Dave Mackall stories, Page 32
Robert Morris men’s basketball ousted in second round of CIT
The opportunity to extend its men’s basketball season with a second appearance in the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament gave Robert Morris something more to play for this year. It lasted two games. The Colonials, who for a fourth year in a row fell short of playing in the Northeast Conference Tournament...
Robert Morris overcomes Jimmy Boeheim, Cornell in CIT opener
Matty McConnell wasn’t ready to call it his shining moment during a solid, four-year basketball career at Robert Morris, but his third consecutive 3-point shot in an overtime victory Tuesday night over Cornell ranks right up there. While Jimmy Boeheim — yes, the son of Syracuse hall of fame coach...
Wilder guides Lincoln Park boys past Richland into PIAA Class 3A semifinals
Two-time WPIAL champion Lincoln Park is headed to another state semifinal round in boys basketball. Andre Wilder scored 26 points, including eight during a crucial fourth-quarter run, and Lincoln Park turned back District 6 champion Richland in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals Saturday at Hempfield. It is the Leopards’ eighth...
Vincentian Academy falls short to Shanksville-Stonycreek in PIAA quarterfinals
Ron Moncrief wasn’t shedding tears of sorrow Saturday. The Vincentian Academy girls basketball coach came away as content as possible following a loss to Shanksville-Stonycreek in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals. “We started off 3-8 this year, and to make it to the elite eight is a compliment for the...
Central Cambria takes down Beaver girls in PIAA quarterfinals
With a lineup dominated by underclassmen, the Beaver girls basketball team still managed to attract some attention this season, playing into the middle of March, despite entering the state tournament as the sixth-place team from the WPIAL playoffs. The Bobcats, who typically go with three sophomores and a freshman among...
Shady Side Academy girls fall short in PIAA 2nd round; Szlachetka announces retirementVideo
Overall, for the Shady Side Academy girls basketball program, mission accomplished. Despite seeing her team’s season end Tuesday night, coach Amy Szlachetka felt a sense of satisfaction with the Indians’ 20 victories in her final year at the helm. “This is it for me,” Szlachetka said shortly after Shady Side...
Derry baseball looks to build on last season’s strong finish
Injuries early last season propelled the Derry baseball team into oblivion by midseason, but it was an opportunity to build for the future. The Trojans return five starters among eight lettermen, hoping to continue the success of a season-ending, three-game winning streak accomplished with an inexperienced lineup. “We saved our...
Derry softball returns 8 starters, hopes drop to Class 3A pays off
Could this be a year of playoff success for the Derry softball team? With no seniors on the roster, coach Pat Meloy said it’s still a goal to get past a WPIAL first-round game. The Trojans, despite sub-par records in Class 4A, managed to snag WPIAL playoff berths the past...
Fusco leads Mars past Milton Hershey in PIAA opening round
From the Petersen Events Center to Greensburg Salem High School, it was a drastic change in scenery for the WPIAL champion Mars Fightin’ Planets. No matter, with each game at this stage of the season comes higher stakes, and the Mars boys basketball team was ready once again for a...
Ligonier Valley boys turn focus to Beaver Falls, PIAA tournament
Ligonier Valley, the only Westmoreland County-based high school whose sports teams compete outside the WPIAL, is getting a rare opportunity to impress its western neighbors in boys basketball. The District 6 Class 3A runner-up Rams will meet Beaver Falls, the WPIAL fifth-place team, in a PIAA first-round game at 4...
IUP women limit Seton Hill’s perimeter shooting in PSAC quarterfinal victory
For a time, it looked as though Seton Hill’s improbable, late-season run in women’s basketball might continue Wednesday night. Then No. 14 IUP’s offense started to click midway through the third quarter. Carolyn Appleby scored 28 points and Brittany Robinson scored 16, including the 1,000th of her college career, and...
Latrobe takes down Hampton in Penguins Cup playoffs
Latrobe opened the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs with an emotional victory Monday night, riding the energy of a large, vocal crowd and the offensive expertise of Alex Walker. The sophomore scored a goal and assisted on three others to lead the IceCats to a 4-1 victory over Hampton in a...
Richland knocks off Ligonier Valley boys in overtime in District 6 final
These two schools don’t particularly seem to care much for one another. It showed in their latest meeting on the hardwood Friday night, where top-seeded Ligonier Valley met No. 2 Richland in a wild District 6 Class 3A boys basketball championship game at Mt. Aloysius. When the final horn sounded...
Ligonier Valley boys advance to District 6 Class 3A final
EBENSBURG — It’ll be Ligonier Valley and Richland in a rematch of the District 6 Class 3A boys basketball championship this season after both posted victories Tuesday night in the semifinals. By most accounts, it was anticipated that the two top-seeded teams would meet in the title game Friday at...
Paola leads Ligonier Valley boys past Central Cambria
Luckily for Ligonier Valley, free-throw shooting didn’t figure in the outcome of the top-seeded Rams’ 75-55 boys basketball victory Saturday over visiting Central Cambria in a District 6 Class 3A quarterfinal. They made just 6 of 13 attempts (46 percent) to Central Cambria’s 10 of 11 (91 percent). From the...
Sewickley Academy maintains mastery of Jeannette, reaches semifinals
Sewickley Academy led from start-to-finish in dispatching Jeannette from the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs Friday night at Canon-McMillan, but the Panthers weren’t skating to victory. In the fourth playoff meeting in as many years between the schools, defending Class 2A champion Sewickley Academy survived Jeannette’s furious fourth-quarter rally to come...
District 6 basketball playoffs postponed; Ligonier Valley boys to play Saturday
Ligonier Valley’s District 6 playoff schedule in boys basketball will begin a day later as part of a decision to delay most boys and girls games because of a winter storm warning Wednesday. Top-seeded Ligonier Valley (20-2), the defending Class 3A champion, will open the playoffs on Saturday, instead of...
Robert Morris men can’t finish job against St. Francis
LORETTO — Andy Toole implored his team to play with more heart. He stalked the sideline, clapping emphatically, as he often does, trying to ignite a spark, any hot spot that might fuel his players’ desire. This was St. Francis (Pa.), the Northeast Conference favorite and RMU’s longest-running rival that...
Hempfield grad Harrell grows into leader for Purdue Fort Wayne basketball
From observer to leader, Kason Harrell has been mapping out a road to his future while attending Purdue Fort Wayne, an obscure basketball school in the nation’s heartland that, for now, serves as his second home. The former Hempfield standout more than three years ago arrived at the Summit League...
