High School category, Page 673

A young basketball team can age considerably in the short span of 25 days. Aliquippa had a noticeable growth spurt between its two games against Seton LaSalle, said Quips coach Nick Lackovich, who starts three sophomores and two juniors. About a month after a heart-breaking loss in overtime, Aliquippa played...

During the offseason, Jonna Burke surprised many in the WPIAL basketball bubble by leaving as head coach at her alma mater Bethel Park to take over the girls basketball program at Shady Side Academy. She left a perennial power in 6A to take over a team that finished last and...

Postseason basketball is in the air as the regular season concludes. A sure sign is the elite teams across the state are cranking it up ahead of the upcoming district playoffs. For the first time all year, there were no teams falling out, thus no new teams cracking the Trib...

As we get closer to the end of the regular season and the start of the district playoffs, the weekly Trib HSSN boys basketball state rankings have become a battle of the super powers between two districts in the east and west. District 12 leads all districts with 10 teams...

Devin Carney scored 37 points as Butler defeated North Allegheny, 69-59, in Section 1-6A boys basketball Tuesday, clinching a playoff berth and beating the Tigers for the third time this season. Braylon Littlejohn added 10 for the Golden Tornado (11-8, 5-7). Ty Iwanonkiw scored 14, Matt McDonough had 13, and...

Playing with a sense of playoff urgency, Hempfield pieced together a Section 3-6A win and moved a step closer to securing a postseason berth. Then came the waterworks. “I could cry right now,” coach Bill Swan said, soaked in a white T-shirt, dress pants and damp dress shoes. “These guys...

For the first time in PIAA team championship history, seven teams from the WPIAL will be at Hershey for the tournament, which begins Thursday at Giant Center. Class 2A Burgettstown and Latrobe and Canon-McMillan in Class 3A earned trips to the state tournament with victories Monday in the preliminary round....

Hempfield’s rifle team was right on target Tuesday … in the absolute middle of the target. Boasting 100s across the board, the Spartans celebrated a sixth WPIAL title. Senior Amanda Hardman had a perfect score of 100 with 10 center shots to help Hempfield win the team championship at Dormont-Mt....

The entrance to Derry’s Trojan Stadium is going to look quite different in the near future. Through charitable donations the Derry Area School District Foundation described as “major,” the stadium gateway will undergo renovations this summer. The entry way will include a larger ticket booth, updated restrooms, a new concession...

Trib HSSN’s WPIAL individual wrestling rankings as of Feb. 8, 2022: Class 3A 106: 1. Luke Willochell (Latrobe) 32-3; 2. Nico Fanella (Indiana) 23-0; 3. Ty Kapusta (Franklin Regional) 18-5; 4. Tanner Mizenko (Canon-McMillan), 21-7; 5. Casey Walker (North Allegheny) 23-9. 113: 1. Ty Chappell (Seneca Valley) 27-4; 2. Brandon...

Ryan Lang worked hard to transform his game, and now it has paid off. Lang, a 6-1 senior guard at Knoch, committed to Allegheny on Sunday. “I love the coaches there. I love the campus and the team,” he said. “I think it’s the best place for me.” Allegheny coach...

This season seems to be more about the journey than the destination for the Freeport hockey team. Featuring a roster loaded with underclassmen, the Yellowjackets seem to peaking at just the right moment heading into the final month of the regular season. “It’s been a transition this year,” said coach...

Amid the chaos of a week where he was named offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, Bobby Engram managed to find time to talk about one of his proteges making it to the Super Bowl stage. As Pitt’s wide receivers coach, Engram recruited Tyler Boyd out of Clairton High School and was...

Class 3A Team (record), last week’s ranking 1.Waynesburg (16-0) 1 3. Connellsville (18-2) 3 2. Latrobe (12-1) 2 4. Canon-McMillan (11-5) 5 5. North Allegheny (7-1) 4 6. Kiski Area (14-4) 6 7. Butler (16-4) 7 8. Norwin (10-4) 9 9. Bethel Park (10-5) NR 10. Franklin Regional (6-2) 7...

Greensburg Salem’s athletic department has quite a celebration planned for Wednesday’s match against Ringgold. First, the district will celebrate the team’s 800th victory, which occurred Dec. 18 when the Golden Lions defeated Gateway, 54-18. More than 100 alumni and three previous coaches (Rob Waller, Daryl Kelvington and Bill Alexander) along...

High schools Basketball Boys Monday’s results Class 5A Section 3 Kiski Area 49, Woodland Hills 47 Section 4 Mars 78, Plum 47 Hampton 53, Shaler 48 Class 4A Section 3 Uniontown 73, South Park 37 Class 3A Section 1 Ellwood City 57, Mohawk 31 Section 2 Avonworth 75, New Brighton...

Because he’s better known as a lacrosse player, the Mars coaching staff didn’t know whether Austin Cote would come out for basketball. The Planets are glad he did. With Highlands cutting a 13-point deficit to five in the fourth period, Cote scored a pair of 3-point baskets and a two-point...

Keystone Oaks came into its home game Tuesday with its playoff hopes on life support. Thanks to a big run in the third quarter and a strong second half, Deer Lakes KO’d the Golden Eagles’ playoff hopes. The Lancers broke open a tie game with an 11-0 run midway through...

Less than a week remains in section play in the WPIAL girls basketball regular season. This winter, the district returns to earning a ticket to ride on the Path to the Pete with no open tournament and the championships returning to the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center, March 3-5....

Alyssa Clutter scored 23 points to lead Trinity to a 90-62 girls basketball victory over Albert Gallatin on Monday, clinching the Section 3-5A title for the Hillers. Eden Williamson added 15, Macie Justice 13 and Madeline Roberts 12 for No. 2 Trinity (16-1, 11-0). Gianna Michaux led Albert Gallatin (13-4,...

Down to seven players, a hobbled leading scorer and a section schedule wearing thin on opportunities, the Derry girls basketball team played on with flickering playoff hopes. Yes, these Lady Trojans, who could have mailed it in weeks ago, kept reaching upward toward fourth place in the Section 1-4A standings....

The Highlands girls basketball team entered Monday’s Section 1-4A matchup with Freeport averaging 54.5 points, and its previous season high of 76 points came last week in a 22-point nonsection win over Keystone Oaks. The Golden Rams blew past that season average and topped the Keystone Oaks total by one...

In the last three years, the Butler boys basketball team lost to Mt. Lebanon in the 6A finals in 2019, beat the Blue Devils to win district gold in 2020 and lost to eventual champion Upper St. Clair in the WPIAL semifinals last year. Now the Golden Tornado are in...

They are the poster child of every darkhorse high school basketball team when the playoffs tip off. The incredible run of the Ellwood City boys basketball team last season should be an inspiration to many come next week. Last year, the Wolverines finished tied for second in their section and...

As Jackson Juzang wraps up a marvelous high school basketball career at Winchester Thurston, he accomplished a personal achievement this past week. Now he’s focused on the team goal. It was an up-and-down week for the Bears, but business as usual for Juzang, who scored 57 points in two games....