High School category, Page 544
High school roundup for Feb. 25, 2023: Freedom girls end Aliquippa’s Cinderella run
Julia Mohrbacher scored 33 points to lead second-seeded Freedom to a 47-44 victory over 11th-seeded Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class 2A girls basketball semifinals Saturday afternoon at Beaver Falls. Freedom (20-4) will face top-seeded Shenango in the finals at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Petersen Events Center. Aunesty Johnson led...
Penn Hills baffles North Hills with 3-pointers, alley-oops in WPIAL semifinal win
Penn Hills teammates Daemar Kelly and Julian Dugger have perfected their high-flying alley-oop this winter, mastering a play that shows their rare athleticism. Five times they connected Saturday. But it was a 6-foot junior who stayed far away from the rim who left North Hills coaches shaking their heads. Lamire...
North Allegheny’s Shi wins 4th straight WPIAL diving gold
One day after North Catholic’s Maggie Foley became the first girls diver in eight years to win four straight WPIAL gold medals, North Allegheny senior Christina Shi matched the feat, capturing her fourth with a score of 540.75. “It definitely feels amazing,” Shi said. “But it was a hard one...
Avonworth knocks off top-seeded Shady Side Academy to reach Class 3A finals
Greta O’Brien has had dreams of playing at the Petersen Events Center since watching her older sister Olivia play there with Vincentian in 2018. Thanks to her big second half on the scoreboard and a strong collective defensive effort, she and her Avonworth teammates will have that opportunity. O’Brien scored...
Imani Christian boys start fast, defeat Geibel in WPIAL Class A semifinals
For three of the four quarters in Saturday afternoon’s WPIAL Class A semifinal between Geibel and Imani Christian Academy, the fourth-seeded Gators proved they could go toe-to-toe with the top-seeded Saints. However, the one quarter that doomed Geibel was the first, as Imani Christian bolted to a 31-4 lead en...
2 wrestlers join exclusive 3-time champion club at WPIAL Class 2A tournament
During the 87 years of the WPIAL championships, only 31 wrestlers have won four titles, and 84 were three-time champions. Laurel senior Grant MacKay and Frazier junior Rune Lawrence now make it 86 three-time winners, and Lawrence has a shot at joining his brother Thayne as a four-time winner next...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Knoch’s Braylee Ireland, Plum’s Cade Schimmer
Braylee Ireland Class: Freshman School: Knoch Sport: Wrestling Report card: Knoch’s Braylee Ireland won the 118-pound title at the second annual Western Pa. girls wrestling championships Sunday. She pinned Fox Chapel’s Ava McCaffrey in 2 minutes, 58 seconds to clinch first place. In the first round, Ireland scored a 10-0...
Norwin notebook: Track team brings home medals from TSTCA meet
Norwin sent its top athletes to the Tri-State Coaches Association Indoor Championships on Feb. 18 at Edinboro University, and a number of them came home with medals. The girls distance medley relay of Anna DeFazio, Bella Brozeski, Emma Jiancristoforo and Annie Czajkowski took third in 13 minutes, 13.98 seconds and...
Behind veteran standouts, talented freshmen, North Allegheny girls eye another WPIAL swimming title
North Allegheny’s Corky Semler has coached high school swimming for almost 40 years, so when he says this year’s freshman class is among his best, that’s worth noting. The Tigers had a dozen ninth graders qualify for the WPIAL championships March 2-3 at Pitt’s Trees Pool. Seven were seeded among...
Franklin Regional basketball standouts get unexpected all-star invitations
Geographically speaking, Murrysville is practically a part of the Alle-Kiski Valley, so it makes sense for Franklin Regional to be included in that region’s long-running basketball all-star weekend. The 26th Cager Classic returns March 25 to Highlands High School and four Franklin Regional players were selected to take part in...
Hampton sending large group of swimmers to WPIAL championships
The Hampton swim team has stressed the importance of team success throughout the season. A large group of individuals and relays will lead the Talbots into the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships Thursday and Friday at Pitt’s Trees Pool. Hampton had 14 swimmers meet the automatic qualifying standard, including senior...
Hampton competitive spirit squad caps special season at national championships
The Hampton competitive spirit team was riding a high after hitting a perfect routine in the finals of the PIAA Class 2A championships. However, the Talbots had a bad break a week before the team was set to compete in the Universal Cheerleaders Association National High School Championships in Orlando,...
Fox Chapel notebook: Troutman sets stage for outdoor track season
Fox Chapel’s Anna Troutman is setting the table well for her outdoor track season. The Foxes picked up a number of medals at the final Tri-State Track Coaches Association Indoor Championship meet. Troutman was the only athlete headed to State College for the state indoor track championship. She set the...
In-your-face style carries Fox Chapel hockey into Penguins Cup playoffs
Fox Chapel goalie Joe Rattner believes the Foxes have a reputation among PIHL Class A hockey teams: Fox Chapel is willing to dig in and do the dirty work when games get tough. The goal for the Foxes, who will play in the PIHL quarterfinals when the playoffs begin in...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 25, 2023: Top 4 seeds square off in Class 5A semifinals
Welcome to the start of the 2023 WPIAL basketball final four. The first of three days of district hoops semifinals action tips off Saturday with third-round games in boys Class 5A and Class A, along with girls 3A and 2A. Three Indians and a Gator are part of the boys...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 24, 2023
High schools WPIAL playoffs Boys Class 6A Quarterfinals Friday’s results New Castle 59, Norwin 47 Mt. Lebanon 55, Butler 50 Upper St. Clair 45, Seneca Valley 43 Central Catholic 80, Baldwin 75 (OT) Semifinals Tuesday’s schedule New Castle (21-2) vs. Mt. Lebanon (16-7); Upper St. Clair (15-8) vs. Central Catholic...
High school roundup for Feb. 24, 2023: Dante DePante powers Central Catholic past Baldwin in OT
Dante DePante scored 34 points, including 10 of his team’s 12 points in overtime, as No. 3 Central Catholic defeated No. 6 Baldwin, 80-75, in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball quarterfinal Friday night. Randy Wilkerson, Cole Sullivan and Debaba Tshiebwe scored 11 points apiece for the Vikings (14-9), who...
Upper St. Clair fends off Seneca Valley comeback bid in Class 6A quarterfinal win
Upper St. Clair shot lights out in the first half to build up a big lead, and then nearly stopped shooting in the fourth quarter as Seneca Valley rallied. The Panthers had two defensive stops in the end and held on to edge the Raiders, 45-43, in the WPIAL Class...
Norwin keeps New Castle close, but Red Hurricanes pull away for victory
The last time the New Castle boys basketball team played in the largest classification, the Red Hurricanes won WPIAL and PIAA championships. Now in Class 6A for the first time, New Castle picked up where it left off in 2014. The top-seeded ‘Canes defeated Norwin, 59-47, in the WPIAL quarterfinals...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys dispatch Eden Christian
History did not repeat itself for Greensburg Central Catholic and boys basketball coach Christian Hyland. Four years ago, in his first season as the top man at his alma mater, Hyland lost his playoff debut to Eden Christian in the first round at Fox Chapel. It bothered him ever since,...
Burgettstown, Burrell, Frazier send 5 to semifinals at WPIAL Class 2A wrestling
Burgettstown, Burrell and Frazier sent five wrestlers apiece through to the semifinals and one top seed fell on the first day of the WPIAL Class 2A wrestling championships Friday at Chartiers Valley. Belle Vernon’s Kole Doppleheuer, the eighth seed at 145 pounds, had the day’s biggest upset, pinning top seed...
Highlands girls beat Elizabeth Forward, clinch program’s 1st PIAA spot
The Elizabeth Forward girls basketball team averaged 60.5 points during the regular season en route to a Section 3 title, 17 victories and the No. 3 seed for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. But No. 6 Highlands limited the potent Warriors offense throughout Friday’s quarterfinal matchup at Gateway’s Furrie Sports...
Quaker Valley girls keep Knoch offense in check, advance to WPIAL semis
After finishing as WPIAL runner-up in Class 4A two seasons ago, the Quaker Valley girls basketball team has been striving to get back to the title game. The Quakers were derailed in the quarterfinals last season by eventual champion Blackhawk. The Quakers took another step toward getting back Friday night....
North Catholic’s Maggie Foley goes 4 for 4 at WPIAL Class 2A diving championships
Change was afoot at North Allegheny High School for the WPIAL Class 2A diving championships. Last year’s boys champion, Nick Roddy from Ligonier Valley, graduated, so a new champion would be crowned. Additionally, the PIAA instituted a pilot program, changing the format for the state championships to six dives, down...
Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 4A Consolation round Belle Vernon (11-12) at Uniontown (19-4) Noon Saturday, Uniontown High School, Uniontown Winner plays: Winner of South Allegheny (19-5)/Hampton (21-3) Wednesday in fifth-place game (time, site TBD) Loser plays: Loser of South Allegheny/Hampton Wednesday in seventh-place game (time, site TBD) Players to...
