Jackson Bauman scored 16 points and connected on 8 of 8 free throws as Knoch avenged a first half loss to Deer Lakes in a Class 4A Section 4 showdown that featured two of three teams tied for first place.
The Knights improved to 9-1 in the section and 14-5 overall after its 48-45 win against the No. 3 ranked Lancers, who drop to 9-2 in the section and 16-4 overall.
Knoch is now tied with No. 4 ranked North Catholic (14-5, 9-1) for the section lead with the two facing off Tuesday at North Catholic. The Trojans must also travel to Deer Lakes on Feb. 7 in a section finale.
Knoch trailed 13-7 after the first quarter, but rallied to take a 20-17 halftime lead. The Knights increased their lead to 34-25 after three quarters and led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter. Deer Lakes rallied to cut the deficit to 3 points in the final two minutes, but came up short.
Teegan Finucan scored 14 points and connected on four 3's for Knoch and now has 991 career points. Nathaniel Moore topped Deer Lakes with 14 points and Luca Mangieri had 10.
Other top boys games
Jason Fredericks scored 20 points and Jude Rottmann tallied 17 and connected on five 3-pointers as Class 4A No. 4 North Catholic (14-5, 9-1) defeated host Highlands (4-13, 3-7), 69-52, in Section 1. Carmine LaCava topped Highlands with 18 points, while Troy Bielak added 16.
• Jackson Maddix and Damar Olds combined for 44 points as Class 3A No. 5 Bishop Canevin (10-8, 8-0) remain unbeaten in Section 2 with a 78-39 domination of visiting Carlynton (8-11, 3-5). Maddix had 12 of his 23 points in the first half, while Olds tallied 14 of his 21 in the second half. Carlynton's Devonte Dean topped all scorers with 24 points.
• Dylan Donovan scored 21 points to lead Peters Township (13-5, 7-3) to a 53-47 win against South Fayette (13-7, 8-3) in a Class 5A Section 3 showdown played at South Fayette. Gavin Orosz led the Lions with 16 points and Tyson Wright had 13.
• Calvin Winfrey III (21), Notorious Grooms (18), Isaac Ellsworth (17) and Kelan Milsom (14) scored in double figures as Class 5A No. 3 Uniontown (17-3, 12-0) remained unbeaten in Section 1 with a 75-60 win against visiting Gateway (10-8, 8-4). Paul Nnacho recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds and 8 blocks for the Gators.
• Erond Jakupi scored 19 points and connected on four 3's as Keystone Oaks (15-5, 6-2) held off a late rally to defeat visiting McGuffey (13-6, 4-4) in Class 3A Section 2. Joey Colton chipped in 12 points for the Golden Eagles. Aydan Cunningham topped the Highlanders with 19 points and Sam Stout had 12.
• Drew Cook scored 25 points as Class 3A No. 2 South Allegheny (17-2, 8-0) clinched a tie for the Section 3 title with a 55-47 at Seton LaSalle (7-11, 4-4). Cam Epps added 13 points for the Gladiators. Pat Weldon topped the Rebels with 21 points and Ryan Marini had 10.
• Braeden Stuart (15), Amir Turner (15), Michael Santicola (14) and Carter Tumulty (11) scored in double figures to lead Class 5A No. 5 Moon (16-4, 7-3) to a Section 4 road victory against Mars (11-9, 5-5). Mars' Drew Navetta led all scorers with 19 points and Austin Campbell added 15.
• Leon Harrison scored 18 points and Will Evans had 13 as Class 1A No. 3 Nazareth Prep (14-4, 8-0) remained unbeaten in Section 1 with a 53-36 win against visiting Summit Academy (7-7, 4-4). Ky'zir Rowan led Summit Academy with 16 points.
Top girls games
Mya Moore hit a free throw with 10 seconds left in overtime to provide the winning point as Mars (11-8, 5-5) posted a 54-53 win against visiting Moon (10-7, 5-5) in Class 5A Section 3. Alexis Cashdollar and Carmella McDole each scored 16 points for the Planets. Moon's Jaedin Griggs led all scorers with 26 points and seven 3-pointers.
• Butler's Amelia McMichael scored 22 points to reach the 1,000-career point plateau, but it wasn't enough as Class 6A No. 3 Seneca Valley (13-5, 8-0) remained unbeaten in Section 1 with a 57-53 win against the Tornado (9-9, 4-4). Gracie Cato led the Raiders with 15 points.
• Class 5A No. 5 Thomas Jefferson (17-2, 9-1) rallied from a 43-39 deficit after three quarters to record a 60-53 win against host Bethel Park (9-9, 5-4) in Section 4. Maggie Spell topped the Jaguars with 20 points and Emma Altavilla had 13. Scoring in double figures for the Black Hawks were: Sadie Orie (21), Ella Sabatos (16) and Fiona O'Neill (13).
• Class 6A No. 5 Canon-McMillan (11-7, 5-3) clinched a Class 6A Section 2 playoff berth with a 48-47 overtime win against visiting Hempfield (10-9, 2-6). The Big Macs were led by Lauren Borella (19) and Madison Clair (15). Hempfield's Allie Cervola topped all scorers with 20 points, while Mads Pevarnik had 11.
• Bailey White scored 33 points as top-ranked Allderdice (14-5, 7-0) remained unbeaten in the City League with a 78-42 road victory against No. 2 Obama Academy (6-9, 5-2). Peyton Lynch added 23 points for the Dragons, while Rhyan Sledge chipped in 17. Taylor Phillips topped Obama with 19 points and Nia Benjamin had 10.
Stars of the night
Zion Moore became the 39th player in WPIAL history to reach 2,000 career points and did it in front of a home crowd as Class 4A No. 2 Belle Vernon (17-4, 10-1) dominated East Allegheny (5-14, 2-8), 76-49, in Section 3. Moore scored 39 points and connected on three 3's to increase his career total to 2,001. Jayden Patterson led the Wildcats with 25 points.
• David Kwiat poured in 48 points and recorded five steals as Class 2A No. 5 Neshannock (10-1, 15-2) dominated visiting Western Beaver (2-17, 0-12), 89-32, in Section 4. Kwiat connected on 14 two-point shots, six 3-pointers, and was 2 for 2 at the foul line. The Lancers led 61-13 at halftime. Nate Schwarz led the Golden Beavers with 11 points.
• Brownsville's Skyler Gates scored her 1,000th career point on a foul shot in the third quarter as the Falcons (11-8) posted a 58-18 win against visiting Jefferson-Morgan (1-17) in a non-league game. Gates scored 29 points in the game to increase her career total to 1,001. Ava Clark added 16 points for the Falcons.
First Published: February 1, 2025, 4:08 a.m.
Updated: February 1, 2025, 4:12 a.m.
