High school roundup for Feb. 7, 2023: Aquinas Academy’s Vinnie Cugini joins elite company with 3,000 points

By: Tribune-Review
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 | 11:37 PM

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Vinnie Cugini scored 36 points to lead Aquinas Academy to a 71-50 victory over Hillel Academy in Section 3-A Tuesday night, becoming the fifth player in Pennsylvania boys basketball history to hit the 3,000-point mark.

Cugini finished the game with 3,001 points, joining Northern Bedford’s AJ Nastasi (3,833), Mansfield’s Tom McMillen (3,608), Carlisle’s Billy Owens (3,299) and West Reading’s Ron Krick (3,174).

Jude Truschel scored 19 points and made five 3-pointers for Aquinas (17-4, 5-4). Yonah Iskowitz scored 16 points for Hillel Academy (4-8, 0-8).

Beaver 85, Ambridge 44 – Brady Mayo led Beaver (16-3, 8-3) with 17 points, Sawyer Butler had 15 and Gerrell Leeper added 12 in a Section 2-4A win. Jared Astorino and Adam Fernandez scored 10 points apiece for Ambridge (6-15, 3-9).

Belle Vernon 72, Albert Gallatin 42 – Quinton Martin and Zion Moore scored 23 points apiece to lead Belle Vernon (10-10, 5-4) in Section 3-4A. Trevor Kovatch added 12. Blake White led Albert Gallatin (3-14, 0-9) with 10 points.

Bentworth 80, Beth-Center 61 – Landon Urcho dropped 33 points and pulled down 10 rebounds and Cristian May added 12 points and had 13 rebounds to lead Bentworth (11-10, 5-7) to a Section 4-2A win. Ben Hays scored 14 and Chris Harper had 10 for the Bearcats. Brody Tharp scored 19 points and made five 3s, Dom Revi and Jonah Sussan each scored 13 and Jason Zelli had 11 for Beth-Center (1-20, 0-11).

Bishop Canevin 57, Eden Christian 44 – Shea Champine scored 35 and Michael Vaughn added 10 as Bishop Canevin (16-4, 8-1) defeated Eden Christian (14-5, 7-2) to clinch at least a share of the Section 2-2A title.

Brentwood 58, Keystone Oaks 51 – Collin Harris scored a game-high 25 points and Ethan Spivak hit for 16 to lead Brentwood (5-15, 2-10) past Keystone Oaks (9-11, 6-5) in Section 2-3A. Talan Kammermeier scored 17, Carter Betz had 15 and Aidan Barker finished with 10 for the Golden Eagles.

Burgettstown 68, Frazier 43 – Andrew Bredel scored 19 points, Caleb Russell followed with 18, Zack Schrockman finished with 15 and James Leuice had 10 for Burgettstown (12-8, 8-3) in a Section 4-2A win. Keyshaun Thompson put up 15 and Brennan Stewart contributed 10 for Frazier (2-19, 1-10).

Burrell 62, Apollo-Ridge 34 – Macky Bennis scored 20 points and Tucker Bitar added 16 to lead Burrell (12-9, 8-3) in Section 3-3A. Ryan Croushore added 10. Owen Crawford scored 12 and Jake Mull had 11 for Apollo-Ridge (1-21, 0-12).

Carrick 56, Westinghouse 51 – Josiah Burt scored 16, Josh Ford added 11 and Will Smith finished with 10 to lead Carrick (6-17, 3-7) to a City League win over Westinghouse (0-15, 0-10).

Carlynton 72, Avella 25 – Chase Jones led all scorers with 22, Jaiden McClure added 19 and Simon Schriver finished with 13 as Carlynton (14-6, 7-2) rolled Avella (6-15, 3-6) in Section 1-A.

Deer Lakes 77, Valley 51 – Bryce Robson scored 22, Michael Butler followed with 17 and Nate Litrun chipped in 14 to lead Deer Lakes (13-7, 10-1) to a Section 3-3A win against Valley (3-18, 2-9).

Derry 65, Shady Side Academy 59 – Gabe Carbonara led all scorers with 27 points, Nate Papuga followed with 22 and Brady Angus contributed 11 as Derry (10-8, 6-5) took a back-and-forth Section 3-3A battle. Nate Mallory dropped 25 points while Ben Michaels and Seamus Riordan each scored 12 points for Shady Side (14-5, 9-2).

East Allegheny 59, West Mifflin 58 – Brennan Ruttledge scored 13 points, Troy Anderson had 12 and Damar Young and Chris Portis added 10 points apiece to push East Allegheny (3-14, 1-8) past West Mifflin (9-10, 4-5) in a Section 4-4A. Shai Newby led the Titans with 13 points and Jordan Lucas-Johnson and Joseph Fleming each had 12 points.

Ellwood City 57, Beaver Falls 51 – Joe Roth scored 35 points and Chris Smiley added 13 to lead Ellwood City (14-7, 6-5) past Beaver Falls (10-8, 8-4) in Section 1-3A. Trey Singleton scored 15 points and Isaiah Sharp added 11 for the Tigers.

Fort Cherry 77, Carmichaels 36 – Owen Norman led Fort Cherry (19-2, 11-0) with 29 points, Shane Cornali added 12 and Matt Sieg had 10 in a Section 4-2A win. Aydan Adamson scored 10 points for Carmichaels (12-9, 5-6).

Freeport 68, Greensburg Salem 41 – Zach Clark led with 17 points, Brady Sullivan had 13 and Gavin Croney had 10 to lead Freeport (12-8, 4-5) to a Section 1-4A win. Cody Rubrecht scored 14 points for Greensburg Salem (5-16, 1-8).

Gateway 62, Franklin Regional 43 – Jaydon Carr put up 21 points, Kaleb Pryor added 17 and Tra Willliams had 12 as Gateway (14-5, 8-1) defeated Franklin Regional (9-11, 3-6) in Section 3-5A. Cooper Rankin dropped 30 points and sank five 3-pointers for the Panthers.

Geibel 78, California 60 – Jaydis Kennedy led Geibel (13-6, 7-1) with 27 points and Tre White added 22 in a Section 2-A win. Jacob Ziolecki scored 17 points for California (6-14, 1-8).

Greensburg Central Catholic 75, Clairton 48 – Tyree Turner led Greensburg Central Catholic (14-5, 10-1) with 29 points, Franco Alvarez had 16, and Ty Rozier added 13 as the Centurions clinched the Section 3-2A title. DaShawn Hines scored 20 points and Devon Dean had 11 for Clairton (10-12, 5-7).

Hampton 74, Knoch 47 – Eric Weeks dropped 24 points, Peter Kramer added 19 and Braxton Eastly finished with 12 as Hampton (18-2, 9-0) defeated Knoch (7-13, 5-4) in Section 1-4A. Jackson Bauman scored 16 and James Snyder followed with 14 for the Knights.

Hempfield 55, Baldwin 53 – Drew Gordon scored 18 points and Harry Sowers added 17 to lead Hempfield (8-13, 3-6) to a Section 2-6A win. Nate Richards and Nathan Wesling scored 12 points each for Baldwin (12-8, 5-4). Matt Schenk had 10.

Highlands 96, Indiana 65 – Cam Reigard put up 29 points and sank eight 3-pointers and Bradyn Foster dropped 23 points and had 11 rebounds to lead Highlands (17-3, 7-2) to a Section 1-4A win. Jimmy Kunst scored 13 and Jordyn Tavarez followed with 11 points for the Golden Rams. Gavin Homer scored 16 points and Stanford Webb had 12 on four 3-pointers for Indiana (6-14, 1-8).

Jeannette 49, Springdale 45 – Giovanni Merola scored 21 points and Isaiah Mallich added 10 to lead Jeannette (12-7, 6-5) to a Section 3-2A win. John Hughes scored 15 and Mason Gent had 11 for Springdale (9-12, 3-8).

Jefferson-Morgan 52, West Greene 40 – Troy Wright scored 16 points and Jordan Jacobs hit for 10 to lead Jefferson-Morgan (13-8, 6-3) to a Section 2-A win. Lane Allison led all scorers with 21 points for West Greene (4-16, 1-7).

Kiski Area 63, McKeesport 44 – Jason Flemm and Noah Thimons scored 15 points apiece for Kiski Area (11-10, 5-4) in a Section 3-5A win over McKeesport (8-10, 5-4). Travarese Rowe led the Tigers with 21 points.

Laurel Highlands 57, Southmoreland 35 – Rodney Gallagher and Mason Bolish scored 14 points each as Laurel Highlands (18-2, 8-1) won in Section 3-4A. Keondre Deshields added 11 and Patrick Cavanagh 10. Noah Felentzer led Southmoreland (12-9, 2-7) with 17 points.

Lincoln Park 66, Central Valley 53 – Meleek Thomas had a game-high 24 points, Brandin Cummings followed with 21 and DeAndre Moye finished with 12 as Lincoln Park (20-1, 11-0) beat Central Valley (6-14, 3-8) in Section 2-4A. Andre Vacich dropped 23 points and Jayvin Thompson added 19 for the Warriors.

Mars 79, Chartiers Valley 77 – Tasso Sfanos scored 31 points and Austin Campbell added 15 to push Mars (14-6, 6-3) past Chartiers Valley (15-6, 4-5) in a Section 4-5A win. Jayden Davis led the Colts with 50 points and seven 3-points and Julian Semplice had 22.

Mohawk 89, New Brighton 64 – Deven Sudziak scored 20, Bobby Fadden and Dante Retort added 19 apiece and Keigan Hopper hit for 17 to lead Mohawk (19-1, 10-1) to a Section 1-3A win. Isaiah Hayhurst led all scorers with 23 points, Robert Budacki had 13 and Marquis White finished with 10 for New Brighton (3-15, 1-10).

Monessen 61, Mapletown 44 – Lorenzo Gardner hit for 24, Dante DeFelice added 15 and Rodney Johnson finished with 10 as Monessen (18-2, 8-1) beat Mapletown (7-11, 3-6) in Section 2-A. Braden McIntire had 14 points and made four 3-pointers, Cohen Stout followed with 12 and Landan Stevenson scored 10 for the Maples.

Montour 53, Avonworth 46 – Jake Wolfe scored 17 points and Ryan Gamble added 13 as Montour (8-13, 4-5) defeated Avonworth (7-13, 3-6) to clinch a playoff berth in Section 4-4A.

Moon 54, West Allegheny 45 – Elijah Guillory dropped 26 points to lead Moon (11-9, 5-4) to a Section 4-5A win. Brandon Bell scored 20 points, Justin Manns hit for 13 and Tyler Blatz contributed 10 for West Allegheny (8-13, 1-8).

Mt. Pleasant 71, Waynesburg 14 – Yukon Daniels scored 19 points and Brayden Caletri added 18 as Mt. Pleasant (5-15, 4-7) routed Waynesburg (3-17, 1-9) in Section 4-3A. Luke Rivardo chipped in 10 for the Vikings.

Neighborhood Academy 60, St. Joseph 28 – John Wilkins hit four 3-pointers, scored 19 points and collected 15 rebounds to lead Neighborhood Academy (16-4, 6-3) to a Section 3-A win. Courtney Wallace added 12 points and Shamar Simpson had 11. Quinn Stefaniak led St. Joseph (7-13, 1-7) with nine points.

New Castle 72, Pine-Richland 51 – Isaiah Boyce scored 22 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jon Anderson had 18 and Dajuan Young added 15 for New Castle (18-2, 8-1) in a Section 1-6A win over Pine-Richland (5-15, 1-8). Andrew Lamendola scored 16 points and Josh Gimbel had 13 for the Rams.

North Catholic 74, Blackhawk 58 – Max Hurray dropped 23 points, Max Rottmann added 20 and Andrew Maddalon finished with 14 for North Catholic (14-6, 9-2) in a Section 2-4A win. Jacob Patton scored 22 points and Zach Oliver chipped in 13 for Blackhawk (11-10, 5-6).

Northgate 57, South Side 55 – Landon Lockett hit the game-winning basket with 4.1 seconds left and Stevie Goetz and Josh Williams scored 16 points each to lead Northgate (15-6, 6-3) to a Section 1-2A win. Tylon Daniels added 12. Brody Almashy scored 17, AC Corfield added 11 and Carter Wilson had 10 for South Side (6-14, 2-7).

Norwin 58, Mt. Lebanon 46 – Adam Bilinsky scored 30 points and Jackson Pons added 10 for Norwin (12-8, 4-5) in a Section 2-6A win. Michael Pfeuffer led Mt. Lebanon (13-7, 7-2) with 12 points.

Penn Hills 72, Plum 44 – Daemar Kelly scored 28 points to pace Penn Hills (16-2, 9-0) in Section 2-5A. Julian Dugger, Robert Thomas, Noah Barren and Lamire Redman each added 11. Will Beckner led Plum (7-14, 1-8) with 13 points. Adam Kotvas had 12 and Max Grice added 10.

Peters Township 77, Trinity 58 – Jack Dunbar scored 33 points, including four 3-pointers, and Cam Mills added 15 for Peters Township (17-3, 8-1) in a Section 1-5A win. Andrew Collins scored 18 and Jacob Dunkle had 10 for Trinity (8-12, 3-6).

Propel Braddock Hills 57, Nazareth Prep 39 – Giontae Clemmons scored 28 points and Ben Mayhew added 19 to lead Propel Braddock Hills (10-11, 5-4) to a Section 2-2A win. Kevin Mickens scored 19 and Will Evans had 13 for Nazareth Prep (8-8, 5-4).

Quaker Valley 46, South Allegheny 43 – Noah Jordan scored 17 points and Joseph Coyle added 14 as Quaker Valley (14-5, 8-1) defeated South Allegheny (16-4, 7-2) to clinch at least a share of the Section 4-4A title.

Ringgold 57, Connellsville 54 – Aiden Angotti scored 17, Daryl Tolliver added 13, Lorenzo Glasser followed with 12 and Jake Pehowic contributed 11 to lead Ringgold (4-17, 2-7) past Connellsville (0-21, 0-9) in Section 1-5A. Anthony Piasecki led all scorers with 29 points and drained five 3-pointers for the Falcons.

Riverside 54, Freedom 37 – Nate Kolesar put up 16 and Rob Janis added 10 to lead Riverside (8-13, 5-6) to a Section 1-3A win. Logan Bickerstaff led Freedom (1-19, 0-11) with 12 points.

Rochester 64, Union 63 – Xavier Rigby scored 23 points and drained five 3-pointers, Jerome Mullins added 16 points and Jayvin Hemer chipped in 12 as Rochester (9-12, 6-3) knocked off first-place Union (18-2, 8-1) in Section 1-A. Matt Stanley put up 23 points and Braylon Thomas had 15 for the Scotties.

Serra Catholic 78, Chartiers-Houston 72 – Isaiah Petty led all scorers with 26, Joe Demoss put up 24 and Pete Burke contributed 13 as Serra Catholic (12-8) beat Chartiers-Houston (15-6) in nonsection play. Avery Molek (21), Jake Mele (16), Nate Gregory (12) and Manny Ngumngra (10) scored in double digits for the Buccaneers.

Seton LaSalle 66, OLSH 58 – Connor Spratt scored 23 points, Ian March had 16 and Hayden Merchant added 14 to push Seton LaSalle (10-9, 7-4) past OLSH (15-5, 8-3) in a Section 2-3A win. Rocco Spadafora led the Chargers with 21 points and Rocco Coladonato had 18.

Shaler 50, Armstrong 45 – Kaden Orga scored 13 and Keegan Smetanka added 11 lifting Shaler (15-6, 6-3) past Armstrong (11-9, 2-7) in Section 2-5A. Cadin Olsen scored a game-high 20 points for the River Hawks.

South Fayette 48, North Hills 45 – Michael Plasko scored 21 points and Elijah Hill added 14 to lead South Fayette (11-9, 4-5) past North Hills (16-5, 7-2) in a Section 4-5A win. Royce Parham led the Indians with 26 points.

Sto-Rox 61, South Park 51 – Josh Jenkins and Marcus Thomas scored 18 points apiece and Jaymont Green-Miller added 15 for Sto-Rox (7-13, 4-7) in a Section 2-3A win over South Park (7-12, 3-8).

Uniontown 78, Elizabeth Forward 40 – Notorious Grooms scored 18 points, K’Adrian McLee added 16 and Calvin Winfrey had 11 to lead Uniontown (18-2, 9-0) past Elizabeth Forward (7-13, 3-6) in a Section 3-4A win. Zach Boyd led the Warriors with 14 points and Andrew Cook had 13.

Upper St. Clair 68, Canon-McMillan 43 – Nick Sukernek scored 14 and Mathew Gaither contributed 12 to lead Upper St. Clair (13-8, 8-1) to a win over Canon-McMillan (3-18, 0-9) in Section 2-6A. Eamon O’Donoghue scored 10 for the Big Macs.

Western Beaver 58, Cornell 32 – Levi Gray led all scorers with 23 points and Chantz Cottrill added 15 as Western Beaver (10-11, 3-6) beat Cornell (1-17, 0-9) in Section 1-A. Julian Cordice led the Raiders with 13 points.

Yough 50, McGuffey 42 – Terek Crosby hit six 3-pointers and racked up 30 points to lead Yough (14-7, 9-2) to a Section 4-3A win. Philip McCuen and Ayden Cunningham had nine points apiece for McGuffey (11-10, 5-6).

Girls basketball

Armstrong 49, Fox Chapel 37 – Emma Paul scored 17 points and drained four 3-pointers, Kyla Fitzgerald followed with 16 and Olivia Yancy scored nine points on three 3-pointers as Armstrong (18-3, 9-3) beat Fox Chapel (12-8, 6-5) in Section 2-5A. Sarah Slember scored nine for the Foxes.

Blackhawk 87, Ambridge 9 – Kassie Potts scored 15 points and Alena Fusetti added 14 for Blackhawk (17-2, 8-0) in Section 2-4A. Quinn Borroni added 11. Alivea Bupp led Ambridge (1-19, 0-9) with six points.

Franklin Regional 57, Gateway 39 – Sarah Penrod scored 12 points while Brooke Schirmer and Avery Musto scored 10 points apiece to lead Franklin Regional (7-13, 5-7) to a Section 1-5A victory. Marina Grado scored 16 to lead Gateway (4-15, 0-11) .

Hopewell 38, New Castle 25 – Lauryn Speicher scored 10 points to lead Hopewell (9-12) to a nonsection win. Armani Walker had 12 points and Rihanna Boice added 11 for New Castle (4-16).

McKeesport 47, Penn-Trafford 32 – Rachael Manfredo led all scorers with 14 and Brooke Evans added nine points to lead McKeesport (18-3, 10-1) to a Section 3-5A win. Olivia Pepple had 12 and Lillian Palladino finished with 11 points for Penn-Trafford (13-6, 6-5).

Monessen 59, Mapletown 26 – Sidney Campbell put up 18, Madison Johnson scored 11 and Hailey Johnson hit for 10 to lead Monessen (14-4, 8-1) to a Section 2-A. Krista Wilson led all scorers with 19 points for Mapletown (6-13, 2-7).

North Allegheny 48, Seneca Valley 34 – Lydia Betz scored 14 points and Kelly McConnell added 10 to lead North Allegheny (15-4, 8-1) past Seneca Valley (5-15, 1-8) in a Section 1-6A win. Natalie Hambly led the Raiders with 10 points.

Riverview 56, Springdale 32 – Isabel Chaparro scored 15 points and Katerina Tsambis added 13 for Riverview (11-8) in a nonsection win. Lily Bauer had 11. Ashlyn Ferderbar had 13 and Caity Stec added 10 for Springdale (4-16).

Upper St. Clair 67, Canon-McMillan 33 – Mia Brown scored 20 points and Rylee Kalocay added 17 to spark Upper St. Clair (18-2, 11-0) to a Section 2-6A win. Nadia Davis led Canon-McMillan (5-14, 1-10) with 12 points. Kelsey Wandera had 11 and Lauren Borella 10.

West Greene 55, Jefferson-Morgan 21 – Kasie Meek put up 13 points and Taylor Karvan finished with 11 as West Greene (11-9, 7-2) defeated Jefferson-Morgan (0-21, 0-9) in Section 2-A.

Hockey

Greensburg Salem 2, Wheeling Catholic 1 – Owen Tutich scored his second goal of the game with 25 seconds left, leading Greensburg Salem (15-3) to a Class A win. Ethyn Taylor scored the tying goal for Wheeling Catholic (5-13) with 1:01 to play/

Kiski 4, Shaler 2 – Ethan Bombalski had two goals and an assist and Ethan George also scored twice to lead Kiski (14-3) to a Class A win. Logan Thom had a goal and an assist for Shaler (8-9).

Montour 3, McDowell 2 (OT) – Holden Wilpula scored the game-winner in overtime to lift Montour (13-4-1) to a Class A win. Caden Martin and Chase Schaltenbrand scored for the Spartans. Nico Catalde had both goals for McDowell (12-4-2).

Penn-Trafford 6, Mars 0 – Xavier Solomon scored a hat trick and Bryce Kropczynski added two goals as Penn-Trafford (10-7) blanked Mars (3-14) for a Class 2A win. Nate Loughner added a goal for the Warriors while Jackson Kerrigan stopped 23 shots for the shutout.

Peters Township 7, Cathedral Prep 0 – Will Tomko had a hat trick and Luca Maietta scored two goals to lead Peters Township (13-3-1) to a Class 3A win over Cathedral Prep (9-8). Troy Jones and Austin Malley scored while Nolan Hilbert stopped 12 shots in net for the shutout.

Pine-Richland 6, Canon-McMillan 3 – Benjamin Baileys had two goals and Ryan Peacock, Cullen Campbell, Zachary Howard and Douglas Van Meter also scored to lead Pine-Richland (10-7-1) to a Class 3A win. Dominic Tracanna had two goals and an assist and Benjamin Votodian added a goal and two assists for Canon-McMillan (4-13-1).