Hempfield girls upset Latrobe; Jeannette boys get revenge; other hoops recaps Tuesday
Written by: Westmoreland Sports Network
January 31, 2018
Tags: Reed Fenton Bryce Butler Alex Bisignani Reed Hipps Braden Brose Josh Ratesic Sean Kelly Aidan Sadoski Hunter Stonecheck Nate Leopold Marvel McGowan Justin Huss Robert Kennedy Tre Cunningham AJ Sharp Alison Podkul Sarah Liberatore Laura Graytok Olivia Gribble Stephanie O'Donnell
Westmoreland County boys and girls basketball results from Tuesday, January 31 2017:
BOYS
Latrobe 75 Hempfield 69 - WATCH BROADCAST
>> Hempfield put up a tough battle against rival Latrobe but the Wildcats were able to pull away in the third quarter and hold on to beat the Spartans 75-69 in a Section 3-6A battle. Hempfield held a 23-20 lead after the first quarter and also topped Latrobe at halftime 38-37. But the Wildcats held a 20-10 edge in the third quarter. Reed Fenton tallied 26 points for Latrobe (13-5, 8-3) with Bryce Butler putting in 20 and Alex Bisignani 14. Reed Hipps came in with 20 points to pace the Spartans (5-13, 2-9). Braden Brose, who didn't start the game because of a bad ankle, chipped in with 15 points.
Fox Chapel 62 Norwin 52
>> Norwin lost its third straight game falling to Section 3-6A foe Fox Chapel 62-52 at home. The Knights couldn't shake off a tough first quarter when they trailed 15-7 after the first frame. Josh Ratesic scored a team-high 13 points for the fifth place Knights (9-9, 4-7).
Penn Hills 68 Penn-Trafford 57
>> Penn-Trafford dropped its fifth straight game and Penn Hills kept pace with Woodland Hills for first place in Section 3-6A as the Indians downed the Warriors 68-57. P-T got off to a good start jumping ahead 20-13 early but Penn Hills outscored Penn-Trafford 55-37 over the final three quarters. Sean Kelly's 18 points paced the Warriors (6-13, 3-8).
Franklin Regional 52 Kiski Area 34
>> Franklin Regional shook off a slow start to earn a Section 3-5A victory over Kiski Area by a final of 52-34 in Vandergrift. The Panthers trailed 12-9 after the first eight minutes but reeled off 18 points in the second quarter to take control of the game leading 27-17 at halftime. They went on to outscore the Cavaliers in the second half to take the win. Aidan Sadoski had 11 points for Franklin Regional (13-4, 7-1). Hunter Stonecheck and Nate Leopold each contributed 10 points a piece. Austin Schwarz's 10 points topped Kiski Area (1-17, 0-8). The Panthers remain tied with Highlands for first place in the section.
Highlands 68 Greensburg Salem 46
>> Marvel McGowan put up another impressive effort for Greensburg Salem but it wasn't enough as the Golden Lions lost on the road to first place Highlands 68-46 in Section 3-5A action. The Golden Lions dug themselves an early hole, trailing 30-18 at halftime. McGowan finished with 23 points for Greensburg Salem (10-7, 3-5).
Deer Lakes 57 Derry Area 40
>> Deer Lakes earned a key Section 1-4A victory over Derry, pulling away in the second half to win it 57-40. With the victory, the Lancers now have a two-game lead for the fourth and final playoff spot in the section. The Trojans (7-8, 4-5) trailed just 32-28 after three but Deer Lakes outscored DA 25-12 in the final quarter. Justin Huss scored 12 points for Derry which was playing without several players who missed the game with flu symptoms.
Jeannette 52 Leechburg 46 - LISTEN BROADCAST
>> Jeannette extracted some revenge on Leechburg Tuesday night beating the Blue Devils 52-46 in a Section 1-2A contest. Just 10 days before, Leechburg dealt Jeannette its first section loss of the season but this time the Jayhawks came out on top. Jeannette came out of the gate with a 14-4 lead early and was ahead 23-16 at halftime. The Jayhawks lead swelled to 38-25 early in the fourth quarter and held on for the victory. Jeannette was just 19-34 from the foul line in the game. Robert Kennedy racked up 19 points, including eight in the fourth quarter for the Jayhawks (12-2, 7-1) who were playing with junior Anthony Johnson due to an ankle injury. Tre Cunningham tallied 14 points and A.J. Sharp put in 12. Jeannette will play at first place Serra Catholic on Friday.
GIRLS
Hempfield 50 Latrobe 45 - WATCH BROADCAST
>> Hempfield led 29-23 at halftime then closed the game out in the fourth quarter to upset Latrobe 50-45 in Section 2-6A. With the Spartans ahead by six going into the third quarter, the Wildcats fought back to tie the game at 33-33 after three. Hempfield though regained the lead and connected on key free throws down the stretch to complete the victory. Alison Podkul poured in a game-best 23 points for the third place Spartans (8-9, 4-3) with teammate Sarah Liberatore scoring 15. Laura Graytok, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, finished with 15 points for the Wildcats (14-4, 6-2) who are now a half-game behind Norwin for first place.
Norwin 65 Fox Chapel 30
>> Norwin took control of the game early and went on to outscore Fox Chapel in every quarter beating the Foxes 65-30 in Section 2-6A. The Knights held a 16-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter and 41-16 at halftime. Olivia Gribble dropped 22 points for Norwin (9-8, 7-2) which now has a half-game lead over Latrobe for first place.
Penn Hills 55 Penn-Trafford 35
>> Penn-Trafford held a 13-7 lead after one but quickly trailed 27-18 at the halftime break in a 55-35 loss to Penn Hills in Section 2-6A. Stephanie O'Donnell paced the Warriors (7-11, 3-5) with 16 points.