Westmoreland County boys basketball section recaps from Tuesday, January 17th 2023:

Norwin 47 Hempfield Area 46   WATCH BROADCAST

Hempfield Area missed a pair of free throws with just seconds remaining in the game and Norwin held on for a 47-46 Section 2-6A victory. Caden Biondi was fouled with only 3.1 seconds left in regulation as he drove in from the left side. His first foul shot was short and following a Knights timeout Biondi's second shot also found the front of the iron and time expired. Missed free throws affected both teams in the fourth quarter as Norwin went 4-for-12 from the stripe and Hempfield 8-for-15. The Knights held a 25-16 lead at halftime before the Spartans run in the second half. Ryan Edwards scored 10 points to lead Norwin (8-5, 2-3) while Harry Sowers had 17 points and Biondi 10 points for Hempfield Area (5-9, 1-4).

McKeesport 59 Franklin Regional 53 OT

For the second straight game Franklin Regional came up on the short end of a contest that went down to the wire, losing in overtime to visiting McKeesport 59-53 in Section 3-5A play. The Panthers built up a 27-18 lead at halftime only to watch the Tigers go on a 20-9 run in the third to take a 38-36 lead after three quarters. With the game tied at 51-51 at the end of regulation, McKeesport held an 8-2 scoring edge in the extra frame to put it away. Dunny Rowe carried the Tigers (5-8, 3-2), scoring a game-high 26 points in the win. Cam Rowell finished with 17 points and Fin Hutchison added 10 for the Panthers (9-5, 3-2) who lost to Gateway on Friday by only two points.

Gateway 85 Greater Latrobe 70

Gateway built up a 25-15 lead after one quarter and went on to beat Greater Latrobe in a high-scoring affair 85-70 in Section 3-5A play. A total of nine players reached double-figures in the game with Greater Latrobe's John Wetzel and Gateway's Tra Williams both tallying 18 points. Landon Butler posted 16 points for the Wildcats (5-8, 1-4) while Max Butler scored 14 and Ja'Tawn Williams put in 10. The Gators (10-3, 5-0) are in sole possession of first place.

Kiski Area 62 Penn-Trafford 45

Kiski Area outscored Penn-Trafford in every quarter in a 62-45 Section 3-5A victory. Isaiah Gonzalez and Noah Thimons both racked up 16 points for the Cavaliers (8-8, 3-2). Jason Sabol collected 14 points to lead the Warriors (3-12, 0-5) with Tyler Freas adding 11.

Hampton 74 Greensburg Salem 17

Greensburg Salem struggled against first place Hampton, falling 74-17 in a Section 1-4A match up. Rashad Canady had nine points to lead the Golden Lions (4-10, 0-4). Liam Mignogna's 16 points topped the Talbots (12-2, 5-0).

Southmoreland 90 Albert Gallatin 66

Ty Keffer exploded for 32 points and Elijah Myers rung up 25 points to lead Southmoreland to a 90-66 Section 3-4A victory at Albert Gallatin. Myers drilled seven 3-pointers in the contest while Keffer hit on five shots from beyond the arc. Wyatt Richter added 14 points for the Scotties (9-5, 2-3). The Colonials fall to (3-10, 0-5).

Belle Vernon 78 Elizabeth Forward 54

Belle Vernon scored a lofty 26 points in the first quarter and never looked back in a 78-54 triumph at Elizabeth Forward in Section 3-4A play. Zion Moore recorded a 30-point night for the Leopards (7-6, 3-2) while Alonzo Wade (17) and Quinton Martin (11) also reached double-figures. Drew Cook's 15 points paced the Warriors (5-10, 1-4).

Derry Area 63 Ligonier Valley 28

Derry Area outscored Ligonier Valley in every quarter and rolled to a 62-28 win in a Section 3-3A match up. Nate Papuga's 17 points were a game-high for the Trojans (7-6, 3-3). Gabe Carbonara added 16 points and Ethan Frye chipped in 11. Jimmy Pleskovitch scored nine for the Rams (3-12, 2-4).

Burrell 55 Valley 44

Burrell recovered from a sluggish start to earn a 55-44 victory over visiting Valley in a Section 3-3A contest. Tucker Bitar and Macky Bennis both had huge games with Bitar dropping 23 points and Bennis tallying 22 for the Buccaneers (8-7, 5-1). Dallas Price went for 22 points to lead the Vikings (2-13, 1-5).

Yough 81 Charleroi 38

Terek Crosby racked up 29 points powering Yough to an 81-38 Section 4-3A triumph against Charleroi. In addition to Crosby, Austin Matthews finished with 24 points for the Cougars (8-7, 4-2). Bryce Large was the top scorer for Charleroi (6-9, 2-4) finishing with 14 points.

Washington 62 Mount Pleasant 39

Washington outscored Mount Pleasant 29-5 in the second quarter to down the Vikings 62-39 in a Section 4-3A contest. Brayce Patterson's 18 points paced the Little Prexies (11-2, 6-0). Yukon Daniels scored 12 points for Mount Pleasant (3-11, 2-4).

Jeannette 54 Riverview 49 OT

It took overtime but Jeannette was able to secure a 54-49 win against visiting Riverview in a Section 3-2A tilt. Shane Mickens scored 15 points for the Jayhawks including five of the team's seven points in overtime. Giovanni Merola also ended with 15 points for Jeannette (9-4, 4-2). Jack Betler tallied a game-high 20 points for the Raiders (10-4, 3-3).

Greensburg Central Catholic 78 Springdale 37

Three players reached double-digits for Greensburg Central Catholic in a 78-37 win over visiting Springdale in Section 3-2A. Franco Alvarez led the Centurions (9-5, 5-1) with 18 points. Tyree Turner finished with 17 points and Liam Gallagher came in with 10. John Hughes put up 18 points for the Dynamos (6-9, 1-5).