Free throws key as Wash High wins 15th straight
Matt Popeck scored 31 points and Washington extended its winning streak to 15 games with a 67-58 victory over visiting Steel Valley in a non-section game Friday night matching playoff teams in Class AAA.
Steel Valley (10-12) lived by the three-point shot but Washington (18-3) won with the free throw. Steel Valley made 11 three-pointers and had four more field goals than the Prexies, but Wash High converted 23 of 29 free throws while Steel Valley went to the line only 11 times, making nine.
The score was tied 31-31 at halftime and Washington outscored Steel Valley 19-12 in the pivotal third quarter. The Prexies protected their lead by making foul shots.
Popeck scored 15 points in the first half and 16 in the second to lead the Prexies’ offense. Isaiah Robinson, Isaiah Schoonmaker and Ronnie Paith each scored nine points.
Jamir Fletcher led Steel Valley with 18 points. Camden Polak followed with 16 points and Chase Polak had 15, each making five three-point shots.
Jefferson-Morgan 66, Carmichaels 60: Jefferson-Morgan ended its season on a winning note by defeating arch-rival Carmichaels 66-60 in the Section 2-AA finale.
DL Garrett scored a game-high 24 points and Jaylin Torres followed with 18 to lead the Jefferson-Morgan attack. Garrett made six three-pointers.
The Rockets led 39-28 at halftime as Garrett scored 11 of his points in the second quarter. Carmichaels (0-12, 6-16) battled back and cut J-M’s lead to 46-45 after three quarters.
Matt Barrish paced Carmichaels with 12 points and Dylan Wilson had 10.
Burgettstown 59, South Side Beaver 37: Playoff-bound Burgettstown turned in another strong defensive effort, holding host South Side Beaver to only eight field goals en route to a 59-37 victory in Section 4-AAA.
The win moves Burgettstown’s record to .500 across the board at 6-6 in the section and 11-11 overall heading into the postseason.
The Blue Devils forged a 19-7 lead after one quarter, a 34-20 advantage at halftime and then held the Rams (2-10, 6-16) to only three points in the third quarter.
Reed Reitter and Max Shaw shared scoring honors for Burgettstown as each tossed in 12 points. Jarred John followed with 10 points. Cole LaRocka led the Blue Devils with 13 rebounds.
Brownsville 55, Beth-Center 35: Tyler Coddington scored 16 points and Brownsville jumped out to a 31-10 halftime lead en route to a 55-35 Section 4-AAA win over Beth-Center.
Jake McCormick added 13 points and Jared Gaddis and Shandon Marshall had 10 each for Brownsville (5-7, 10-12).
Andrew White led Beth-Center (0-12, 5-15) with 10 points.
Uniontown 94, Waynesburg 82: Kamron Fitzgerald scored 32 points, including hitting seven three-pointers, to lead Uniontown to a 94-82 Section 3-AAAA win over Waynesburg.
Lorenzo Odom added 13 points for Uniontown (6-8, 9-12).
Darton McIntire scored 32 points for Waynesburg (1-13, 2-20), which also got 17 points from Richard Bortz.
Elizabeth Forward 60, Belle Vernon 49: Tre Mitchell’s 27 points helped Elizabeth Forward beat Belle Vernon in a Section 3-AAAA game.
EF (10-4, 12-9) pulled into a three-way tie for second place in the section with the win, finishing the game on a 18-5.
Logan Pfrogner had 13 points for Belle Vernon (11-3, 16-6), which wrapped up the section title despite the defeat thanks to a loss by McGuffey at South Park.
California 55, Frazier 48: Kass Taylor’s 22 points and 12 rebounds helped California hold off Frazier, 55-48, in a Section 2-AA game.
The Trojans (9-3, 18-3) trailed, 40-35 entering the fourth quarter before finishing the game on a 21-8 run.
Josh Cox had 14 points for Frazier (5-7, 6-17).
Frazier finished in tie with Bentworth for fourth place in the section but played one game over the PIAA limit of 22 regular season games.
In other games: McGuffey finished in a three-way tie for second place in Section 3-AAA after being upset 67-57 at South Park. Southmoreland was an 86-49 winner over Charleroi. No game details were made available to the Observer-Reporter.