High School category, Page 956
Fox Chapel rallies past Plum, grinds out Section 2-5A victory
The Plum girls basketball team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its Section 2-5A home matchup against Fox Chapel at Plum High School. The Mustangs scored the first 13 points, and pressure defense confounded the Foxes into six turnovers. But Fox Chapel responded to the early adversity, rallied...
Southmoreland girls use defense to fend off Belle Vernon
Southmoreland doesn’t have a true rival in girls basketball. Belle Vernon might be the closest thing. “It’s always rough when he play here,” Southmoreland junior forward Gracie Spadaro said about Belle Vernon’s gym. Fourth-ranked Southmoreland wasn’t itself in the early going Thursday night as it struggled to run offensive sets,...
Kiski Area picks up two sub-section wins ahead of Powerade wrestling tournament
The Kiski Area wrestling team still is trying to find its identity in a year in which the coronavirus pandemic has caused it to pause and restart multiple times. But, over the course of the past week, the Cavaliers finally started to get back on the mat. They hosted the...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys correct course after early season loss
When Greensburg Central Catholic lost by a point to Jeannette earlier this month, 47-46, the Centurions took some stock in themselves and re-racked. The defeat, however early in the season it was, did not demonstrate the Centurions’ best traits. You might even call it an anomaly, second-year coach Christian Hyland...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Greensburg Salem, Franklin Regional affected by shutdowns
Greensburg Salem is the only active boys basketball team in the WPIAL that has not played a game this season. Summit Academy also is 0-0 but opted to forego the season. All told, Greensburg Salem has lost 27 days to covid-19 shutdowns, including the mandatory three-week pause of high school...
Fox Chapel boys starting to hit stride after two resume-building wins
With the turnover the Fox Chapel boys basketball team went through in the offseason, losing four senior starters, there were bound to be a few ups and downs to their 2021 season that didn’t have to do with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Just four games into the season, the No....
A-K Valley boys basketball notebook: No. 3 Highlands stacking up wins
One year after winning their first WPIAL championship since 1995, the victories keep coming for the Highlands boys basketball team. The Golden Rams (6-0, 3-0) have won by small and large margins this winter, including three by one points — two of which came this week. Highlands’ other three wins...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 27, 2021
Basketball Boys Wednesday’s results WPIAL Class 4A Section 1 Deer Lakes 62, Keystone Oaks 47 Section 2 Central Valley 67, Lincoln Park 59 Section 3 Elizabeth Forward 58, South Park 55 Class 3A Section 4 Brentwood 64, Brownsville 41 Class A Section 2 Geibel 57, Propel Montour 19 Nonconference Avonworth...
Burrell pulls out of Powerade Tournament
A second WPIAL team has been forced to pull out of the Powerade Tournament. Burrell wrestling announced on Twitter today that it must pull out of the tournament and hopes to return to action Feb. 4 against Thomas Jefferson. It seems our schedule is changing daily this season. You can...
PIAA moves state swimming, diving championships to high school venue
The state swimming championships are changing lanes. The PIAA board voted to move this winter’s state swimming and diving meet to Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg. Covid-19 gathering limits led the PIAA to find a host site other than Bucknell, PIAA associate executive director Melissa Mertz said Wednesday. Diving...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 28, 2021: Trinity girls face another test
Less than a week after a headlining-making victory, the Trinity girls basketball team faces another tough challenge on Thursday. The Hillers climbed to the top of the district and state rankings by ending the state record win streak of Chartiers Valley, 49-42, on Saturday. Now they host Thomas Jefferson with...
Trib HSSN boys basketball state rankings for Jan. 27, 2021
Once again, there was very little movement among the ranked teams in the weekly HSSN boys basketball state rankings, with the two exceptions being in the two highest classifications. Upper St. Clair lost to Fox Chapel and exited in 6A while Milton Hershey lost twice in Class 5A to slip...
Trib 10: New teams at the top of boys, girls power rankings
Big changes this week in the HSSN boys and girls basketball power rankings with three teams out, three teams in and two new No. 1 teams in the Trib 10. The changes in the boys rankings started at the top with Fox Chapel beating Upper St. Clair, allowing the Foxes...
High school roundup for Jan. 27, 2021: No. 1 Waynesburg rolls over Canon Mac
When Waynesburg and Canon-McMillan met in the Section 4-AAA finals last year, it was one of the most exciting dual meets of the season. After the teams wrestled to a 30-30 tie, the Raiders won on the ninth tie-breaking criteria. When the teams met again Wednesday night, tie-breaking criteria were...
Winning, not points or records, motivates Plum girls basketball standout Montue
Kennedie Montue averaged 22.1 points a game last year and helped the Plum girls basketball team to a 14-7 record and to within a game of the program’s first section championship. Last year’s Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year and multi-year all-conference performer has picked up where she left...
PIAA might keep football championships in November, start season earlier
Should the state football championship remain in November, even if that requires an earlier start date or smaller playoffs? That’s a question the PIAA wants its strategic planning committee to consider. For now it’s just talk, but the PIAA might take action before next season if the right plan comes...
Westmoreland high school girls basketball notebook: Yough revels in snapped streak
Yough is showing steady improvement and the proof is in the numbers. Especially one gigantic, glaring number: 99. That was how many section games the Cougars had lost in a row before they finally broke through last week. Yes, they almost lost 100 consecutive section games dating to 2013. Coach...
Former Allderdice coach, police academy cadet accused of selling cocaine from house
A former Pittsburgh Allderdice High School football coach who was going through a police academy is accused of selling cocaine out of his Squirrel Hill home, according to charges filed Wednesday by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Branndon Pezzelle, 36, allegedly had 1,252 grams – nearly 3 pounds – of...
Local basketball freshmen playing beyond their years
Jim Nesser liked what he saw from Terek Crosby from the moment the promising freshman first laced up his basketball shoes and took the court at Yough. Nesser has coached at a few area schools over a lengthy career, coming full circle at Yough — his first stop in 1988...
AK Valley girls basketball notebook: Every second counts for Kiski Area
In Saturday’s 33-31 buzzer-beating win over Greensburg Salem, Kiski Area’s players saw first-hand how much every second counts in close games. The early seconds, and minutes, didn’t add up to much for the Cavaliers, who missed their first nine shots. They trailed the Golden Lions for a total of 31...
3 WPIAL freshmen make MaxPreps All-America football team
Three rising stars in the WPIAL Class of 2024 were named to the MaxPreps All-America Freshman football team. Belle Vernon running back, receiver and defensive back Quinton Martin, Central Catholic tight end/linebacker Anthony Speca and Jeannette quarterback Brad Birch were among the 48 national selections for offense and defense. All...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 26, 2021
High schools Basketball Boys Tuesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 North Allegheny 74, North Hills 65 (OT) Pine-Richland 76, Seneca Valley 60 Class 5A Section 3 McKeesport 52, Kiski Area 40 Franklin Regional at Woodland Hills, ppd. Latrobe at Penn Hills, ppd. Section 4 Highlands 56, Hampton 55 Mars 91,...
Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings for Jan. 27, 2021
There may have been some shuffling going on, but the elite girls teams across the state enjoyed a successful week as no teams fell out of the weekly HSSN state rankings. Old Forge fell in Class 2A from No. 2 to No. 5, and Mohawk and Camp Hill Trinity switched...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 27, 2021: Highlands, Springdale square off
Everything is A-OK with boys basketball in the A-K Valley. Two of the top teams are scheduled to square off in a nonsection game Wednesday when defending Class 4A champion Highlands hosts Springdale. The Golden Rams moved to 5-0 with a 56-55 win voer Hampton on Tuesday. Highlands has used...
High school roundup for Jan. 26, 2021: Aquinas sophomore Vinnie Cugini hits for 52 in loss
Aquinas Academy sophomore Vinnie Cugini scored 52 points, breaking the 50-point barrier for the second time in a week, but this time, it didn’t lead to a victory. Andrew Sullivan scored 39 points to lead St. Joseph to an 85-72 win over Aquinas Academy in Section 3-A boys basketball Tuesday...
