PIAA basketball playoffs roundup: Pine-Richland boys take down Central Catholic in 1st round

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, March 11, 2018 | 12:06 AM

Dan Petcash scored 26 points to lead Pine-Richland to 75-64 victory over Central Catholic (14-10) in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs at Fox Chapel. Phil Jurkovec finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Greg Shulkosky recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists for the Rams (21-6).

Andrew Kristofic finished with 10 points and eight rebounds for the Rams. Luke Nedrow led Central Catholic with 35 points. Nedrow finished his career with 1,021 points, which is fifth in school history.

Pine-Richland will face State College, the District 6 champion, in the second round Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

State College 73, Woodland Hills 65 — WPIAL fourth-place finisher Woodland Hills finished its season 20-5 after a PIAA Class 6A first-round loss to the District 6 champion.

Greenville 63, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 51 — Joe Batt scored 25 points to lead Greenville (16-9) to a victory over Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (13-13) in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs at Meadville. Michael Blaney netted 17 points in the win, while Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic was led by Bryan Davidson (14) and Ryan Feczko (12).

Lincoln Park 86, Mount Union 59 — Keeno Holmes scored a game-high 34 points to lead Lincoln Park (20-6) to victory over Mount Union (14-12) in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic. Andre Wilder finished with 14 points, while Thomas Melonja added 12 points in the win. Lincoln Park will face Mercyhurst Prep in the second round on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Richland 65, Aliquippa 57 — Trevy Hardison scored 18 points and Caleb Burke added 17 to lead District 6 playoffs runner-up Richland (22-4) over Aliquippa (17-8) in a PIAA Class 3A first-round game at Johnstown.

The Rams, who lost to Ligonier Valley in the District 6 championship game, led from start-to-finish, building leads of 28-15 at halftime and 43-27 heading to the fourth quarter, before holding off a furious Aliquippa rally.

The Quips, who entered as the WPIAL playoff's third-place team, outscored Richland, 30-22, in the fourth, at one point closing within six points, 59-53.

But Richland held on to advance, despite converting just 10 of 22 free throws in the final eight minutes. Overall, the Rams were 15 for 30, compared to 15 for 29 for Aliquippa.

Tyler Zimmerman and Collin Instone each scored 10 points for Richland, which will face Seton-La Salle in the second round on Wednesday.

Aliquippa was led by William Gipson's 14 points.

Seton LaSalle 75, Central Cambria 67 — Jakob Richardson scored a team-high 26 points to lead Seton-LaSalle (20-6) to a first round win over Central Cambria (14-12) in the PIAA Class 3A playoffs at Peters Township. George Mike and Kaleb Krebs finished with 16 and 12 points, respectively, in the win. Luke Bennett scored a game-high 28 points for Central Cambria, while Matt Holsinger finished with 22 points. Seton-LaSalle will face Fairview in the second round on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Cambridge Springs 77, Leechburg 54 — The Cambridge Springs Blue Devils (21-5) won their first PIAA playoff game since 1978 as Noah Reisenauer led the way with 28 points and Turner Kurt added 24 points and 13 rebounds. The Leechburg Blue Devils (14-8), in the state tournament for the first time in 11 years, were led by Jake Blumer with 25 points and eight rebounds while Christian Hack tallied 15.

Conemaugh Township 77, Chartiers-Houston 54 — Jordan Poznanski led three Conemaugh Township (16-9) players in double-figures with 23 points in a win over Chartiers Houston (19-7) in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs at Pitt-Johnstown. Ethan Leasure (16) and Evan Brennamen (11) also finished in double-figures. Chartiers-Houston was led by Cameron Hanley (24) and Andrew Clark (13).

Sewickley Academy 83, Cochranton 33 — Isiah Warfield led four Sewickley Academy (22-4) scorers in double figures with 18 points and eight rebounds in a win over Cochranton (16-11) in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs at Northgate. Isaiah Smith finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Nate Ridgeway and Dave Groetsch, who grabbed five rebounds, finished with 14 points each in the win. Sewickley Academy will face Ridgeway in the second round on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

West Middlesex 70, Springdale 37 — The District 10 champion Big Reds (20-6) placed three players in double figures, led by 20 from Casey Mild, in a PIAA Class 2A first-round victory over the Dynamos (13-10). Mike Zolnierczyk tallied 18 points to lead Springdale, which made its first state-tournament appearance since 1991. West Middlesex also got 14 points from Marshall Murray and 11 from Jake Bowen.

Girls basketball

Gateway 28, Trinity 24 — Mary Kromka finished with 11 points to lead Gateway (24-3) to a PIAA Class 5A first-round win over Trinity (20-5) at Fox Chapel. Alli Scarfo led Trinity with eight points. Gateway outscored Trinity, 10-2, in the fourth quarter. Gateway will face Harbor Creek, the District 10 runner-up, in the second round Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Oakland Catholic 65, Hickory 40 — Jayde Boyd scored 18 points and Sierra DeAngelo added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Oakland Catholic (18-8) to the PIAA Class 5A first-round victory over Hickory (16-9) at North Hills. Abbie Pechin added 10 points while Cierra Christian scored eight points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Oakland Catholic out-rebounded Hickory, 41-21. Hannah Crow scored 21 points in the loss.

Mars 60, Obama Academy 33 — Tai Johnson led all scorers with 21 points to guide Mars (20-6) to a first-round win over Obama Academy (16-8) in the PIAA Class 5A playoffs at Allderdice. Lauren Wasylson finished with 15, while Alek Johnson finished with 13 points in the win. Mars will face Thomas Jefferson in the second round on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 74, Keystone Oaks 41 — Tess Myers recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (23-3) to a first-round win over Keystone Oaks (17-6) in the PIAA Class 4A playoffs at Northgate. Kylee Lewandowski finished with 20 points and seven blocks, while Dani Short added 10 points in the win. Gillian Piccolino led Keystone Oaks with 17 points. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic will face Ambridge in the second round on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Villa Maria 46, Blackhawk 27 — Sydney Palermo scored 20 points to lead Villa Maria (20-4) to a first-round victory over Blackhawk (19-4) in the PIAA Class 4A playoffs at Edinboro. Molly Mraz scored 12 points in the win, while Mackenize Amalia netted nine points in the loss for Blackhawk.

AC Valley 54, Sewickley Academy 48 — Sam Smith scored 21 points, but it wasn't enough as Sewickley Academy (14-7) lost to AC Valley (21-5) in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs at Keystone. Ellie Thompson led AC Valley with 25 points, while Cami Mcnany finished with 15 points.

Farrell 67, West Greene 63 — Mar'nae Oatis scored a game-high 25 points to lead Farrell (13-11) to a first-round win over West Greene (22-4) in the PIAA Class A playoffs at Peters Township. Kyra Crosby added 17 points in the win, while Madison Lampe led West Greene with 16 points. Savannah Petit and Elizabeth Brudnock each finished with 13 points, while McKenna Lampe netted 11 points.

Winchester Thurston 50, Elk County Catholic 31 — Ayanna Townsend scored a game-high 16 points in a first-round victory for Winchester Thurston (20-5) over Elk County Catholic (15-11) in the PIAA Class A playoffs at Canon-McMillan. Gia Thorpe added 14 points in the win, while Taylor Newton led Elk County Catholic with 11 points. Winchester Thurston will face Bishop Carroll, the District 6 runner-up, in the second round on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Tags: Roundup