Herald high school roundup: SSA swimming teams split season openers

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, December 17, 2017 | 6:30 PM

The Shady Side Academy swim team traveled to South Fayette for its season-opening meet. The girls won 92-76, and the boys lost 73-95.

Posting wins for the girls were Sasha Arefyev (200 free, 500 free), Lindsey Grune (100 free, 100 back), Meredith Cummings (50 free, 100 butterfly), Jeanne Lauer (200 im), Maya Groff (100 breast), the 200 medley relay team of Lindsey Grune, Groff, Cummings and Heather Grune and the 200 free relay team of Groff, Arefyev, Lauer and Cummings.

Boys winners were Nick Lauer (100 free), Adrian Beckford (50 free), Christian Taylor (100 back), the 200 free relay team of Taylor, Sean Kelley, Beckford and Will Engel and the 400 free relay team of Kelley, Taylor, Beckford and Lauer.

“I think there was some very nice swimming from both teams,” SSA coach John Landreth said. “It was a great way to start the season.”

• Fox Chapel opened its season with a sweep against Hampton. The girls won 94-91, and the boys earned a 100-85 win. Posting wins for the Foxes were Jonah Cagley and Kate Eames (diving), Joslyn Filo (50 free), Jaclyn Filo (100 fly), Maria Luciana (100 free), Nathaniel Roe (50 free), Colin Hackwelder (100 free), the girls 200 free relay team (Joslyn and Jaclyn Filo, Grace Gackenbach and Luciana) and the boys 200 free relay team (Roe, Hackwelder, Tristan McMlelland and Brandon Brewster).

Boys basketball

Fox Chapel upped its record to 3-0 on Dec. 12 as it ran away from North Hills, 67-46. Carson Cohen and Dom McGriff paced the Foxes with 21 points each.

“Dom is an interesting story,” Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar said. “He tried out his sophomore year and decided not to play. He then came back this year and has obviously been a pleasant surprise for us since Day 1. He has worked hard and fits in very well. He can score in multiple ways and can also rebound and is improving on the defensive end. Playing with a guard like Carson in screen and rolls is also a benefit to anyone.

“As far as the North Hills game, I thought we did a good job of playing with a purpose from the beginning. We had numerous good defensive stops early in the game which we converted on. We were able to get some easy hoops out of our screen and roll actions.

“Arnold Vento and Ben Kelly had nice efforts in defending, rebounding and shooting. Micah Morris did an excellent job on the inside defending along with Noah Marks. Justin Supsura and Shane Susnak came off the bench to provide us with quality minutes. It was a positive last dress rehearsal before the start of section play.”

The Foxes (4-0, 1-0) got off to a good start in the section Friday with a 61-48 win over Hempfield. They controlled the game from the start as they raced to a 40-19 halftime lead. Cohen scored 19 points followed by Kelly with 16, Vento with 13 and McGriff with 11.

“Prior to Friday's game, we talked about establishing tempo and pace from the tip,” Skrinjar said. “And we did a very good job of doing that. We also followed a great defensive game plan, and our guys did an excellent job of taking away their offensive sets and limiting easy baskets for them. Anytime you can get balanced scoring, it puts more pressure on a defense to have to guard and be concerned about all five guys on the floor. It was a good win to open section play especially with two big section contests this week.”

Girls basketball

Fox Chapel (2-1) held off North Hills, 58-48, for its second win in a row Dec. 12. The win streak came to an end in its Section 2-6A opener against visiting Hempfield on Friday as the Spartans held on for a 46-44 win. The Foxes battled back from a 21-9 deficit after the first quarter. Claudia Guerrieri scored 12 points to lead the Foxes.

• The Shady Side Academy girls (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season at East Allegheny on Dec. 11 as the Wildcats, led by Amani Johnson's 35 points, won 63-51.

“We knew it would be a tough game,” SSA coach Amy Szlachetka said. “Amani Johnson took control of the game, as she's been doing for a few years now.”

Johnson scored 19 of her points in the second half to keep Shady Side Academy at bay.

The Indians (2-2) faced another top team Dec. 14 as they traveled to Bishop Canevin. The Crusaders jumped to a 32-17 halftime lead en route to a 72-38 win. Arianna Goltz scored 13 points to lead SSA.

Marty Stewart is a freelance writer.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy