Jan 3, 2024 5 min read

Belle Vernon bounced back from a lopsided loss to Lincoln Park in last outing to hand Southmoreland its first loss of the season, 59-57, Wednesday night in the Class 3A Section 4 boys basketball opener on the Leopards’ home court.

Belle Vernon (1-0, 6-2) led at each of the quarter stops, but Southmoreland (0-1, 10-1) continued to pull closer in each quarter following a miserable start when the Scotties fell behind 13-3. The Leopards led 28-19 at halftime and 47-44 after three quarters.

Zion Moore paced three Belle Vernon players in double figures with 18 points. Trevor Kovatch had 13 points and led the floor game with seven assists. Alonzo Wade scored 10 points and Tommy Davis had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Southmoreland’s Wyatt Richter scored a game-high 20 points. Noah Felentzer followed with 17 and Ty Keefer had 15.

Thomas Jefferson 90, Peters Township 74

Thomas Jefferson broke open a close game with an 18-4 run during the third quarter and went on to a 90-74 victory over visiting Peters Township in the Class 5A Section 1 opener.

TJ (1-0, 7-2) led 43-40 at halftime and then outscored PT by a 27-12 count in what was the pivotal third quarter.

Evan Berger and Noah Prosser combined for 46 points to lead TJ. Berger had 24 and Prosser flipped in 22. Kane Eggerton scored 14 points and Nick Trklja had 13.

Jack Dunbar’s 21 points led the Indians (0-1, 6-4) with Dylan Donovan following with 17 and Nate Miller tossing in 12.

Beth-Center 61, Carmichaels 55

Brody Tharp scored 20 points, including four three-point baskets, sparking Beth-Center to a second-half comeback for a 61-55 victory over visiting Carmichaels in Class 2A Section 4.

Beth-Center (1-1, 3-6) trailed 30-27 at halftime before outscoring the Mikes 19-8 in the pivotal third quarter.

Jason Zellie had 18 points and Santino Revi 10 for the Bulldogs.

Carmichaels is 0-1 in section and 3-6 overall.

Jefferson-Morgan 40, Mapletown 36

Jefferson-Morgan did just enough in the middle quarters to pull out a 40-36 win over visiting Mapletown in Class A Section 2.

The Rockets fell behind 7-4 after one quarter and were outscored 15-8 in the fourth period. Jefferson-Morgan (1-0, 8-3), however, won by outscoring the Maples 28-14 over the second and third quarters.

Dayten Marion and John Woodward each tossed in 13 points for J-M and Jase Bedillion had 10.

Mapletown’s Roger Gradek scored a game-high 14 points.

Bethel Park 70, Ringgold 52

Nick Brown scored 20 points as Bethel Park downed visiting Ringgold 70-52 in a Class 5A Section 1 game Tuesday.

Bethel Park sprinted out to a 25-6 lead in the opening quarter but Ringgold held a 46-45 advantage the rest of the way.

Shawn Davis and Jack Bruckner each added 11 points for Bethel Park (1-0, 6-3).

Daryl Tolliver, Kaden Grayber, Chris Wilson and Demitri Lowe scored eight points apiece for Ringgold (0-1, 3-8).

Yough 73, Waynesburg 34

Terek Crosby tallied a game-high 24 points as Yough cruised past visiting Waynesburg 73-34 in Class 3A Section 4 Tuesday.

Zander Aird followed with 18 points for Yough (2-0, 7-3) and Charlie Quinn chipped in with 16.

Cole Headlee scored 10 points for Waynesburg (0-3, 2-8).

Mount Pleasant 40, Charleroi 32

Mount Pleasant fended off host Charleroi 40-32 in a Class 3A Section 4 defensive battle Tuesday.

Mount Pleasant led 11-6 after the first quarter. Charleroi rallied to take an 18-15 halftime advantage but the Vikings retook the lead, 26-22, by the end of the third quarter and hung on for the win.

Connor Pavlocak led Mount Pleasant (2-0, 3-7) with 13 points and Dante Giallonardo followed with 10.

Bryce Large scored 10 points for the Cougars (1-2, 4-7).

Chartiers-Houston 61, Bentworth 46

Avery Molek had 18 points as the Chartiers-Houston held off host Bentworth 61-46 in Class 2A Section 4.

Chartiers-Houston (2-1, 9-2) led 19-13, 31-26 and 47-35 at the breaks.

Nate Gregory (15) and Justus Buckingham (12) also hit double figures for the Bucs.

Girls results

South Fayette 65, Moon 38

South Fayette showed that it’s not going to relinquish its stranglehold on the Class 5A Section 4 title easily.

The two-time defending WPIAL champion Lions opened section play with a 65-38 road victory over Moon.

South Fayette (1-0, 6-3) took control early, building a 20-8 lead in the first quarter and moving out to a 40-18 edge at halftime.

Juliette Leroux led the Lions with 18 points and Eriva Hall was close behind with 16. Haylie Lamonde chipped in with 15 points.

Jaeden Griggs tossed in 16 points for Moon (0-1, 7-2).

Mapletown 46, Jefferson-Morgan 38

Isabella Garnek led three Mapletown players in double figures with 15 points and the Maples used two big quarters to defeat host Jefferson-Morgan 46-38 in the Class A Section 2 opener.

Mapletown (1-0, 4-6) trailed 10-6 after one quarter, but the Maples scored 30 points over the middle two frames to forge a 36-26 lead.

McKenna Lotspeich scored 13 points for Mapletown, and Treslee Weston had 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Kayla Larkin scored a game-high 20 points for Jefferson-Morgan (0-1, 2-9).

Washington 48, Frazier 16

Washington rolled to a 31-4 halftime lead on its way to a 48-16 thumping of Frazier on Tuesday in a Class 2A Section 4 game.

Olivia Woods scored 15 points for Washington (2-0, 3-5).

Fort Cherry 63, Carlynton 20

Fort Cherry had too much Raney Staub for Carlynton on Tuesday. Staub fired in 31 points, powering the Rangers to a 63-20 victory in Class 2A Section 2.

Staub helped Fort Cherry race to a 25-6 lead after one quarter and a 44-13 halftime lead.

Olivia Kemp, with 14 points, also hit double figures for Fort Cherry (1-0, 6-3).

West Mifflin 61, Ringgold 28

Kendall Lee had 10 points as West Mifflin topped Ringgold 61-28 in a Class 4A Section 3 game played Tuesday.

Savaughn Wimbs and Neraul Parms added 17 and 15 points for West Mifflin (2-0, 4-4).

Kailyn Webb led Ringgold (0-3, 3-7) with nine points.