Ligonier Valley did it again. Once more, the Rams once showed not only a propensity for playing in tight games but also how to win one.
Noah Knupp made a 30-foot jumper to lift the Rams to a 51-49 win over Waynesburg in Section 4-3A.
Two games prior, Michael Wisniewski’s pull-up jumper in overtime sank Greensburg Central Catholic, 43-41, in the Greensburg Salem holiday tournament.
The Rams (8-6, 3-2 Section 4-3A) have played in three OT games and have three losses of four points or fewer.
They are in second place in their section behind Southmoreland.
“Play in enough one-possession games, and you’ll learn how to win them,” Ligonier Valley coach Dante Porter said. “There are not many close situations can rattle us at this point. We’ve seen it all.”
The Rams have also seen some highlights. They had three slam dunks in an 80-41 rout of Penns Manor. Greyson Daugherty, a 6-7 forward, had two, and Michael Vargulish-Graver added one.
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400 for Rocco
Former Penn-Trafford coach Jim Rocco, now coaching at North Catholic, posted his 400th career win Tuesday night in an 80-67 victory at Deer Lakes.
Rocco had 54 of those wins at Penn-Trafford, where he coached for five years (2016-20) before taking over at North Catholic.
He had 257 wins in 19 seasons at Penn Hills and has 89 victories at North Catholic.
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Cougars rally
Yough lost its first nine games but has won two of its last four, the latest victory coming in dramatic fashion.
New coach Devin Owen’s second win saw the Cougars rally from down 40-28 at halftime. They erupted for 27 in the fourth quarter to squeeze past East Allegheny, 53-51.
Four Yough players scored in double figures: Wyatt Kalna with 14 and Jackson Pore, Hayden Smith and Tyler Smith with 10 apiece.
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Working 9 to 5
A varsity boys basketball game that ended with the final score of 9-5? Yes, that is what happened Wednesday night in District 9.
Pennsylvania high school basketball is crying out for a shot clock. Case and point: This game.
St. Marys led 3-2 at halftime.
Jude Schreiber scored a game-high six points for Johnsonburg, and Drew Schultz had all five for St Marys.
Not that the teams have a history of offensive showcases, but 14 total points is a head turner. The teams, obviously, did not shoot the ball well. Both ran plays in halfcourt sets, cutting, passing with only fouls or steals forcing their hand.
Johnsonburg played a deliberate 2-3 zone. St. Marys walked the ball up the floor to start numerous possessions.
In two earlier meetings, the teams split, with St. Marys winning, 42-35, and Johnsonburg took the rematch 37-30.
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Always coaching
Jeannette was leading by 40 points late in a mercy-ruled win over rival Greensburg Central Catholic when once of coach Adrian Batts’ assistants asked him, “Why are you still coaching?”
Batts didn’t break character.
“We’re up by almost 50,” Batts said. “I wanted our (backup) guys to be coached in a game like that. To be honest, I don’t pay attention to the score.”
The Jayhawks are 12-1 and ranked No. 2 in WPIAL 2A, No. 3 in the state.
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McGowan nears milestone
Jeannette junior guard Markus McGowan is in line to be the next Jayhawk to score 1,000 career points.
McGowan needs 37 points heading into Friday night’s game against visiting California.
Earlier this season, his teammate, Kymon’e Brown reached the milestone.
Jeannette has not had two 1,000-point scorers on the same team since Jordan Thomas and Donnie Binda in 2005.
Before that, David Bone and Alvin Maloy reached 1,000 in 1995.
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Rajkovich close
Derry’s Stanley Rajkovich is only a junior, but the 6-7 forward is also nearing the 1,000-point mark.
Rajkovich, a Division I prospect, needs 39 points to reach the milestone.
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Warriors head east
Penn-Trafford likes to take road trips. The team has been to Virginia, West Virginia and York in recent seasons, and they made what has become an annual trek to eastern Pennsylvania.
They played at Warwick Friday night, falling 56-49. The team practiced at York College and attended a York game on Saturday.
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Kelly coaching
Former Penn-Trafford basketball standout Sean Kelly, the son of head coach Doug Kelly, is coaching this season as an assistant at Springdale.
Sean Kelly previously worked as an assistant at Penn-Trafford. He playeed at York College.
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Friday hoops
The second round of section play begins Friday for some local teams.
The schedule includes Hempfield at Mt. Lebanon and Norwin at Connellsville in Section 2-6A; Franklin Regional at Penn-Trafford, and Latrobe at Gateway in Section 1-5A; Belle Vernon at West Mifflin, East Allegheny at Derry and Greensburg Salem at Yough in Section 3-4A; and California at Jeannette, and Frazier at Greensburg Central Catholic in Section 1-2A.
Nonsection matchups to watch include Apollo-Ridge at Mt. Pleasant, Ligonier Valley at Shady Side Academy and Southmoreland at Elizabeth Forward.
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Layup lines
Derry handed Elizabeth Forward its first Section 3-4A loss Tuesday with a 72-66 victory. The Trojans led by as many as 16. … Danny Husenits had a double-double in a 71-57 win at Norwin, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He also had six assists. … Jeannette (12) and Hempfield (10) have reached double-digit wins.