for unspecified reasons. The Jayhawks were led by junior forward Monica Carl, who scored 16 of Jeannette’s 20 points and posted a double-double in the loss. Jeannette finishes the season (11-12). Beaver improved to (16-6) with the win and the Bobcats now slot in as the 12th seed in the Girls AA Tournament. The victory earned Beaver a first round date with the defending WPIAL & PIAA AA Champion #5 Bishop Canevin Crusaders at a site & time to be determined on Tuesday night.

Shenango Wildcats 54 – Charleroi Cougars 48 
It had been since the 1996-97 season since the Shenango Wildcats had tasted the post-season, but the young squad looked like cagy veterans as they knocked off the Charleroi Cougars in a preliminary game of the girls Class AA WPIAL Basketball Playoffs.  The Wildcats, who started four sophomores and a junior, shrugged off some early jitters to take a 14-10 lead after the first quarter and only trailed once in the game, 27-25, early in the third quarter.  From that point, the Wildcats rattled off a 9-2 run to re-take the lead and never looked back after that.  Shenango was led by their outstanding point guard Angelina Sibeto, who scored 15 points in the game.  However, her real value came as a secure ball handler against the pressure defense of the Cougars.  Sam Seaburn chipped in with 13 points and Carolyn Peterson added 10 points for the Wildcats.  The Cougars were led by standout Mia Woytovich, who matched her season average of 19 points.  The Wildcats threw all kinds of defenses at Woytovich but she still was able to keep the Cougars in the game till the end.  Anjie Tilghman and Lynsey Wright both contributed 8 points apiece for Charleroi but it wasn’t enough.  The Cougars season ends with a record of 17-6.  With the win, Shenango advances into the first round of the bracket but will have to face the 2nd seeded Burrell Buccaneers next Tuesday night.

Brentwood Spartans 49 – Freedom Bulldogs 45 
It was a sluggish and slow start for both teams, but in the end turned out to be a good contest as the Brentwood Spartans hung on to beat the Freedom Bulldogs in preliminary round action Friday night at Keystone Oaks High School. Turnovers and missed shots were the story on both sides in the first half with Brentwood leading 13-6 after one quarter and 23-14 at the half. Freedom relied on the three ball throughout the game, but as the saying goes you live by the three you can die by it and Freedom died with it in the first half. Brentwood did there damage inside with 6’0 senior Laura McGowan and the Bulldogs had no answers for her. The 2nd half opened with Freedom on fire going on an 11-0 run and knocking down the three ball from all over court as they outscored Brentwood 19-5 in the quarter giving the Bulldogs a 33-28 lead after three. Freedom knocked down five three pointers in the 3rd. However, the Spartans returned the favor in the 4th quarter outscoring Freedom 21-12 to hang on for the 49-45 victory in their first playoff appearance since 2002-03. The Spartans were led by Laura McGowan, who was the only player in double figures with 20 points, before fouling out in the 4th quarter. Hanna Livingston added 9. Freedom had two players in double figures Casey Spieler with 14 and Joanne Barlamas with 12. Brentwood improves to 15-6 and becomes the #10 seed and will face #7 seed McGuffey Tuesday night at a site and time to be determined. Freedom ends the season at 10-13.

Laurel Spartans 43 – Ford City Sabers 37 
The Spartans, playing in their first playoff game since 2003, held on for the win in the Class AA preliminary round match up at Butler High School. Junior Ellen Shaffer led Laurel with 17 points and senior Jessica Conrad added 13 to move the Spartans to 13-9 and a date with Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round on Tuesday. Laurel was able to jump out to a 15-8 lead after one quarter and 25-18 at the break, the Spartans controlled the glass in the first half and were able to get to every loose ball on the night. Ford City fought their way back in the third quarter with leading scorer Allyson Cujas on the bench with four fouls. Junior Christian Davis took over scoring 9 of her 12 points to bring the Sabres into a 32-32 tie after three. Both teams pressed the issue in the fourth quarter, Ford City was forced to foul and sophomore Kristin Dicks went 5 of 6 at the stripe to seal the win. Dicks finished with seven points. Cujas was held to just 8 points, 5 under her season average. Ford City ends the season at 14-8, the Sabres have lost 4 straight years in the preliminary round.

Mohawk Warriors 36 – South Side Rams 17 
A nightmarish first half in which South Side scored only two points was too much to overcome as the Lady Rams lost to Mohawk, 36-17 in a girls AA preliminary game on Friday night at Moon High School.  The Lady Warriors were not overly impressive on offense themselves but their stout defense, which came in giving up merely 33.4 points per game, forced numerous turnovers in the first two quarters.  Mohawk led 18-2 at the intermission before South Side improved its play in the second half but never made any sort of run at the Lady Warriors.  Sophomore Aliya Gage led the winner with 16 points while Samantha Gibson paced the Lady Rams with six.  Now 17-5, Mohawk will now play Carlynton on Tuesday in the first round.  South Side ended its season at 11-12.