Westmoreland County boys basketball game recaps from Friday, December 13th 2024:

Mount Lebanon 58 Hempfield Area 38

Hempfield Area fell behind 12-5 after one quarter and couldn't dig out of the hole, losing to Mount Lebanon 58-38 in a Section 2-6A match up. Drew Gordon scored 13 points to top the Spartans (3-2, 0-1). Sam Deibert finished with 24 points to lead the Blue Devils (3-1, 1-0).

Norwin 64 Connellsville 47

Stefano Giannikas tallied 18 points to help power Norwin to a 64-47, Section 2-6A victory at Connellsville. The Knights were ahead by just one point through the first eight minutes but extended the lead to 28-18 at the halftime break. Along with Giannikas, Nathan Kuch put in 12 points while Mario Csukas and Alexander Graney both scored 11 for Norwin (3-2, 1-1). Rocco Farrell poured in 22 points for the Falcons (2-3, 0-1).

Penn-Trafford 59 Franklin Regional 54 (OT)   WATCH BROADCAST

Despite trailing by 13 points with just over five minutes left in regulation, Penn-Trafford rallied to force overtime then pushed past Franklin Regional 59-54 in Section 1-5A. With the Panthers clinging to a 46-44 lead, P-T's Evan Gross grabbed a missed three-pointer by Tyler Anthony and converted the rebound at the buzzer to tie the game. The Warriors went on to outscore Franklin Regional 13-8 in the extra period. Zach Feldman and Tyler Anthony scored 17 and 14 points respectively for Penn-Trafford (3-3, 1-1). Connor Crossey poured in a game-high 25 points for the Panthers (3-3, 0-1) with Jonah Johnson adding 10 points.

Greater Latrobe 75 Gateway 71

Greater Latrobe trailed by 10 points late in the third quarter but found a way to rally past Gateway 75-71 in a Section 1-5A game. The Wildcats (5-0, 1-0) exploded for 33 points in the fourth quarter to key the comeback. Four players reached double figures for Greater Latrobe including Andy Tatsch (14), Kyle McNeil (12), John Wetzel (10) and Ian DeCerb (10). Kel Bruce-McCommon collected a game-high 33 points for the Gators (1-3, 0-1).

Kiski Area 68 Shady Side Academy 38

Kiski Area opened up a 35-19 halftime lead en route to a 68-38 non-section win at Shady Side Academy. Collin Keller and Jacob Musselman each came in with 13 points for the Cavaliers (2-3, 0-0) with Amaree Gonzalez adding 10. Cam Mallory tallied 15 points for the Bulldogs (2-3, 0-0).

Belle Vernon 92 West Mifflin 82

Zion Moore went off for 40 points as Belle Vernon topped West Mifflin 92-82 in a wild Section 3-4A contest. The Leopards were in front 44-40 at halftime but outscored the Titans 26-18 in the third quarter to seize firm control of the game. In addition to Moore, Curtis Wade finished with 14 points and Tommy Wade had 13 for Belle Vernon (4-2, 1-0). Daven Reynolds poured in 34 points for West Mifflin (0-7, 0-1).

Greensburg Salem 67 Yough 36

Coach Paul Sapotichne won his 400th game at Greensburg Salem as the Golden Lions defeated Yough 67-36 in the Section 3-4A opener. Tyler Martin dropped in 16 points to pace Greensburg Salem (1-3, 1-0) which outscored the Cougars in every quarter. Ty Harcom contributed 12 points for GS. Jackson Pore's 15 points powered Yough (1-5, 0-1)

Burrell 44 Highlands 32

Burrell built up a 22-12 lead at halftime and went on to defeat Highlands 44-32 in the Section 1-4A opener. Tucker Bitar and Gavyn Orr each collected 11 points for the Buccaneers (3-2, 1-0) while Troy Bielak had a game best 18 points for the Rams (1-4, 0-1).

Derry Area 62 East Allegheny 39

John Wasnick exploded for 28 points as Derry Area rolled past East Allegheny 62-39 to begin Section 3-4A play. The Trojans improve to (4-2, 1-0) while the Wildcats drop to (2-3, 0-1).

Ligonier Valley 72 Geibel Catholic 57

Three players registered double-figures to help Ligonier Valley defeat Geibel Catholic 72-57 in non-section play. Parker Hollick's 20 points were most for the Rams (3-2, 0-0) while Michael Wisniewski added 19 points and Michael Vargulish-Graver had 13. Evan Strimel poured in 20 points for the Gators (3-2, 0-0).

Jeannette 76 California 43

Jeannette used a big second quarter, in which it scored 32 points, to earn a 76-43 victory over California to start Section 1-2A play. Jayce Powell racked up 22 points for the Jayhawks (4-0, 1-0) who were ahead 50-25 at the half. Noah Sunder tossed in 12 points and Stone Markham 11 for Jeannette. Vinny Manzella's 15 points fueled the Trojans (1-3, 0-1).

Greensburg Central Catholic 91 Frazier 42

Greensburg Central Catholic opened up a commanding 62-28 lead through the first two quarters and cruised to a 91-42 win over visiting Frazier in the Section 1-2A opener. Liam Gallagher dropped in a game-high 15 points for the Centurions (5-0, 1-0). The trio of A.J. Tarpley, Brandon Martin and Maddox Mignogna each tallied 14 points for GCC. Conlan Higbee ended his night with 14 points to lead the Commodores (2-4, 0-1).