SF, PT girls continue on collision course
South Fayette and Peters Township continue on a collision course as both teams continue to dominate the girls’ basketball scene this winter.
The Lady Lions ran their winning streak to nine games with victories against Montour, 79-33, and Moon, 51-24. South Fayette was 10-0 in Section 3 and 17-1 overall heading into its game against New Castle on Jan. 30.
The Lady Lions close out the regular season on the road against Chartiers Valley at 6 p.m. Feb. 3 and Seneca Valley at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at The Battle at North Allegheny Tournament.
Their only loss occurred on Dec. 28 against St. Mary’s of New York during the Tampa Bay Invitational in Florida.
South Fayette is the three-time WPIAL Class 5A champions.
“Our girls program is second to none,” said David Mislan, who coaches the South Fayette boys’ varsity. “They have great coaches, play on a whole different scope and are fun to watch.”
The Lions average 61.4 points per game while surrendering just 36.1. They feature a balanced attack.
In the win against the Spartans, Juliette Leroux (15), Lailah Wright (15) and Haylie Lamonde (14) finished in double figures. Against the Tigers, the trio again finished in double digits with 13, 12 and 10 tallies respectively.
Peters Township, like the Lady Lions, have not lost to a WPIAL team this winter.
The Indians dropped decisions to two Ohio teams: Strongville, 57-56, in the Tampa Bay Invitational on Dec 20 and Olentangy, 56-39, on Jan. 18 at Pickerington High School Central.
The Indians were 8-0 in Section 4 and 15-2 overall after beating Trinity on Jan. 28.
Miami recruit Natalie Wetzel topped all scorers with 28 tallies. Also in the victory, Taylor McCullough and Daniela Radulovich followed with 10 and nine points respectively.
The Indians can clinch the section title when they face Thomas Jefferson at 6 p.m. Feb. 3 at the AHN Arena.
The Indians also have section contests at home against Uniontown on Feb. 4 and away at Bethel Park on Feb. 7. They wrap up the regular season at 6 p.m. Feb. 10 hosting Mt. Lebanon.
The Blue Devils put themselves back into playoff contention when they knocked off Canon-McMillan on Jan. 27. In the 33-25 victory, Cali Green and Payton Collins both fired in 12 tallies.
The Lady Macs were fresh off an upset win against No. 1 Upper St. Clair, 45-38. Lebo and C-M were 4-3 in Section 2 and trailed USC and Norwin in the standings. Both teams held a two-game lead over Hempfield in the playoff race as the top four teams in the division qualify for the postseason, which begins Feb. 13.
USC slipped into second place in Section 2 after a 56-47 loss to Norwin. It was the third straight loss for the Lady Panthers. In addition to the Knights and Lady Macs, USC also lost to Shaler, 59-47.
In the loss to the Knights, Rylee Kalocay pumped in 19 points while Meredith Huzjak chipped in 11. In the loss to the Lady Macs, Kalocay and Huzjak finished with 18 and 12 respectively.
Despite the defeat to Norwin, USC clinched a playoff spot. The Knights have also qualified for one of the eight slots.
The WPIAL will release the girls basketball brackets Monday, Feb. 10.
Other action
Sadie Orie exploded for 35 points as Bethel Park thumped West Allegheny, 72-62, in other girls basketball action. Ella Sabatos and Kat Boff finished with 14 and 11 points respectively.
The Lady Hawks improved to 5-3 in Section 4 and 9-8 overall. They had to like their playoff chances as they hosted three of their last four section games against Thomas Jefferson, Albert Gallatin and Peters Township. Their lone road game was set for Feb. 4 against Baldwin.
In boys’ basketball, Upper St. Clair remained the team to beat in Class 6A. The Panthers ran their Section 2 record to 11-0 with wins against Norwin, 81-59, and Connellsville, 63-36. USC is 18-1 overall.
In the win against the Knights, Tyler Robbins (18), Kaamil Jackson (17) and Niko Midas (17) finished in double figures. Against the Falcons, Robbins, Jackson, Gianni DiSora and Ryan Robbins each fired in 10 points.
Mt. Lebanon clinched a playoff spot in the Class 6A boys tournament with victories against Norwin, 84-60, and Canon-McMillan, 76-45. With the wins, the Blue Devils improved to 7-4 in Section 2 and 11-6 overall.
Against the Knights, Liam Sheely exploded for 29 points. Carter Gould chipped in 21 tallies.
Sheely was also the top scorer against the Big Macs with 20 markers. Jacob Saber (16), Gould (15) and Sam Deibert (12) also finished in double digits.