SLS Rebels running away with section
With three league games remaining, the Seton-La Salle boys’ and girls’ basketball teams maintained their dominance over the competition. At the start of the week, both sported 9-0 records in Section 4-AA.
The Lady Rebels have yet to lose to a club in the WPIAL district as they prepare for their rematch at Bishop Canevin, set for Feb. 6. At 14-3 overall, SLS’s lone losses have been to teams outside the state; Paul VI of Virginia, 54-49, Our Lady of Good Counsel from Maryland, 68-67, and Northwood Academy from South Carolina, 71-68.
Though they boast three University of Pitt recruits in seniors Naje Gibson and Yacine Diop as well as junior Cassidy Walsh, Nicolete Newman has had the hot hand of late for the Lady Rebels.
The junior guard buried six, 3-point field goals and finished with 20 points in an 80-42 win over Brentwood. Newman was 6-for-8 from 3-point land. In a 70-28 win against Fort Cherry, Newman scorched the nets for 26 points. She connected on all 10 of her shots from the field, including a 6-for-6 showing from beyond the arc.
Newman, who maintains a 3.6 GPA in the classroom, played just under three quarters in both games.
Also in double digits against the Spartans were Walsh and Diop with 14 and 13 markers respectively. Walsh supplied 11 points against the Rangers.
Meanwhile, the SLS men ran their overall record to 17-0 before dropping their first decision on Jan. 26. During the Pittsburgh Classic played at Montour, the Rebels succumbed to the host Spartans, 68-56. The Spartans are the defending WPIAL Class AAA champions.
Dale Clancy leads the Rebels with a 16.3 scoring average. He fired in 16 markers during a 49-41 win over Brentwood and he tossed in 13 tallies in a victory over Fort Cherry, 83-24.
During those two section battles last week, Malik White followed with 11 against the Spartans and 14 against the Rangers. White is averaging 13 points per game.
While Christian DelGreco (12) and Dave Boehme (12) followed in double figures against Fort Cherry, Ryan Norkus and Levi Masua have provided double digits on a regular basis for the Rebels. They manage 12.5 and 9.1 points per game respectively while DelGreco follows with an 8.4 average.
Chartiers Valley continued its dominance over Section 5 foes as well as the WPIAL.
In section action, the Colts posted victories against McGuffey, 88-36, and Waynesburg, 109-45, and raised their record to 9-0. The Colts also defeated Jeannette, 67-50, during the Pittsburgh Classic played Jan. 26 at Montour and improved to 16-1 overall.
Against the Highlanders, Jerrad Tuite (18), Matty McConnell (13), Joey Antonucci (13) and Caleb Zajicek (12) all finished in double figures. Eddie Flohr fired in 18 and McConnell and Zajicek followed with 15 and 14 markers against the Red Raiders.
Against the Jayhawks, Tuite buried three 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. Tuite ranks second on the team in scoring with a 15.4 average. He leads the team in assists.
McConnell, meanwhile, paces the Colts in every other statistical category. He averages 19.1 points per game, converting 34 percent of his 3-point attempts. He manages four rebounds a game to go along with 52 steals and 20 blocked shots.
In other Class AAA action, South Fayette dispatched Keystone Oaks, 68-53, to improve its playoff positioning. With the win, the Lions improved to 6-2 in Section 5, good for third place behind undefeated Chartiers Valley and Montour, which is 6-1. Overall, the Lions are 9-5.
Justin Watson led the attack against the Golden Eagles, knocking in 20 tallies. Nick McKee (14), Jack Relihan (11) and Brett Brumbaugh (10) followed in double digits.
For KO, which slipped to 3-6 in the division and 3-16 overall, Taylor Lehman and Braydon Griffiths finished with 23 and 11 points apiece.
Previously, KO edged South Park, 72-69, in overtime. Lehman exploded for 34 while Jake Morgan followed with 16 tallies.
Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon and Peters Township further cemented the logjam in Section 4-AAAA as each won clashes against the bottom three teams in the division.
With a 54-51 victory at Moon, the Hawks improved to 7-3 in the section and 12-4 overall.
R.J. Pfeuffer and Anthony Bomar were the big guns for Bethel Park, which trailed 42-32 after three quarters, but outscored the Tigers, 22-9, in the final frame. Both finished with 15 tallies. Pfeuffer scored all his points on five, 3-point field goals.
Lebo edged Baldwin, 42-40, to stretch its league mark to 6-3. The Blue Devils also eked out a win against Montour in double overtime, 76-70, during the Caohes vs. Cancer Clash of the Titans at Geneva College. Lebo is 8-9 overall.
On its home court against the Highlanders, Jonny David and Maz Li each totaled 10 tallies for Lebo. David exploded for 32 markers against the Spartans while Li fired in 22.
Meanwhile, the Indians dispatched Trinity, 59-46. With the win, PT improved to 6-4 in the section and 9-8 overall.
J.C. Brush pumped in 18 points followed by Conor Freeley’s 10 tallies. The pair paced Peters in a previous win against Moon, 58-33, with 16 and 11 points, respectively. Conor Manning also finished in double figures with 10 markers.
In Class AA action, Chartiers-Houston outlasted Burgettstown, 55-47, in Section 4.
Alec Ferrari (18), Kodie Hanley (11) and Ben Shade (11) produced double digits for the Buccanneers.
Despite 12- and 10-point performances from Brendan Cahill and Walter Bonds, Bishop Canevin dropped a 74-58 decision to Burgettstown. The Crusaders also succumbed to Serra Catholic, 84-44, in a non-league clash. While Cahill tossed in 10 tallies, Reed Relosky led with 15 markers.
South Fayette dispatched Moon, 66-57. Carlee Kilgus, Lauren Crites and Mia Wells led the way with 20, 19 and 10 tallies for the Lions.
Despite 12-point performances from Kilgus and Wells, the Lions dropped a 57-43 decision to Keystone Oaks, 57-43, in follow-up action.
Upper St. Clair defeated Chartiers Valley, 48-43.
Rachel Mazzie, Elyana Kaylor and Mandi Serio reached double digits, firing in 17, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Jenna Devinney, who connected on four, 3-pointers, led the Colts with 18 markers.
The Panthers also slipped past Baldwin, 63-58, in overtime. Diandra Conwell led with 25 tallies while Mazzie and Serio chipped in 15 and 10 points each.
The Colts also dropped a 47-43 decision to Canon-McMillan. Devinney pitched in 14 points while Olivia Lorusso and Cheyenne Trest led the Lady Macs with 14 and 13, respectively.
Addy Knetzer exploded for 31 points and the senior pulled down 17 rebounds as Chartiers-Houston dispatched Steel Valley, 60-38, in Section 4-AA play. Jala Youngblood also finished in double digits, tossing in 20 points for the Buccanners.
Prior to its meeting against Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park upended Peters Township, 55-45. Harper Zimmer and Justina Mascaro led the Lady Hawks with 16 and 10 points while Madison Kerr pumped in 22 for the Indians.