Boys’ basketball round-up
The Bishop Canevin girls are not the only ones enjoying a successful run on the basketball courts. Their male counterparts have experienced no sophomore jinx under second-year head coach Kevin Trost.
In 2014, his first at the helm, Trost guided the Crusaders to a 17-8 record and a third-place showing in Section 3-AA. Heading into last night’s fray at Carlynton, the Bishop Canevin boys led the league with a (8-0) record. They were 11-4 overall after Monday’s narrow loss, 55-54, at South Fayette.
Mitchell King leads the Crusaders with a 19-point scoring average. He fired in 18 points against South Fayette and 17 in a 68-59 win against Seton-La Salle.
Justin Dix is right on the heels of King, averaging 14 points per game. He hit that mark against the Rebels and finished with 13 against the Lions. John Weldon topped out with 22 tallies against SLS while Walter Bonds chipped in 10 tallies versus South Fayette.
In SLS’s loss to Canevin, Bill O’Malley and Cletus Helton both pitched in 15 points, followed by Nolan Abbiatici’s 13 tallies.
Previously, South Fayette dispatched Keystone Oaks, 70-44. Matt Thomas (19), Ryhan Culberson (18) and Ray Eldridge (14) led the Lions. Jake Wilson (18) and Josh Snell (11) paced the Golden Eagles. Against Canevin, Culberson and Thomas tossed in 21 and 14 points respectively for the Lions, who trail West Allegheny in the Section 5-AAA standings. South Fayette is 5-1 in the division and 8-6 overall.
Lebo surging
Mt. Lebanon (4-4, 7-9) picked up two key victories last week and moved into playoff contention in Section 4-AAAA with victories against Upper St. Clair, 38-37, and Moon, 51-47. The Blue Devils also edged Seton-La Salle, 52-48, in a non-league contest.
Lebo’s win against the Panthers was huge as it occurred on the road.
With 16 seconds to play, Mark Lamendola tied the game on a 3-point play. He sunk a free throw with seven seconds left to seal the victory. Lamendola topped out with 14 points.
Freshman Sean Loughran buried a pair of critical 3-pointers, including one that gave the Blue Devils a 34-32 edge with 3:35 to play. Joey Passodelis was also instrumental in the win. He pumped in eight points, six in the second stanza, when Lebo outscored USC, 17-6, to take a 24-12 lead into the locker room at halftime.
For USC, Zach Pateras fired in 15 points, all on 3-point field goals. He scored four of them in the second half. Pateras pitched in 10 markers in a 59-46 win at Canon-McMillan (1-7, 6-9). Also for the Panthers, who improved to 4-4 in the section and 9-6 overall, Andrew Wheeler and Jack Hansberry finished in double digits with 17 and 16 points. In the win against the Tigers, Lamendola exploded for 22 points and Garofoli chipped in 16 markers. Against the Rebels, Garofoli pumped in 22 tallies.
CV still on top
Chartiers Valley also slipped past Moon, 66-65, and defeated Bethel Park, 79-72, to remain atop the Section 4-AAAA standings with a 7-1 slate. Overall the Colts were 10-3 heading into last night’s action against Canon-McMillan.
Eddie Flohr (18), Caleb Zajicek (17), Ross Wilkerson (13) and Coleman Vaughn (10) all finished in double digits against the Tigers. Flohr (27), Wilkerson (23) and Zajicek (19) led the way against Bethel Park (3-5, 9-6).
Meanwhile, Chance Wright (24), Josh Duda (18) and Jake Dixon (11) led the Hawks, who saw their three-game winning streak in the division snapped by Baldwin, 66-56. Dixon exploded for 21 tallies in that defeat. The Hawks dropped to 3-5 in the section and 9-7 overall.
Peters Township (5-3, 10-4) dropped out of second place in the division after a 61-57 loss to Baldwin (6-2, 12-3). Nick Valentic fired in 22 points and Ben Doyle followed with 11 markers for the Indians, who needed overtime to beat Canon-McMillan (1-6, 6-8), previously.
Mike Cortez and Valentic fired in 23 and 22 points respectively. Clayton Yeates and Ethan Young followed with 13 and 12 tallies. For the Big Macs, Britton Beachy topped out with 30 points. Carson Miller and R.J. Bell followed with 23 and 18 markers.
PT girls beat BP
Peters Township upended Bethel Park, 52-48, in girls’ basketball on Monday, Jan. 18. The victory avenged an earlier season section loss, 61-52, to the Hawks. The two teams are now tied for the Section 4-AAAA lead with 7-2 records. Overall, the Indians improved to 14-2 while BP dropped to 12-3.
In a pivotal fourth frame, PT outscored the Hawks, 28-14. Makenna Marisa led the uprising for the Indians, who trailed 34-28, after three quarters. The freshman fired in 19 of her game-high 29 points in the final eight minutes of play. She connected on 9 of 10 free throws late in the contest.
“It seemed like she just became more determined,” BP head coach Jonna Burke said of Marisa. “Those two three-pointers she hit show her maturity to me because we were so afraid of her driving the basketball. She is just an outstanding player. Having that type of a performance from a freshman is big-time.”
Alyssa Konopka also pitched in 12 tallies for Peters. Shannon Conely (20) and Justina Mascaro (14) finished in double digits for the Hawks.
In other girls’ action on Monday, Canon-McMillan (7-2, 10-5) dispatched West Allegheny, 65-35, to remain in a tie for first place in Section 4-AAAA with PT and BP. Beccay Turney (19), Izzy Allen (15) and Cheyenne Trest (13) paced the Lady Mac offense.
Mt. Lebanon defeated Baldwin, 45-36. Kenzie Bushee (14) and Kate Sramac (13) led the way for the Blue Devils, who are 6-3 in the league and 8-7 overall.
Upper St. Clair picked up a victory, 62-36, against Moon. Alley Steve (17), Mira Fontana (12) and Samantha Smith (10) led the way offensively for the Panthers (3-6, 5-10).