Earlier this season the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart boys basketball team set the record for the longest winning streak in state history.
But like all streaks, it had to end.
Deer Lakes will go down in history as the team which ended the Chargers’ 74-game winning streak as Bryce Robson scored 21 points, Billy Schaeffer added 17 and Nate Litrun 12 as the Lancers (5-3) came away with a 70-55 victory. It was also the longest active streak in the country.
Not only did Deer Lakes halt the streak, the Lancers did it on the Chargers’ home floor. Bryson Kirschner and Rocco Spadafora each scored 19 in the loss for OLSH. It was the first time the Chargers lost since Aliquippa dealt them a 73-69 road loss on Jan. 7, 2020. It is also the first time OLSH lost a home game since Feb. 10, 2017 in an 88-82 loss to Sewickley Academy.
Deer Lakes took command early and led 19-10 after the first quarter and 31-23 at the intermission.
Other boys games
•Uniontown and McGuffey are about 55 miles away from each other, but the two took the most circuitous route possible to face each other — in a non-section game. Sophomore Calvin Winfrey scored 16 points and was the only player for either team to reach double-digits as the Red Raiders (7-1) knocked off the Highlanders (5-4), 66-38, in the KSA Classic in Kissimmee, Fla.
•Union guard Peyton Lombardo wasn’t settling for short jumpers against Riverside. He wanted everything from beyond the arc as the Class 1A No. 2 Scotties (4-0) sharpshooter drilled seven 3-pointers to account for all of his 21 points in a 76-37 win against Riverside (1-5).
• Laurel Highlands and Gateway may play for championships in their classifications and gave their competition an eye-opening look and what they will be facing. Keondre DeShields scored a game-high 25 and Rodney Gallagher went for 17 as the Class 4A No. 2 Mustangs (6-0) squeaked past the Class 5A No. 4 Gators, 59-56. M.J. Stephenson had 16 in the loss for Gateway.
•Steel Valley just keeps losing close games. The Class 2A No. 2 Ironmen got 34 points from senior guard Mekhai Valentine but it wasn’t enough as they dropped a non-section matchup against Aliquippa (1-1), 48-45. It was the second consecutive game Steel Valley (1-7) lost when it was within one possession.
Top girls games
•For the first time this season, Clairton sophomore Iyanna Wade failed to break 35 points, but the team will gladly take win either way. Wade outscored the entire Jeannette (0-8) team with 23 points and Jamiya Childs chipped in 15 as the Bears (3-1) rolled to a 54-20 win.
•Greensburg Salem continued to roll into its holiday break. The Class 4A No. 4 Golden Lions (6-1) got 17 points each from Kait Menkins and Ashlan Price to win their fifth in a row, 53-28, against Connellsville.
•McKeesport and Woodland Hills may not be in the same section, but it’s still a rivalry. This time, it was the Class 5A No. 2 Tigers (6-1) who got the upper hand as Rachael Manfredo had a double-double with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds in a 66-44 win against the Wolverines (1-5).
•Fox Chapel had won six in a row before making the trip to Peters Township, but despite 19 points from Elise Smith, the Foxes (6-2) came away empty. Natalie Wetzel scored a game-high 21 and Gemma Walker had 19 to lead the Class 6A No. 4 Indians (7-1) to a 62-45 win.
First Published: December 23, 2022, 3:18 a.m.
