Plagued by low scoring and poor shooting through the first three quarters, Gateway came alive in the fourth quarter to stun Penn-Trafford, 37-36, in a WPIAL Class 5A first round game.
The Gators (17-5) made 7 of 12 shots from the floor and poured in 21 points in the final quarter. Dynasty Shegog’s layup with 32 seconds left provided the wining points. Alexis Margolis knocked down three 3-pointers and netted all 11 of her points in the fourth quarter.
Penn-Trafford led 17-4 in the second and 33-22 with 6:30 remaining in the game. Allie Prady’s 15 points led the Warriors (15-8).
More 5A girls
Penn Hills 43, Plum 35: The Indians (12-11) outscored the Mustangs (14-7), 18-10, in the fourth quarter, and that edge proved to be the difference. Amoni Blackwell led Penn Hills with 15 points. Kennedie Montue scored all 10 of Plum’s points in the fourth to finish with 18.
Moon 52, Mars 36: Moon held a three-point lead at halftime before clamping down defensively in the second half. Reilly Sunday’s game-high 22 points sparked the Tigers (17-6).
Thomas Jefferson 47, Armstrong 23: Dalaney Ranallo scored 11 points and Graci Fairman added 10, as the Jaguars (17-6) cruised into the quarterfinals.
Class 1A girls
Aquinas Academy 34, Monessen 30: The Crusaders were shut out in the first quarter and trailed, 17-3, at halftime before storming their way past the Greyhounds (15-8) and into the quarterfinals. Emilia Karstonas led the charge for Aquinas Academy (10-11) with 13 points, all of which came in the second half.
Avella 54, Propel Andrew Street 12: Brianna Jenkins scored 11 points, Brianna Lloyd added 10 and Avella (17-6) cruised into the quarterfinals.
Sewickely Academy 53, St. Joseph 27: The Panthers (13-10) went on a 22-0 third-quarter run to pull away from St. Joseph (3-20). Kamryn Lightcap paced the victors with 14 points.
Clairton 61, Eden Christian 58: The Bears survived a late rally to advance to the quarterfinals. Iyauna Chapman paced Clairton (19-3) with a game-high 24 points to extend the team’s win streak to 10 in a row. The Warriors (8-13) outscored the Bears, 22-14, in the fourth quarter but fell short.
California 36, Greensburg Central Catholic 35: The Trojans (13-10) were held to single-digit totals in the three quarters, but managed to grind out a victory.
Class 6A boys
Bethel Park 53, North Allegheny 50: The Black Hawks out-rebounded the Tigers, 29-15, and muscled their way to the quarterfinals.
“The biggest difference in the game was rebounding, which was their strength and our weakness,” said Bethel Park coach Josh Bears.
The Black Hawks (14-8) were paced by Ryan Meis, who dropped in 24 points. Tommy DiRienzo added 14 for the Black Hawks. Each hit a pair of 3-pointers. Ron Zeiler grabbed 10 rebounds. North Allegheny (11-12) got 14 points from Zach Andreykovich.
Peters Township 55, Hempfield 46: Sam Petrarca poured in a game-high 28 points and was the only player in double figures for Peters Township (14-9). Mike Hosni had 13 points, all in the second half, to lead the Spartans (12-11).
Pine-Richland 81, Connellsville 51: The Rams are in the quarterfinals for a fifth consecutive season after crushing Connellsville (8-15). Kyle Polce had 27 points and six rebounds for Pine-Richland (15-8). The Falcons made a playoff appearance for only the eighth time since 2000. They have not made it to the quarterfinals since 2011.
First Published: February 19, 2020, 4:38 a.m.