Local roundup: Rockets battle but fall to No. 3 OLSH
Jefferson-Morgan tried to rally but couldn’t overcome an early deficit in falling to third-seeded Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 41-28, in a WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal game at Peters Township High School’s AHN Arena on Thursday night.
The loss snapped J-M’s 10-game winning streak.
The sixth-seeded Rockets (22-2), who have already clinched a spot in the PIAA tournament, host No. 10 Winchester Thurston at noon on Saturday in the first of two state placement games with the second coming on Wednesday with the site, time and opponent to be determined.
The Chargers (20-4) advanced to Monday’s semifinals against second-seeded Sewickley Academy.
OLSH jumped out to an 18-7 lead in the first quarter and maintained control the rest of the way.
Jefferson-Morgan trailed 24-14 at halftime and 33-23 after three quarters but could get no closer.
Jeremiah Robertson led the way with 15 points for the Rockets, accounting for over half their scoring.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
UNION 50, WEST GREENE 35 – The sixth-seeded Lady Pioneers trailed the third-seeded Lady Scotties by just one point after the first quarter but the two-time defending WPIAL champions pulled away from there on their home court to win their WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game.
Union (19-4) surged to a 27-17 halftime advantage and held a 38-27 lead after three quarters.
West Greene (17-7)drops into the consolation bracket and hosts No. 7 Sewickley Academy in a 7 p.m. game Monday with the winner earning a berth in the PIAA tournament.
Olivia Benedict led the Lady Scotties with 23 points and Maggie Joseph added 10.
Jillissa Yeater paced the Lady Pioneers with 12 points and Kendra Tharp tallied 11 points.
ELIZABETH FORWARD 61, BELLE VERNON 56 – After dropping two close regular-season games to Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward finally defeated the Lady Leopards in their third meeting, this one coming in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal game at Peters Township High School’s AHN Arena.
Mia Sostaric scored 18 points and Kaelynn Settles added 14 as the fifth-seeded Lady Warriors (18-6) advanced to Monday’s semifinals against top-seeded Blackhawk in a 6 p.m. game on the same floor.
Belle Vernon, the Section 3 champion which saw its 14-game winning streak come to an end, falls into the consolation bracket and hosts No. 9 Burrell in a noon clash on Saturday with the winner qualifying for the PIAA tournament.
The fourth-seeded Lady Leopards (20-4) led 18-15 after the first quarter but EF moved out to a 35-32 halftime advantage and bumped the margin up to 50-42 after three quarters. Belle Vernon out-scored the Lady Warriors 14-11 in the final frame but it wasn’t enough.
Isis Almyty recorded a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds in pacing the Lady Leopards, who also got 13 points and three steals from Lyla McConnell and 10 points and seven rebounds from Aubrey Brown.