Payton Newman collected 33 points, 15 rebounds and seven steals and hit the game-winning layup with 16 seconds left in overtime to lead Trib HSSN Class 2A No. 1 Neshannock to a 73-71 girls basketball victory over Class 3A No. 2 Beaver Falls on Saturday at The Bash at New Castle.
It was the first loss of the season for the Tigers (20-1), who got 29 points from Taylor Pullen and 21 from Dreaven Haskins. Ainsley Allison added 13 and Sophia Bonner had 12 for the Lancers.
Aquinas Academy 61, St. Joseph 26 – Tess Duer scored 31 points to lead Aquinas Academy (19-2, 14-0) to a Section 1-A win, becoming the school’s first girls basketball player with 1,000 career points. Becca Guillen added 13 points in the win. Bella Bartolovic scored 10 points for St. Joseph (13-8, 9-5).
Franklin Regional 39, Hampton 25 – Katherine Yaniga scored 13 points and Chloe Pucka added 12 points as Franklin Regional (12-10) defeated Hampton (14-7) in nonsection play. Katie Christie tallied 10 points for Hampton.
Geibel Catholic 67, Avella 13 – Emma Larkin scored 31 points to lead Geibel Catholic (20-1, 13-1) to the Section 2-A win over Avella (4-18, 1-13). Mallory Clemmer added 21 points for the Gators. Emma Day scored nine for the Eagles.
Hopewell 55, Ambridge 13 – Avery Boyd and Addison Blosnick scored 13 points each and Caylee Sundy added 10 as Hopewell (6-14, 5-7) was the final team to clinch a spot in the WPIAL girls playoffs by defeating Ambridge (3-19, 0-12) in Section 2-4A.
Jeannette 57, Ellis School 31 – Navarah Smith hit for 31 points as Jeannette (15-6, 6-4) finished up its Section 4-2A schedule with a win over Ellis School (3-14, 1-9)
Mt. Lebanon 49, North Allegheny 41 – Elizabeth Twyman hit four 3-pointers on her way to scoring 15 points as Mt. Lebanon (6-14) beat North Allegheny (10-11) in nonsection play. Chloe Shea and Cali Green each added 12 points for the Blue Devils, who trailed by two entering the fourth quarter. Vange Balouris scored a game-high 22 points and hit four 3-pointers for North Allegheny while Rae Shanahan added 13 points.
North Catholic 46, Mars 40 – Brady Wehner had 13 points and Lauren Reitz added 12 as North Catholic (17-5) beat Mars (9-12) at the Bash at North Allegheny. Kate Vislosky added 10 points for North Catholic, which won its eighth straight, while Alexis Cashdollar paced Mars with 14 points.
Shady Side Academy 90, Steel Valley 19 – Karis Thomas scored 25 points as Shady Side Academy (19-2, 14-0) downed Steel Valley (2-20, 2-12) in Section 2-3A. Leah Buford contributed 12 points while Sadie Whittingham tacked on 11 for the Bulldogs.
South Fayette 69, Berlin Brothersvalley 40 – Ryan Oldaker scored 28 points and Haylie Lamonde added 18 as Trib HSSN Class 5A No. 1 South Fayette (20-1) tuned up for the playoffs with a win at The Bash at North Allegheny. Coral Prosser scored 17 points and Bryn Prosser added 15 for Berlin Brothersvalley.
Boys basketball
Beaver 66, Ambridge 42 – Junior Marino and Logan Weiland each scored 23 points to lead Beaver (7-14, 2-8) to a Section 2-4A win. Shaq West scored 15 and Jared Astorino added 13 for Ambridge (4-15, 1-9).
Burgettstown 79, Mapletown 19 – Lance Duran hit for 27 points and Cooper Lucas chipped in 11 to send Burgettstown (6-16, 3-11) to a Section 3-2A win. Colton Taylor led Mapletown (0-22, 0-14) with six.
Cheswick Christian Academy 65, Cornerstone Prep 29 – Joseph Rosio scored 33 points, including 27 in the first half, to lead Cheswick Christian Academy (15-6, 9-0) to the SWCAC win against Cornerstone Prep. Brady Rochkind added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Cheswick Christian, which claimed at least a share of the regular season championship in the Greater Pittsburgh Division. Eleazar Garcia Gomez scored 10 points for Cornerstone Prep.
Jeannette 71, Frazier 28 – Markus McGowan scored 16 points as Jeannette (19-1, 14-0) raced past Frazier (7-14, 3-11) in its Section 1-2A finale. Kymon’e Brown added 12 and Jayce Powell had 11 for the Jayhawks. Kolby Stewart scored 18 for the Commodores.
Keystone Oaks 46, Beaver Falls 31 – Erond Jakupi scored 19 points and Joseph Colton had 16 to lead Keystone Oaks (16-4) to a nonsection victory over Beaver Falls (4-18).
Knoch 71, Aquinas Academy 37 – Vinnie DeFelice scored 14 points as Knoch (18-4) wrapped up its regular season with a win over Aquinas Academy (9-11) at The Bash at North Allegheny. Teegan Finucan and Derek Lang each had 13 points and Liam Avon added 10 for the Knights.
Lincoln Park 60, Imani Christian 51 – Josh and Jeremiah Pratt each scored 19 points to power Lincoln Park (16-5) at The Bash at North Allegheny. Deston Hubbard and Nahjir Norris scored 13 points apiece for Imani Christian (6-16).
New Castle 76, Aliquippa 39 – Damian Harrison scored 23 points, Kai Cox added 22 and Marino Graham had 17 as New Castle (19-1) took care of Aliquippa (14-5) at The Bash at New Castle.
Sewickley Academy 61, Neighborhood Academy 37 – Lucas Grimsley and Adam Ikamba each scored 17 points as Trib HSSN Class 2A No. 1 Sewickley Academy (21-0) beat Class A No. 1 Neighborhood Academy (18-3) at The Bash at North Allegheny. Kedron Gilmore scored 20 points for the Bulldogs.
South Park 52, Apollo-Ridge 41 – Cooper Hochendoner scored 16 points to lead South Park (18-3, 9-1) past Apollo-Ridge (9-11, 2-8) in Section 3-3A. Luke Scarff added 11 points for South Park, which limited Apollo-Ridge to 11 second-half points. Brayden Myers recorded 10 points in the loss.
South Fayette 56, Obama Academy 46 – Tyson Wright had 14 points as South Fayette (10-11) beat Obama Academy (11-9) in nonsection play. Owen Keener added 13 points and Dylan Monz chipped in 12 points. Naron Jackson’s 11 points led Obama Academy while Eric James recorded 10 points.
Southmoreland 63, Brownsville 41 – In Section 4-3A, Ty Whoric scored 15 points and Stanley Chapman and Brock Pritts added 12 points each as Southmoreland (14-7, 10-0) defeated Brownsville (2-17, 1-9). Daeron Clayton led Brownsville with 12 points while Jaylen Blair chipped in 11 points.
St. Joseph 47, Geibel Catholic 45 – In a winner-take-all matchup for the final playoff spot in Section 2-A, Nick Tometsko scored 15 points to lead St. Joseph past Geibel Catholic. Kyle Lecker scored 14 and Ryan McCarthy added 12 for the Spartans (8-12, 5-5), who erased a five-point halftime deficit with a 9-4 run in the third quarter. Evan Strimel scored 18 points to the Gators (10-12, 3-7).
Summit Academy 70, Nazareth Prep 65 – Having run out of days to make up Section 1-A games postponed by bad weather, Summit Academy played a pair Saturday, winning both. Demetrius Crosby scored 31 points to lead the Knights (9-8, 4-5) past first-place Nazareth Prep (8-11, 8-2) in the opener. Kyzir Rowan added 18 points in the win. Ahsan Harrison led Nazareth Prep with 32 points while Tyrone Hamlin contributed 17 and and Zach Frye had 10. The result eliminated Cornell from playoff contention.
Summit Academy 74, Cornell 45 – Rowan scored 22 points as Summit Academy (10-8, 5-5) finished its Section 1-A doubleheader sweep. Khalil Ollie had 13 points and Crosby and Elijah Barnes each added 12. Eduardo Benitez and Terrance Collington each had 16 for Cornell (4-16, 2-8).
Washington 44, McGuffey 37 – Tristan Reed scored 16 points and Vincent Johnson added 11 as Washington (11-10, 5-5) eliminated McGuffey (11-11, 3-7) from playoff contention in Section 2-3A. Kolt McGowan scored 15 to lead the Highlanders.
Yough 56, Waynesburg 52 – Tyler Smith scored 20 points, Wyatt Kalna added 16 and Hayden Smith contributed 13 as Yough (2-18) closed out its season with a nonsection win. Cole Headlee scored 25 and Dane Woods added 15 for Waynesburg (6-14).