Host Mikes advance to King Coal tourney finals
Carmichaels sprinted out to a 15-2 lead in the first quarter Monday night and the Mikes didn’t look back as they advanced to the King Coal Lions Christmas Tourament finals with a 68-19 win over Mapletown.
The Mikes (4-3) play in the championship today at 7:30 p.m. Mapletown plays in the consolation game at 6 p.m.
Carmichaels led 35-11 at halftime and then held the Maples (0-8) scoreless as it extended the lead to 53-11 at the end of the third quarter.
Cody Brown led the Mikes with a game-high 12 points. Carmichaels had 11 of 12 players score in the game.
Alix Gennette led the Maples with nine points.
Beth-Center 69, Jefferson-Morgan 33 – Beth-Center led throughout the game Monday night, defeating Jefferson-Morgan, 69-33, to advance to the King Coal Lions Club Christmas Tournament title game.
The Bulldogs (4-2) play host Carmichaels at 7:30 p.m. The Rockets (0-9) face Mapletown at 6 p.m.
Beth-Center led 16-11, 34-16 and 50-24 at the quarter breaks.
Luke Heff scored a game-high 19 points for the Bulldogs. J.J. Green finished with 15 and Nick Pryor added 10.
D.L. Garrett led the Rockets with nine points.
Bethel Park 80, Connellsville 54 – Connellsville trailed by just two after the first quarter, but Bethel Park scored 50 points over the next 16 minutes for an 80-54 victory over the Falcons Monday on the first day of the Penn Hills County Challenge.
The Black Hawks (5-3) led 35-22 at halftime and extended their lead to 63-42 after three quarters.
Seth Younkin was the lone player for Connellsville (4-5) in double figures with 15 points.
Jake Dixon finished with a game-high 29 points for Bethel Park. Josh Duda added 13.
The Falcons are back in action this morning with a game against Plum at 11 a.m.
Elizabeth-Forward 41, California 36 – The Trojans led 13-12 after the first quarter and 21-18 at halftime, but Elizabeth-Forward rallied in the second half Monday night for a 41-36 victory over California in the first round of the Charleroi Federal Holiday Tournament.
The Warriors (3-7) pulled into the lead at the end of the third quarter, 30-29, and put the finishing touches on the rally with an 11-7 fourth quarter.
Kass Taylor led California (6-2) with a game-high 16 points. Johnny DeFranco added 14.
Tre Mitchell led the Warriors with 13 points.
Southmoreland 41, Ringgold 31 – The Southmoreland boys basketball team opened the Charleroi Federal Holiday Tournament Monday night with a 44-31 victory over Ringgold.
The Scotties (6-3) trailed the Rams after the first quarter, 13-10, as well at halftime, 18-15. But, Southmoreland pushed into the lead with a 13-2 advantage in the third quarter. They maintained the lead with a 13-11 fourth quarter.
Brandon Stone led the Scotties (6-3) with 12 points. Tanner Schwartz added 11.
Carlynton 76, Geibel Catholic 48 – Carlynton put up 45 first-half points Monday afternoon on its way to a 76-48 victory over Geibel Catholic in the second round of the Avella Christmas Tournament.
The Cougars (5-4) led 25-11 after the first quarter and extended their advantage to 45-25 at halftime. Carlynton outscored the Gators in the second half, 31-23.
Bailey Miller led Geibel (2-6) with 19 points. Kyle Toth added 12.
Ian Gallagher scored a game-high 20 points for Carlynton. Courtney Mickens finished with 16 and Tarik Isak added 14.
Laurel Highlands 74, Waynesburg Central 51 – Hudson Novak finished with a double-double Monday night to lead Laurel Highlands to 74-51 non-section victory on the road at Waynesburg Central.
The Mustangs (5-4) held a big advantage in the second and fourth quarters, outscoring the Raiders, 48-20. Waynesburg (3-6) outscored the visitors in the first and third quarters, 31-26.
Novak scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Mustangs. Jake Swartz finished with 18 points, and Chayton Burchick and Daniel Cavinee had 10 points apiece.
Darton McIntire led the Raiders with a game-high 28 points.
Trinity 82, Brownsville 72 – Noah Brown, Shandon Marshall and Tryvon Brown accounted for 65 points Monday night, but Brownsville fell short in the first day of the Trinity Christmas Tournament with an 82-72 loss to the host Hillers.
Noah Brown scored 25 points and grabbed 25 rebounds for the Falcons (7-1). Marshall and Tryvon Brown both scored 20 points.
The Hillers (4-4) led 23-13 after the first quarter and 36-31 at halftime. They added to the lead for a 61-53 advantage after three quarters.
Joey Koroly scored a game-high 27 points for Trinity. Jaden Nelson finished with 15 and Robert Nelson added 12.
Girl’s Basketball
Brownsville 60, Washington 45 – The Lady Falcons led after the first quarter of Monday’s opening round game in the McGuffey Christmas Tournament and Brownsville didn’t let it go for a 60-45 victory against Washington.
The Lady Falcons (8-2) led 16-13, 33-28 and 50-37 at the quarter breaks.
Keke McCrae led Brownsville with 20 points, including five 3-pointers. Alie Seto scored 18, while her older sister Maris finished with 16.
Tajah Gordon scored a game-high 22 points for Washington (6-3). Mikayla Maltony added 10.
Brownsville plays in the tournament title game today at 8 p.m.
Mapletown 39, Bentworth 34 – The Lady Maples used a 17-2 advantage in the second quarter to take the lead, and a 10-5 advantage in the fourth quarter for the win as Mapletown defeated host Bentworth, 39-24, Monday night.
Mapletown (2-6) faces the Ellis School tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the title game of the Bentworth Christmas Tournament. The Lady Bearcats play West Greene at 3 p.m.
Bentworth led 12-7 after the first quarter, but gave way to the Lady Maples, 24-14, at halftime. The Lady Bearcats rallied in the third quarter, 13-5, but Mapletown broke away in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
Aliceon Clark led Mapletown with 10 points. Kelsi Smith grabbed 16 rebounds.
Heather Chester scored a game-high 19 points for Bentworth.
Ellis School 50, West Greene 46 – The Ellis School slowly built a lead Monday night, and then held off a late rally by West Greene for a 50-46 win in the Bentworth Christmas Tournament.
West Greene (7-2) plays Bentworth at 3 p.m. today. The Ellis School (7-0) plays Mapletown in the title game at 6:30 p.m.
The Ellis School led 12-11, 26-24 and 45-36 at the quarter breaks. West Greene had a 12-5 advantage in the fourth quarter.
McKenna Lampe led the Lady Pioneers with 18 points. Dayna Rouse scored 16 for The Ellis School and Mia Kevelis added 11.