Herald roundup: Fox Chapel boys earn pair of section victories

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, January 29, 2018 | 7:51 PM

Behind a combined 62 points from Carson Cohen, Dom McGriff and Ben Kelly, Fox Chapel boys basketball rolled to a 70-47 win over Woodland Hills in a key Section 3-6A game Jan. 23.

The Foxes led 37-19 at the half. Cohen scored 24 points, McGriff had 23 and Kelly added 15. McGriff also recorded his eighth double-double of the season as he hauled in 12 rebounds.

“We played a clean first half, and having Ben back after missing the previous game gave me a good feeling,” FC coach Zach Skrinjar said. “We did a much better job of limiting them in transition, and we made a lot of extra passes and were able to spread them out on defense.”

The Foxes went on the road to face first-place Penn Hills on Jan. 26 and pulled off a big 61-54 win. The Foxes (13-4, 7-3) trailed with less than two minutes left but rallied to pull within one game of the Indians (16-2, 8-2). McGriff had 19 points and Kelly added 19.

“The team never gave up,” Skrinjar said. “We kept coming back and made some key free throws at the end.”

• Shady Side Academy hosted South Allegheny in a Section 3-3A matchup Jan. 23, and the Indians posted a 54-33 win. The Indians, who led 33-20 at the half, were paced by Grady Munroe with 16 points.

SSA traveled to Jeannette on Jan. 24 for a nonsection game. In a closely contested game, the Jayhawks held on for a 68-65 win. Skyy Moore scored 24 points in the loss.

The Indians (10-6, 5-1) beat Apollo-Ridge on the road Jan. 26, 56-48, to maintain their one-game lead over East Allegheny in the section with four section games left. Moore led SSA with 11 points.

Girls basketball

In a nonsection game on Jan. 23, Sarah Sheerer scored 18 points to lead Fox Chapel girls basketball to a 64-30 win over Woodland Hills.

They returned to Section 2-6A play Friday and lost a close one at Penn Hills, 43-37. Sheerer scored nine points to lead the Foxes (5-11, 0-7).

• Shady Side Academy went on the road to take on Section 3-3A rival Apollo-Ridge on Jan. 22. The Indians led 26-22 entering the fourth quarter, but the Vikings rallied for a 39-33 victory. Ariana Goitz led SSA with 12 points.

“It was a tough one,” SSA coach Amy Szlachetka said. “Apollo-Ridge is a very good team, and they are well-coached. Their gym is a tough environment to play in, too. We didn't have an answer for their center, Megan Ost, or their 6-foot guard, Madalyn Moore.

“We lost a bit of our composure in the fourth quarter and it hurt us. We need to work on controlling our emotions when calls don't go our way. This game should prove to be a good learning experience for us.”

The Indians (9-7, 4-5) rebounded with a 45-44 win over visiting Carlynton on Jan. 25. Goitz scored 19 points and Catherine Jewart scored 15.

Swimming

Shady Side Academy swept Brentwood on Jan. 23 in a nonsection meet, with the girls winning 87-68 and the boys recording a 75-64 victory.

Girls winners were the 200 medley relay team (Sophia McMahon, Jeanne Lauer, Meredith Cummings, Rory Engel), the 200 free relay team (Lauer, Sasha Arefyev, Engel, Maya Groff), Lindsey Grune (200 free), Groff (200 IM), Heather Grune (100 butterfly), Ashley Chu (500 free) and Cummings (100 free).

Boys winners were the 400 free relay team (Sean Kelley, Will Engel, Andrew Meyers, Christian Taylor), the 200 free relay team (Nick Lauer, Engel, Jonathan Hung, Meyers), the 200 medley relay team (Taylor, Lauer, Engel, Kelley), Taylor (200 IM), Kelley (50 free, 500 free) and Engel (100 butterfly).

The Indians posted another set of dual wins Jan. 25 against Deer Lakes. The girls (7-0, 3-0) won 62-53, and the boys (6-1, 3-0) posted a 93-75 win.

“I have been very proud of how hard our swimmers have been training and competing recently,” SSA coach John Landreth said. “There are three more weeks left in the dual season, and I cannot wait to see what it brings.”

Marty Stewart is a freelance writer.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy