Tuesday basketball rundown: Chartiers Valley’s Jayden Davis scores 50, but Tasso Sfanos leads Mars to 79-77 win

Apparently Jayden Davis must be a big fan of Shaye Bailey’s game.

One night after Bailey turned heads around the WPIAL with a 51-point performance for Freedom, Davis did his best Bailey impersonation with 50 points Tuesday night for Chartiers Valley. Unlike Bailey, though, Davis’ 50-point effort still wasn’t enough to bring home a win, as Mars escaped with a hard-fought 79-77 triumph.

Tasso Sfanos had a huge night for Mars, scoring a team-high 35 points to lead the Planets (14-6, 6-3) to a crucial road win. Mars led by 15 entering the fourth quarter, and the Planets held a 71-59 lead with 2:39 left before withstanding a late rally by the Colts (15-6, 4-5). Austin Campbell also added 15 points for Mars to help overcome the historic performance by Davis, who made seven 3-pointers.

Other boys games

• Isaiah Boice drained seven 3-pointers as part of his game-high 22 points for New Castle in a 72-51 home win against Pine-Richland (5-15, 1-8). Jonathan Anderson added 18 and Dajuan Young chipped in with 15 for the Red Hurricanes (18-2, 8-1). Andrew Lamendola finished with 16 to lead the Rams.

• South Fayette kept its playoff hopes alive with a 48-45 upset win against North Hills (16-5, 7-2), marking the third win in a row for the Lions (11-9, 4-5), who once appeared to be all but eliminated from postseason contention. Michael Plasko finished with 21 points to go with 14 from Elijah Hill for South Fayette.

• Jaydon Carr scored a team-leading 21 points to go with 17 from Kaleb Pryor and 12 from Tra Williams in a 62-43 win for Gateway (14-5, 8-1) at Franklin Regional (9-11, 3-6). The Gators’ balanced attack helped offset a 30-point outing, including five 3-pointers, for the Panthers’ Cooper Rankin.

• Scoop Smith finished with 15 points while Shanier Pinkney added 13 and Chaz Cobbs scored 10 for Woodland Hills (13-8, 4-5) in a pivotal 56-47 win at Fox Chapel. Kam Greil led the Foxes (13-7, 5-4) with 14 points along with 12 apiece from Will Siegel and Jefferson Moorefield-Brown.

• Connor Spratt continued his stellar season with a team-high 23 points to propel Seton LaSalle to a pivotal 66-58 overtime win against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (15-5, 8-3). The Rebels (10-9, 7-4) are 9-2 in their past 11 games since Spratt returned from injury.

• Gabe Carbonaro poured in 27 points and Nate Papuga added 22 to help Derry (10-8, 6-5) pull off a 65-59 upset win against visiting Shady Side Academy (14-5, 9-2). Nate Mallory led three double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs with 25 points.

• Rochester handed Union only its second loss of the season, thanks to a 23-point performance from Xavier Rigby that included five 3-pointers in a nail-biting 64-63 win for the Rams (9-12, 6-3). Matt Stanley led all scorers with 24 points for the Scotties (18-2, 8-1).

• Isiah Petty scored a game-high 26 points and Joe DeMoss tallied 24 to lead Serra Catholic (12-8, 8-3) past Chartiers-Houston for a 78-72 non-section win. Avery Molek scored 21 to lead four players in double figures for the Buccaneers (15-6, 9-2).

Girls games

• Rachael Manfredo led all players with 14 points and McKeesport (18-3, 10-1) played its usual stifling brand of defense in a 47-32 home win against Penn-Trafford, setting up a massive showdown Thursday at Oakland Catholic for a chance to split the Class 5A Section 3 crown. Lilly Palladino finished with 11 points to lead the Warriors (13-6, 6-5).

• Mia Brown led all scorers with 20 points and Rylee Kalocay tacked on 17 to lead Upper St. Clair (18-2, 11-0) to a 12th consecutive win with a 67-33 triumph against Canon-McMillan. Nadia Davis finished with 12 points to lead three double-digit scorers for the Big Macs (5-14, 1-10).

• Lydia Betz scored 14 points and Kellie McConnell added 10 to pace North Allegheny (15-4, 8-1) in a 48-34 win against Seneca Valley, extending the Tigers’ winning streak to seven in a row. Natalie Hambly led the Raiders (5-15, 1-8) with 10 points.

Three stars

*** — Adam Bilinsky, Norwin. Bilinsky has battled a nagging injury throughout much of this season, and the Knights have certainly felt his absence, but the high-flying senior was back to his old ways with a 30-point performance in Norwin’s 58-46 win against visiting Mt. Lebanon.

** — Daemar Kelly, Penn Hills. One of the top overall players in the area, Kelly put on a show for the Indians in a 72-44 win against Plum. The Quinnipiac recruit made 6 of 8 attempts from 3-point range while converting 11 of 16 shots overall, finishing with 28 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds.

* — Vinnie Cugini, Aquinas Academy. Cugini was held below his season average with 36 points for the Crusaders in a 71-50 win against Hillel Academy, but it was another milestone night for the WPIAL’s newly crowned all-time scoring king. Cugini became the first WPIAL player to reach 3,000 career points in the win, standing at 3,001 for his career.

Hot from deep

Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Isaiah Boice, New Castle, 7; Jayden Davis, Chartiers Valley, 7; Cooper Rankin, Franklin Regional, 5; Xavier Rigby, Rochester, 5; Connor Spratt, Seton LaSalle, 5; Brody Tharp, Beth-Center, 5; Jude Truschel, Aquinas Academy, 5; Rodney Gallagher, Laurel Highlands, 4; John Wilkins, Neighborhood Academy, 4; Yukon Daniels, Mount Pleasant, 3; Emma Paul, Armstrong, 3; Brandon Bell, West Allegheny, 3; Sawyer Butler, Beaver, 3; Brady Mayo, Beaver, 3; Julian Semplice, Chartiers Valley, 3; Tasso Sfanos, Mars, 3; Courtney Wallace, Neighborhood Academy, 3; Olivia Yancy, Armstrong, 3.

Boys scores

Aliquippa 62, Laurel 25

Aquinas Academy 71, Hillel Academy 50

Beaver 85, Ambridge 44

Belle Vernon 72, Albert Gallatin 42

Bentworth 80, Beth-Center 61

Bishop Canevin 57, Eden Christian 44

Brentwood 58, Keystone Oaks 51

Brownsville 69, Charleroi 55

Burgettstown 68, Frazier 43

Burrell 62, Apollo-Ridge 34

Carlynton 72, Avella 25

Central Catholic 65, Butler 43

Deer Lakes 77, Valley 51

Derry 65, Shady Side Academy 59

East Allegheny 59, West Mifflin 58

Ellwood City 57, Beaver Falls 51

Fort Cherry 77, Carmichaels 34

Freeport 68, Greensburg Salem 41

Gateway 62, Franklin Regional 43

Geibel Catholic 78, California 60

Greensburg Central Catholic 75, Clairton 48

Hampton 74, Knoch 47

Hempfield 55, Baldwin 53

Highlands 96, Indiana 65

Imani Christian 84, Summit Academy 46

Jeannette 49, Springdale 45

Jefferson-Morgan 52, West Greene 40

Kiski Area 63, McKeesport 44

Laurel Highlands 57, Southmoreland 35

Lincoln Park 66, Central Valley 53

Mars 79, Chartiers Valley 77

Mohawk 89, New Brighton 64

Monessen 61, Mapletown 44

Montour 53, Avonworth 46

Moon 54, West Allegheny 45

Mount Pleasant 71, Waynesburg 14

Neighborhood Academy 60, St. Joseph 28

New Castle 72, Pine-Richland 51

North Catholic 74, Blackhawk 58

Northgate 57, South Side 55

Norwin 58, Mt. Lebanon 46

Penn Hills 72, Plum 44

Penn-Trafford 64, Latrobe 62

Peters Township 77, Trinity 58

Propel Braddock Hills 57, Nazareth Prep 39

Quaker Valley 46, South Allegheny 43

Ringgold 57, Connellsville 54

Riverside 54, Freedom 37

Riverview 60, Leechburg 47

Rochester 64, Union 63

Seneca Valley 70, North Allegheny 49

Serra Catholic 78, Chartiers-Houston 72

Seton LaSalle 66, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 58

Shaler 50, Armstrong 45

Shenango 61, Sewickley Academy 27

South Fayette 48, North Hills 45

Sto-Rox 61, South Park 51

Uniontown 78, Elizabeth Forward 40

Upper St. Clair 68, Canon-McMillan 43

Western Beaver 58, Cornell 32

Woodland Hills 56, Fox Chapel 47

Yough 50, McGuffey 42

Girls scores

Armstrong 49, Fox Chapel 37

Beaver Falls 40, Westinghouse 24

Blackhawk 87, Ambridge 9

Carmichaels 55, Frazier 40

Franklin Regional 57, Gateway 39

Hopewell 38, New Castle 25

McKeesport 47, Penn-Trafford 32

Monessen 59, Mapletown 26

North Allegheny 48, Seneca Valley 34

Riverview 56, Springdale 32

Upper St. Clair 67, Canon-McMillan 33

West Allegheny 38, Moon 15

West Greene 55, Jefferson-Morgan 21