Westmoreland campus clippings: Multiple basketball players set for homecomings

Look for homecomings to be a popular theme among some local college basketball players as the calendar turns to 2020.

A number of area alums will return to the region with their teams as conference play heats up.

Cal (Pa.) senior Monica Burns (Hempfield) probably will draw a crowd of defenders — and family and friends — when she and the Vulcans (9-2) play at Seton Hill (9-1) on Sunday.

An all-conference transfer from Wheeling Jesuit, where she played two seasons and set the college record for consecutive free throws made (118), Burns has been one of the top players in the PSAC since joining the Vulcans after a year off.

She is scoring 14.8 points and grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game and leads the team with 26 3-pointers.

On Jan. 18, former Latrobe standout Jake Biss will join his Shippensburg teammates for a road trip to Seton Hill. The junior point guard is averaging 15.9 points and 3.7 rebounds in a team-best 35 minutes a game for the Raiders (8-3).

Freshman Geoff Helm (Greensburg Central Catholic) is a reserve guard for Shippensburg, which is coached by Latrobe alum Chris Fite.

Local fans will remember former Southmoreland standout Brandon Stone, now a freshman forward at La Salle. The 6-foot-11 Stone, who finished his prep career at The Christ School in Arden, N.C., has played in 11 games, with two starts, for the Explorers (9-3). He had 12 points and six rebounds against Iona and scored 17 points in 18 minutes in a win over Wright State.

Two players already made stops to the area and brought out crowds of family and friends: Lehigh freshman guard Reed Fenton and Mansfield freshman guard Bella Skatell.

Fenton had 13 points, including a dunk in Lehigh’s 77-69 loss at St. Francis (Pa.).

Skatell played 19 minutes and had a steal in Mansfield’s 71-60 loss at Seton Hill.

Another intriguing matchup to watch will happen about four-and-a-half hours east in Bethlehem when Holy Cross visits Lehigh on Feb. 12.

The game will pit former Latrobe teammates in Holy Cross junior guard Austin Butler and Fenton.

Men’s basketball

Saint Vincent: Junior forward Shemar Bennett scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots on the way to MVP honors as the host Bearcats defeated Catholic University of America, 81-73, to win the Catholic Basketball Invitational Championship and end 2019 on a high note. Senior guard Josh Duda added 18 points, junior Walter Bonds had 11 points and six assists and junior Cletus Helton chipped in 11 points for SVC (7-5).

Bennett and Stephen made the all-tournament team.

Stephen had 26 points and nine rebounds, Bennett had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Helton added 15 points in the tournament opener for the Bearcats, a 78-71 win over Immaculata University.

Women’s basketball

IUP: Recent graduate Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg Central Catholic) was named to the IUP Athletics All-Decade Team for the 2010s. An All-American last year as a senior, Appleby helped guide the Crimson Hawks to back-to-back 30-win seasons and two NCAA Division II final four trips in a row.

She is second in program history with 1,723 points.

Wrestling

Bucknell: Sophomore Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon) reached the semifinals in the 165-pound bracket at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Ill. It was his second straight trip to the semis of the prestigious event. He lost to Danny Braunagel of Illinois, 10-4, to fall into the fifth-place match.

Senior 197-pounder Drew Phipps (Norwin) went 2-2 in the tournament.

Iowa: Junior Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional), a two-time NCAA champion, reached the 125-pound semifinals at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Ill., but pulled out of the event with a medical forfeit. The move was a coach’s decision.

Lee was the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Details were not available on his condition.

Football

IUP: Senior linebacker Nick Amendola (Norwin) was named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette Division II All-Super Region I second team. He had 74 tackles, 8¹⁄₂ for loss, to go with five sacks and four interceptions. The Hansen team is composed of the best players from the MEC, PSAC, G-MAC and NE-10 conferences.

Mercyhurst: Sophomore tight end Jason Armstrong (Latrobe) was named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette Division II All-Super Region I third team. In addition to his role as a key blocker, Armstrong had 21 receptions for 233 yards and six touchdowns.

West Liberty: Senior safety Logan Deri (Norwin) was named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette Division II All-Super Region I third team. A four-year starter, Deri led his team in tackles (79) and is the sixth player in program history to record 300 or more tackles.