Westmoreland County girls basketball game recaps from Thursday, January 2nd 2025:

Hempfield Area 69 Connellsville 37

A trio of Spartans reached double figures as Hempfield Area took down Connellsville 69-37 in a Section 2-6A match up. Reagan Fisher put in a game-high 17 points for the Spartans (7-3, 1-1) with Allie Cervola adding 15 and Mads Pevarnik scoring 14 points. Maggie Orndorff tallied 15 points for the Falcons (3-9, 0-2).

Franklin Regional 40 Fox Chapel 36   WATCH BROADCAST

Franklin Regional used a big second quarter to defeat Fox Chapel 40-36 and seize control of first place in Section 1-5A. With the Panthers trailing 9-7 after one, they outscored the Foxes 16-6 in the second stanza to go in front 23-15 at halftime and held on for the win. Madison DeRiggi poured in a game-high 22 points for Franklin Regional (6-5, 4-0) while Natalia Shaffer's 17 points paced the Foxes (7-4, 2-1).

Indiana 50 Greensburg Salem 42

Greensburg Salem's Mya Heasley racked up a game-high 19 points but it wasn't enough as the Golden Lions fell to Indiana 50-42 in a Section 2-5A contest. Julia Antonacci had 16 points for the Indians (9-2, 3-0). The Golden Lions drop to (7-4, 1-3).

Greater Latrobe 60 Kiski Area 30

Greater Latrobe outscored Kiski Area in every quarter, including 22-4 in the second, in a 60-30 triumph over the visiting Cavaliers in Section 2-5A action. Carley Berk went off for 21 points for the Wildcats (7-5, 3-1) with teammate Brylee Bodnar adding 10. Gianna DeVito finished with eight points for Kiski Area (6-4, 1-2).

Highlands 50 Derry Area 46

Derry Area couldn't hold a nine-point halftime lead, falling at Highlands 50-46 in a Section 1-4A match up. The game featured two outstanding individual performances as Jane Huss tallied 27 points for the Trojans (3-6, 1-3) and Tyarah Woody registered 35 points for the Rams (2-8,1-3).

North Catholic 47 Burrell 24

North Catholic raced out to an 18-1 lead after the first quarter, knocking off Burrell 47-24 in a Section 1-4A clash. Makenna Miller and Jules Fisher both scored seven points for the Buccaneers (7-4, 2-2) while Brady Wehner dropped in 11 for the first place Trojans (8-2, 4-0).

Yough 61 Southmoreland 41

Yough exploded for 31 points in the second quarter, carrying the Cougars to a 61-41 win against Southmoreland in a Section 3-4A tilt. Hailey Bock erupted for 22 points to pace Yough (8-3, 3-1) with Brooke Wieland contributing 14 points. Ashley Seder and Olivia Aumer scored 13 and 10 points respectively for the Scotties (3-8, 1-3).

Laurel Highlands 62 Mt. Pleasant 22

Laurel Highlands went ahead 12-2 through the first eight minutes and went on to a 62-22 victory at Mount Pleasant. The Mustangs are now (7-4, 2-2) while the Vikings fall to (0-10, 0-4).

Elizabeth Forward 61 Belle Vernon 43

Aubrey Brown poured in 20 points but it wasn't enough as Belle Vernon dropped a Section 3-4A game to Elizabeth Forward 61-43. Michelle Jellison's 19 points led the way for the first place Warriors (7-3, 4-0) who were ahead 40-21 at the halftime break. The Leopards drop to (4-7, 2-2)

Deer Lakes 39 Ligonier Valley 24

Ligonier Valley was outscored 27-13 in the second half and it proved to the difference in a 39-24 defeat to Deer Lakes in Section 2-3A. Adleigh Myers recorded nine points for the Rams (2-6, 1-3) while Josie Farster's 15 points lead the Lancers (8-2, 3-1).

Freeport 56 Valley 42

BOYS

Imani Christian 72 Hempfield Area 68

Hempfield Area played tough but fell just short of knocking off Imani Christian, losing 72-68 in a Section 2-6A showdown. The Spartans were down 41-31 at halftime but trimmed the deficit to just 55-53 after three quarters. They couldn't quite complete the comeback in the fourth quarter, however. Drew Gordon came in with 17 points to lead Hempfield Area (6-5, 1-3) with Danny Husenits and Max Williams scoring 16 and 14 points respectively. R.J. Sledge exploded for 35 points for the Saints (6-2, 4-0).