Brentwood girls, Carrick boys defend titles at Brentwood tip-off tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 14, 2018 | 8:06 PM

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Both Brentwood basketball teams were finalists this year at the Brentwood High Athletic Boosters tip-off tournament.

The girls squad won its sixth consecutive title, defeating West Mifflin, 53-37, in the championship game.

The boys squad dropped a 61-42 decision to defending champion Carrick in the final game of the tournament.

“We had a solid performance both nights,” Brentwood girls coach Rachel Thomas said. “The girls played extremely well against a very tough West Mifflin team.

“In the end, I believe it was the experience of our team that allowed us to pull away at the end of the third quarter. The girls showed a lot of patience and moved the ball extremely well, and Abby was able to drain a 3 right as the quarter ended.”

Brentwood senior guard Anna Betz was named most valuable player in the girls tournament. Betz, who also was voted all-tournament in 2017-18, finished with 34 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals in the two-day event.

“Anna was solid on both ends of the court,” Thomas said. “She was our leading scorer for the tournament, but more importantly she saw the court extremely well creating opportunities for her teammates. Her rebounding was also very important against West Mifflin.”

Betz was joined on the all-tournament team by Brentwood senior guards Abby Wolf and Natalie Murrio. Wolf poured in 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. She also had three steals and one assist. Murrio registered 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Rounding out the all-tournament team were West Mifflin’s sophomore guard tandem of Shelby Genes and Lauren Yuhas, along with Northgate senior guard Cee Cee Mason.

Genes netted 19 points, pulled down seven rebounds, and tacked on five steals and one assist. Yuhas finished with 21 points, six rebounds, six steals and two assists.

Mason was the leading overall scorer in the tournament with a 44-point total. She also pulled down 12 rebounds and had three steals.

Brentwood coasted past Northgate, 67-37, in the first round, while West Mifflin socked Steel Valley, 77-21.

Carrick, sparked by senior forwards A.J. Perella and Vernon Washington and senior guard Skylar Giannetti, repeated as the tip-off champion in the boys division.

Perella was named tournament MVP off his 37-point, 15-rebound performance. He also was credited with three steals, three blocks and two assists.

Washington and Giannetti joined Perella on the boys all-tournament team. Washington racked up 36 points, along with 22 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists. Giannetti added 21 points, eight steals, five rebounds and four assists.

Brentwood was represented on the all-tournament team by junior guard C.J. Ziegler, who accounted for 41 points, six steals, three rebounds and two assists.

Corey Simmons, a freshman guard at Propel Montour, and Malcolm Randall, a senior forward at Northgate, also were voted to the all-tournament team.

Simmons scored 39 points, grabbed four rebounds, and added three steals, two blocks and two assists to his team’s cause. Randall ended up with 38 points, 21 rebounds, two steals and one block.

Washington, Ziegler and Randall also were named all-tournament in 2017-18.

“I thought the tournament was a great success once again, thanks to the players, coaches, fans and volunteers,” said Bob Bauer, president of the Brentwood High Athletic Boosters. “We had some really good crowds on Friday and for both championship games on Saturday, which made it a really fun environment.

“Seven of the eight teams had a representative on the all-tournament teams. We were able to enjoy some really talented basketball players over the weekend.”

Carrick rolled past Propel Montour, 86-53, in the first round, while Brentwood defeated Northgate, 51-44.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Brentwood