Local roundup
Quartet leads California High to victory Four players were in double figures for California Friday night to carry the Trojans to a 68-51 victory against visiting Mapletown in the first game of the second half of the Section 2-A schedule.
Mapletown led 18-10 after the first quarter and 31-25 at the half, but California rallied in the third quarter for a 47-42 advantage. The Trojans capped the come-from-behind victory with a 21-9 fourth quarter.
Dan DeMoss scored a game-high 20 points for California. Shane Tonkavitch had 19, Robinson added 16 and Rick Cope finished with 13.
Drew Denham had 15 points for the Maples. Joe Clites scored 15 for Mapletown and Joe Kovach added 10.
Avella 50, Jefferson-Morgan 48 – The Eagles built a eight-point first half lead, then held off the visiting Rockets for a Section 2-A victory. Jefferson-Morgan outscored the home team, 27-21, in the second half, missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the win.
Jefferson-Morgan’s Vince Kraft led all scorers with 19 points. Matt Ferencak added 10. Jefferson-Morgan drops to 1-6 in the section and 3-12 overall.
Fred Simons scored 11 for Avella with Mike Kettler contributing 10. The Eagles improve to 1-6 in the section and 3-13 overall.
Belle Vernon 70, Southmoreland 60 – Five players finished in double figures as the Leopards opened the second half of the Section 3-AAA season with a home victory.
Matt Cyktor and Brandon Neil both scored 13 for Belle Vernon. Matt Rowland had 12, Steven King finished with 11 and Jon Murt scored 10.
Troy Rollinson scored a game-high 20 points for the Scotties while Chris Hawkins added 11.
Waynesburg Central 61, Yough 53 – The Raiders steadily increased their lead through three quarters and held off the visiting Cougars for a Section 3-AAA victory.
Robert Rohanna scored 20 points and P.J. Schumacher added 16 for Waynesburg. Ben McCauley was the lone Yough player in double figures with 28.
Girls basketball
Geibel Catholic 49, Belle Vernon 41 – The Lady Gators avenged a loss to Belle Vernon earlier in the week Friday for a non-section home victory.
Belle Vernon held a one-point first quarter edge. Geibel pulled ahead in the second quarter and continued to slip further away for the win.
Julie Wisilosky was the only Geibel player in double figures with 16 points.
Sarah Mendicino scored 13 for the Lady Leopards with Corey Baron finishing with 10.
Women’s basketball
California (Pa.) 82, Indiana (Pa.) 51 – The Vulcans blew open a close game by outscoring the home team in the second half, 45-22, for a PSAC-West road victory. California, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II East Region, improves to 2-0 in the conference and 16-0 overall. Indiana falls to 0-2 in the conference and 10-6 overall.
Becky Siembak was a force under the boards for the Vulcans with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Megan Storck had a strong floor game with seven assists and 13 points.
Stacia Hamilton scored 12 points and Erin Dillon added 11. Sara McKinney finished with 10 rebounds.
Shemika Stevens led Indiana with 12 points.
Pitt-Greensburg 80, Lake Erie College 55 – Erin Arnold scored 18 points and Jess Porter added 14 Saturday to carry the Lady Bobcats to a road victory. Laurel Highlands graduate Amy Bandzuch scored three points and grabbed a rebound for Pitt-Greensburg.
The Lady Bobcats improve to 4-0 in the conference and 10-4 overall.
Houghton 69, Geneva 61 – Laurel Highlands graduate Sabrina Adams scored eight points in the American Mideast Conference road loss. She pulled down three rebounds, dished out an assist and had two steals.
Washington & Jefferson 64, Waynesburg 35 – The visitors held a 30-point halftime lead and cruised to a Presidents’ Athletic Conference victory.
Kyana Bradley was the lone Yellow Jacket in double figures with 13 points. Waynesburg falls to 7-7 overall. Beth-Center graduate Edwina Davis had two rebounds and a steal in a reserve role.
Shawndra McDonald led Washington & Jefferson (10-1) with 18 points. Laurel Highlands graduate Lauren Slampak scored two points while California’s Chelsey Gillen was held scoreless in a reserve role. Waynesburg Central’s Amy Strosnider scored seven points with six rebounds and two assists.
Men’s basketball
Pitt-Greensburg 96, Lake Erie College 93 – The Winfreys totaled 18 points for the Bobcats Saturday to help the visitors break a 50-50 halftime tie for a road victory. David Winfrey scored 10 points and pulled down four rebounds while Scott Winfrey scored eight points, dished out three assists and grabbed five rebounds.
Pitt-Greensburg goes to 3-1 in the conference and 10-4 overall.
Clarion 90, Pitt-Johnstown 72 – Clarion scored 50 points in the second half for a non-conference home victory. Uniontown’s Terrance Vaughns scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists and made three steals in the winning effort.
Waynesburg 78, Washington & Jefferson 76 – The Yellow Jackets had some anxious moments late in the game, but held off the visitors for a Presidents’ Athletic Conference victory.
Waynesburg (8-4, 1-0) ran out to a 51-42 halftime lead, but Washington & Jefferson (2-12, 0-1) rallied in the second half.
Uniontown’s Ray Robinson led Waynesburg with 19 points and seven rebounds. Waynesburg Central graduate Aaron Ankrom scored 13 points with six rebounds. Mike King scored 16 and Mike Pamepinto added 15.
Michael Chicone paced the Washington & Jefferson attack with 31 points and eight rebounds.
California (Pa.) 62, Indiana (Pa.) 51 – The visiting Vulcans broke free in the second half for a PSAC-West road victory. California improves to 1-1 in the conference and 13-6 overall while Indiana drops to 0-2 and 10-6.
Four Vulcans were in double figures, led by Ryan Stefanski’s 14 points. Ishmieal Kamara scored 13, Michael Johnson had 12 and Gerrmar Ballard added 10.
Travis Eisentrout and Gary Franklin both scored 10 for Indiana.
Men’s wrestling
Washington & Lee Invitational – Waynesburg freshman Mike Olem was the lone champion for the Yellow Jackets Saturday, winning a 5-4 decision over Davidson’s Pat Coman at 125 pounds
Chris Vicente wrestled back to finish third at 141 pounds.
Waynesburg finished sixth in the eight-team field with 32 points. Presidents’ Athletic Conference rival Washington & Jefferson won the team total with 81 points.
Women’s swimming
California (Pa.) 85, Salem International 76 – The Vulcans remained perfect in dual meets with a non-conference home victory. California improves to 9-0 overall.
Laurel Highlands graduate Keli Smiell won the 100-yard freestyle in 59.47 seconds and anchored the winning 200-yard medley relay. Belle Vernon’s Rachel Driver was a member of the winning 200-yard medley and freestyle relay teams.
“This meet was a good chance for us to let some of our students swim in events in which they normally don’t compete,” said California head coach Ed Denny. “We will get back to business in two weeks when we travel to Millersville. This will be our prep for the PSAC Championships.”