Dec 19, 2019 6 min read

Senior Cierra Gazi scored a game-high 24 points and Charleroi’s girls basketball team extended its winning streak to four games with a key 46-40 victory over host South Park on Thursday night.

The win keeps the Cougars in first place in Class 3A Section 2. Charleroi (3-0, 6-2) and South Park (2-1, 2-4) began the night in a three-way tie with Seton LaSalle for the section lead.

The Cougars wasted no time in taking control of the game, forging a 19-7 lead after one quarter. Charleroi led 30-18 at halftime and 39-30 after three quarters.

South Park’s Danielle DeProspo tried to rally the Eagles as she scored 22 points.

West Greene 62, Jefferson-Morgan 11: Another fast start led to another one-sided victory for West Greene.

The undefeated Pioneers scored 25 first-quarter points and overwhelmed visiting Jefferson-Morgan, defeating the Rockets 62-11 in Section 2-A.

West Greene (3-0, 7-0) led 25-1 after one quarter and 43-5 at halftime.

Jersey Wise paced the Pioneers with 20 points and Elizabeth Brudnock hit double figures with 13. Wise and Brudnock each made three three-point field goals.

Savannah Clark led J-M (1-1, 1-4) with five points.

Avella 54, Monessen 36: Strong defense in the first half and good free-throw shooting throughout carried Avella to a 54-36 victory over host Monessen in Section 2-A.

The game was the section opener for Avella (1-0, 3-1). Monessen dropped to 1-2 in section and 4-3 overall. The Greyhounds had won four of their last five but got off to a slow start, falling behind 13-5 after one quarter and 28-13 at halftime.

Avella’s Bess Lengauer had a double-double, scoring a game-high 14 points to go with 10 rebounds. Brianna Jenkins was in double figures with 11 points. The Eagles made 18 of 25 free-throw attempts.

Qitarah Hardison led Monessen in scoring with 13 points.

Hempfield 53, Canon-McMillan 47: Sarah Liberatore scored 18 points, Emma Hoffner had 17 and Hempfield picked up its first Class 6A Section 2 victory by defeating host Canon-McMillan 53-47.

After the first quarter ended tied at 14-14, Hempfield (1-2, 2-3) opened a 31-27 entering halftime and the Spartans were able to maintain an advantage.

Ellionna Kotar paced Canon-McMillan (0-3, 1-6) with 14 points and Stellanie Loutsion followed with 11.

Belle Vernon 59, Mount Pleasant 23: Rachel Wobrak led three Belle Vernon players in double figures with 15 points as the Leopards rolled to a 59-23 victory over visiting Mount Pleasant in Class 4A Section 3.

The Leopards (2-1, 4-2) held Mount Pleasant to only two points in both the first and third quarters and led 25-10 at halftime.

Jenna Dawson and Taylor Rodriguez each scored 10 points for the Leopards, who made 21 of 28 free throws. Wobrack led Belle Vernon on the glass with 12 rebounds.

Mount Pleasant (1-2, 1-6) was led in scoring by Melissa Davis’ seven points.

Burgettstown 49, Bentworth 16: Avery Havelka scored a career-high 20 points to lead Burgettstown over Bentworth, 49-16, in Section 3-AA play.

Havelka made four three-pointers en route to leading all scorers. She was the only player for either team in double figures.

Burgettstown (1-1, 4-2) snapped a two-game losing streak by getting off to a fast start. The Blue Devils led 23-5 after the first quarter and extended their lead to 31-10 by halftime.

Emily Prasko also scored nine points for Burgettstown.

Caroline Rice and Courtney Ambrose each scored six points for Bentworth (0-3, 1-5).

Brownsville 52, McGuffey 40: A strong second half erased a halftime deficit as Brownsville defeated McGuffey, 52-40, in a Section 2-AAA game.

Trailing 27-22 at the half, Brownsville (2-1, 5-1) outscored the Highlanders 30-13 in the second half for the 12-point victory.

Three players – Aniya Tarpley, Emma Seto and Aubrey Hogsett – scored 49 of the Falcons’ 52 points. Tarpley led all scorers with 24 points. Seto had 14 and Hogsett finished with 11 points.

Kierra Nicolella and Abby Donnelly had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for McGuffey (0-3, 1-5).

Fort Cherry 51, Carmichaels 35: Fort Cherry started fast and never looked back to defeat Section 3-AA foe Carmichaels, 51-35.

Jaida Bish led the offensive effort from Fort Cherry (2-1, 3-3), scoring a game-high 15 points. The Rangers balanced their offense with Annika Reinhart, who had 11 points, and a double-double from Dana Sinatra, who finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Rangers led 14-7 after the first quarter and 24-15 at halftime

Emma Hyatt scored 15 points for Carmichaels (0-2, 2-6).

Upper St. Clair 53, Peters Township 37: Upper St. Clair made scoring difficult for Peters Township, limiting the Indians to 11 points in the first half in a 53-37 win in Section 2-6A.

Journey Thompson scored 10 points for Peters Township (2-1, 3-2), which had its two-game winning streak snapped.

Upper St. Clair (2-1, 3-2) led 26-11 at halftime thanks to a 19-point second quarter. Sam Prunzik scored 17 points for the Panthers, while Mia Brown had 14 and Katelyn Robbins added 10.

West Mifflin 38, Ringgold 26: Lauren Yuhas led all scorers with 13 points to lead West Mifflin over Ringgold, 38-26, in a Section 3-4A game.

Shelby Genes scored 11 points for West Mifflin (2-1, 4-1), which extended its one-point halftime lead by outscoring the Rams 15-7 in the third quarter.

Martina Costa had 10 points for Ringgold (0-3, 2-5).

Boys results

Waynesburg 61, McGuffey 52: Three players scored in double figures as Waynesburg used a strong third quarter to power past previously unbeaten McGuffey, 61-52, in the KSA Classic Tournament in Orlando, Fla.

Waynesburg (4-3) trailed 28-25 at halftime before outscoring the Highlanders by 10 points in the third quarter to take a 48-41 lead into the fourth.

Chris King led the Raiders with 19 points. Richard Bortz scored 16 and Lucas Garber added 14.

C.J. Cole had 19 points for McGuffey (5-1).

Beth-Center 88, Bentworth 55: Andrew Bower made seven-three pointers and scored a game-high 29 points as Beth-Center controlled the second and fourth quarters to down Bentworth, 88-55, in a non-section game.

Beth-Center (4-2) scored 30 points in the second and 24 points in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs led 43-31 at halftime.

Nick Martin and Ruben Miller both had double-doubles for Beth-Center. Martin scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double. Miller had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Shawn Dziak scored 21 points for Bentworth (0-5).

In other games:

In Class 5A Section 1 girls basketball, Trinity cruised to a 68-26 victory over host Montour, and Lincoln Park was a 51-37 winner at South Fayette. Seton LaSalle remained tied for first place in Class 3A Section 2 with a 65-40 win over Waynesburg. No game details were made available to the Observer-Reporter by press time.