Westmoreland County girls basketball game recaps from Thursday, December 19th 2024:

Mount Lebanon 42 Hempfield Area 40

Hempfield Area's rally fell short in a 42-40 loss to Mount Lebanon in the Section 2-6A opener for both teams. The Spartans trailed 39-25 after three quarters but outscored the Blue Devils 15-3 in the fourth quarter. They were unable to complete the comeback, however. Allie Cervola's 11 points powered the Spartans (6-1, 0-1) while Ava Shipman added 10 points. Payton Collins tallied 14 points for Mount Lebanon (4-3, 1-0).

Norwin 55 Connellsville 21

Kendall Berger notched 17 points in helping Norwin to a 55-21 triumph over Connellsville to begin Section 2-6A play. Alexis Hener and Bella Furno scored 12 and 11 points respectively for the Knights (4-2, 1-0) who led 23-7 after one quarter. Maggie Orndorff recorded 12 points for the Falcons (2-7, 0-1).

Franklin Regional 58 Gateway 21

Franklin Regional used a 23-0 run in the second quarter to put Gateway away in a Section 1-5A match up, winning 58-21. Madison Deriggi's 19 points topped the Panthers (5-3, 3-0) with teammate Addison Musto adding 15 points. Nyerra Reid finished with nine for the Gators (0-4, 0-2).

Penn-Trafford 62 West Mifflin 17

Penn-Trafford scored the games first 21 points and led 45-4 at halftime, cruising to a 62-17 win over visiting West Mifflin in Section 2-5A action. Lauren Marton (12) and Kam Pieper (10) both finished in double figures for the Warriors (9-0, 3-0). Modesty Brown ended with 10 points for the Titans (1-4, 0-2).

Burrell 61 Derry Area 17

Casey Brancato's 17 points helped lead Burrell to a 61-17 victory at Derry Area in a Section 1-4A contest. In addition to Brancato, Jules Fisher scored 12 points, McKenna Miller tossed in 11 and Adrianna Vogel added 10 points for the Buccaneers (6-2, 2-1). Jane Huss recorded 12 points for the Trojans (3-5, 1-2).

Elizabeth Forward 64 Mount Pleasant 34

Michelle Jellison poured in 26 points for Elizabeth Forward as Mount Pleasant fell to the Vikings 64-34 in a Section 3-4A tussle. Morgan Gesinski scored 13 points for Mount Pleasant (0-7, 0-3) while the Warriors improve to (4-3, 3-0).

Yough 37 Ringgold 30

Yough outscored Ringgold 14-8 in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Rams and secure a Section 3-4A win 37-30. Carly Fitzgibbons put in a game-high 11 points for the Cougars (6-3, 2-1) while Rhiannon Fordham and Jada Gernot each finished with 10 points for Ringgold (4-3, 0-2).

South Park 55 Belle Vernon 31

Belle Vernon dropped a 55-31 decision to South Park in a Section 3-4A game. The Leopards fall to (4-4, 2-1). Nika Contakos tallied 17 points for the Eagles (4-1, 3-0).

Shady Side Academy 70 Ligonier Valley 13

Ligonier Valley was outscored in every quarter, falling at Shady Side Academy 70-13 in a Section 2-3A match up. Jada Pope's six points topped the Rams (2-5, 1-2) while Cassie Sauer's 13 points paced the Bulldogs (7-0, 3-0).

Riverview 70 Jeannette 21

Jeannette trailed 24-6 after the first eight minutes and couldn't dig out of the early hole, losing to Riverview 70-21 in a Section 4-2A match up. Navarrah Smith scored 19 of the 21 points for the Jayhawks (2-4, 0-1). Lily Bauer racked up a game-high 35 points for the Raiders (5-2, 1-0).