Petrarca paces Peters Township
Sam Petrarca puts up a hoop against Marcus McCarthy. Petrarca exploded for 28 points in Peters Township's 55-46 win against Hempfield in the first round of the WPIAL Class 6A boys' basketball playoffs.
Eleanor Bailey/the Almanac
Peters Township’s Colin Cote is defended by Hempfield’s Blake Remaley while driving to the basket during a WPIAL playoff game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Tense times are experienced by the bench players as Hempfield closes within four points of the Indians Tuesday. Peters Township, however, went on to win, 55-46.
Connor Duane is fouled on his way to the hoop during Peters Township's 55-46 win against Hempfield.
By Eleanor Bailey
Logan Pfeuffer soars to the hoop after beating his defender, Blake Remaley, from Hempfield.
Sam Petrarca exploded for 28 points and paced Peters Township (14-9) to victory against Hempfield (12-11) in a first-round WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball playoff game at Mt. Lebanon.
“He did a great job,” said PT head coach Gary Goga. “He’s a special player.”
Petrarca is an all-section performer and 1,000-point scorer for the Indians. He paced the Indians to 24-11 advantage on three consecutive layups.
“We don’t think anybody could guard him,” Goga said. “We really don’t. Anybody they throw at him, I’ll take Sam.”
Michael Hosni scored 13 points and Marcus McCarthy added 12 for the Spartans. They were able to close double-digit deficits to as little as 46-42 in the fourth quarter. However, PT connected on 9 of 10 free throws in the final 97 seconds.
Petrarca provided four of those free throws. He also finished with 11 rebounds.
The win put the Indians in the quarterfinals where they challenged top-seeded Butler (17-4) Feb. 22.
BP beats NA
Bethel Park (14-8) also advanced to the quarterfinals. The Black Hawks dispatched North Allegheny (11-12) in their first-round game, 53-50.
The victory set up a rematch with Mt. Lebanon (16-6). En route to their Section 2 championship, the Blue Devils beat the Black Hawks twice.
Ryan Meis scored 24 points to lead BP. Tommy DiRienzo added 14 points.
According to BP head coach Josh Bears, the game was won on the glass. The Hawks held a 29-15 edge in rebounding. Ron Zeiler led with 10 boards. DiRienzo followed with nine, including seven on offense.
SLS wins
Seton LaSalle (16-6) defeated McGuffey, 62-50, in its first-round Class 3A contest at Trinity.
Michael Bigley, who recently surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, led the Rebels with 17. Daniel Boehme, Terrell Truss-Moore and Jacob Verner collected 10 points each.
Meanwhile, the Rebels girls basketball team defeated Deer Lakes 56-52. Four players scored in double figures, helping SLS overcome a 21-7 first-frame deficit.
Ava Dursi led the way with 16 points, while Chloe Lestitian and Emma Walsh added 13 points each and Sarah Merlina scored 11.
Results from WPIAL playoff games between local teams played Friday and Saturday were too late to be included in this week’s publication.