ROUNDUP: Union High boys knock off Avella
Jan. 19—The Union High boys basketball team picked up a key section win Thursday night.
The Scotties built a nine-point first-quarter lead and pulled away for a 79-57 WPIAL Section 1-1A home victory over Avella.
Union (4-1 section, 7-9 overall) led 25-16 after the first quarter and increased it to 44-26 at the half.
"I thought we came out kind of sluggish," Scotties coach Mark Stanley said. "We were supposed to play this game Tuesday; playing Thursday, it almost felt like Friday.
"We got after it much better as the game went on. It's always good to take care of home business. I'm happy with the win. Making the turn at 4-1 (in the section) puts us in position to challenge for the section."
Union is tied for first place in the league with Rochester (4-1, 8-5). The Scotties defeated the Rams in the first matchup, 50-36.
Lucas Stanley paced Union with 24 points and nine steals. Braylon Thomas was next with 19 markers and six assists. Dayne Johnke added eight rebounds to go with his six points.
Wesley Burchianti scored 19 points for Avella (3-2, 8-8).
Union hosts Laurel at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Mohawk 61,
Shenango 50
The Warriors pulled away in the fourth quarter for a nonsection road victory over the Wildcats.
Mohawk (10-6) led 29-27 at the break. Shenango (9-6) cut the deficit to 38-37 going to the final frame.
The Warriors were 14 of 17 at the foul line in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
"I thought we played hard," Wildcats coach Bob McQuiston said. "The one thing we wanted to do tonight was take care of the ball and we did that.
"I thought we competed. We made some costly mistakes. Mohawk did a good job of ball control. They took care of the ball down the stretch. We took a step in the right direction as far as taking care of the ball and not turning it over."
Jay Wrona scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to lead the Warriors. Bobby Fadden contributed 19 markers for the winners and Mason Hopper added 11.
Brody McQuiston notched 19 points and three assists for the Wildcats and Brayden George garnered 12. Joe Campoli collected nine tallies and three assists, while Jimmy Roe delivered eight points.
Mohawk travels to Freedom at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Shenango hosts Laurel at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26.
Girls
Hampton 49,
New Castle 15
The Lady 'Canes lost to the Lady Talbots at home in a Section 2-5A battle.
New Castle was down 19-5 after the first quarter and 40-7 at the half.
Rihanna Boice netted eight points for the Lady 'Canes and Raegan Hudson was next with seven.
New Castle visits Fox Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Rochester 52,
Shenango 17
The Lady Wildcats started slow and couldn't recover in dropping a Section 1-2A road decision to the Lady Rams.
Shenango (1-6, 3-12) trailed 20-2 after the first quarter and 35-2 at the half.
Amara DeFrank scored 11 points for the Lady Wildcats and Naiara Thomas tallied four.
Shenango hits the road for a 6:30 p.m. battle Monday against Freedom.
Neshannock 58,
Moniteau 33
The Lady Lancers breezed to a nonsection road victory over the Lady Warriors.
Neshannock built an 18-10 lead after one quarter and pushed the buffer to 36-16 at the half.
"We played really well the first three quarters," Lady Lancers coach Luann Grybowski said. "We were doing some really good things.
"We're playing well at the halfway point."
Neshannock (11-4) turned the ball over just 10 times, which is a season low.
"We took care of the ball pretty well," Grybowski said. "We're making strides on both ends of the court. The kids are listening, they're growing together. They're rooting for each other.
"We don't have any individualists. It's fun to watch and coach."
Payton Newman recorded 16 points, 15 rebounds and three steals to pace Neshannock. Nina Medure was next with 13 tallies.
Jaidon Nogay contributed eight markers with five assists for the Lady Lancers.
Emily Matz tossed in 11 points for Moniteau.
Neshannock hosts Ellwood City Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Wilmington 68,
Slippery Rock 41
Lia Krarup tossed in a game-high 22 points to pace the Lady Greyhounds to a District 10, Region 4-3A/4A road victory over the Lady Rockets.
Wilmington (4-1, 11-4) was coming off a road win over Riverside on Wednesday.
"Playing back-to-back games on the road, I thought the girls started really strong," Lady Greyhounds coach Mike Jeckavitch said. "We got a lot of girls in the scoring column and that was good to see.
"I though we shot the ball really well. It was a really nice team win. Any time you can get a region win you'll take it."
Alyssa Flick followed with 16 markers for the winners and Reese Bruckner bucketed 14. Avery Harlan chipped in nine tallies.
CJ Sabo supplied 13 points for Slippery Rock (1-4, 4-10).
Wilmington visits Greenville at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
