Friday basketball rundown: Peters Township boys claim first section title since 2009; Laurel Highlands outlasts Uniontown; South Fayette earns playoff spot

It had been more than a decade since Peters Township previously won a section championship.

The Indians had an opportunity to finally grab one Friday, and the Indians wasted little time in showing that they were going to do exactly that.

Jack Dunbar scored a game-high 22 points and Peters Township raced to a huge lead before coasting to a 72-45 win against visiting Bethel Park.

With the win, Peters Township (18-3, 9-1) won its first section title since 2009 and returned to the playoffs after missing out a year ago when it finished 8-14. Had Bethel Park (12-7, 7-2) won, the Black Hawks would have been in position to win the title. Bethel Park and Thomas Jefferson are tied for second and meet Saturday at Thomas Jefferson.

Peters Township ran to its 11th consecutive win after jumping to a 22-7 lead after one quarter and a 39-17 halftime lead. Brendan McCullough chipped in with 13 points for the Indians, who also beat Bethel Park, 75-68, a month ago.

Shawn Davis led Bethel Park with 13 points and Michael Mathias added 12.

Other boys games

• Royce Parham scored 35 points and North Hills (17-5, 8-2) downed visiting Chartiers Valley (15-7, 4-6), 76-70, to claim the outright Class 5A Section 4 title. Chartiers Valley got 40 points from Jayden Davis, who scored 50 in his previous game Tuesday against Mars.

• South Fayette (12-9, 5-5) clinched the final playoff spot in Class 5A Section 4 after a 60-38 win at West Allegheny (8-14, 1-9). Elijah Hill tallied a game-high 19 points for South Fayette, which won its final three section games. Roman Police paced West Allegheny with 11 points.

• Woodland Hills (14-8, 5-5) handed visiting Penn Hills (16-3, 9-1) its first section loss, 55-40, in Class 5A Section 2. Chaz Cobbs had a huge game for the Wolverines, finishing with a career-high 32 points. Daemar Kelly scored 16 points for Penn Hills, which shot just 28% from the field (12 of 42). Penn Hills beat Woodland Hills, 66-34, Jan. 17.

• Shaler (16-6, 7-3) used a strong second half to capture a 60-50 home win against Fox Chapel (13-8, 5-5) in Class 5A Section 2. Keegan Smetanka and Kaden Orga each scored 11 points for Shaler, which outscored the Foxes, 30-18, in the second half. Jefferson Moorefield-Brown led Fox Chapel with 12 points.

• Montour (9-13, 5-5) upset visiting Quaker Valley (14-6, 8-2), 47-37, in Class 4A Section 4. Quaker Valley’s loss means that the Quakers and South Allegheny share the section title. Ama Tening Sow led Montour with 13 points, while Joey Coyle paced Quaker Valley with 21.

• Peter Kramer scored his 1,000 career point on a dunk and finished with a game-high 22 points to lead Hampton (19-2, 10-0) to a 91-55 win at Greensburg Salem (5-17, 1-9) in Class 4A Section 1. Liam Migogna added 16 for the Talbots, who have won 13 games in a row.

• For the second time this season, Laurel Highlands (19-2, 9-1) and Uniontown (18-3, 9-1) went two overtimes, but this time it was Laurel Highlands which claimed a 75-67 road win to claim a share of the Class 4A Section 3 title. Rodney Gallagher made a 3-pointer early in the second overtime and Laurel Highlands never trailed again. Gallagher led the Mustangs with 29 points, while Jamire Braxton led Uniontown with 22.

• Max Hurray’s 3-pointer with 12.1 seconds remaining gave North Catholic (15-6, 10-2) a 60-59 home win against Beaver (16-4, 8-4) in Class 4A Section 2. Hurray scored a game-high 25 points, while Brady Mayo led Beaver with 22.

North Catholic’s Max Hurray goes up for a shot Friday night against visiting Beaver. North Catholic won, 60-59. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

• Jack Glies poured in 38 points to lead host Neshannock (15-5, 10-2) to a 67-57 win against Mohawk (19-2, 10-2). The Lancers and Warriors will split the Class 3A Section 1 title. Bobby Fadden scored 20 points for Mohawk, which saw its 10-game win streak come to an end.

• Shady Side Academy (15-5, 10-2) earned a share of the Class 3A Section 3 title by defeating visiting Deer Lakes (13-8, 10-2), 62-54. Seamus Riordan scored 26 points for Shady Side, which has won six of its past seven games. Deer Lakes got 20 points from Bryce Robson.

• Fort Cherry finished section play unbeaten after a 75-63 win against visiting Burgettstown (12-9, 8-4) in Class 2A Section 4. Shane Cornali and Derek Lucas led Fort Cherry (20-2, 12-0) with 17 points apiece. Caleb Russell scored a career-high 25 points for Burgettstown.

• Lane Allison went off for a career-high 43 points to vault West Greene (5-17, 2-8) to a 76-58 win against Mapletown (7-13, 3-7) in Class 1A Section 2. Kaden Shields added 20 points for the Pioneers, while Landan Stevenson scored 17 for Mapletown.

Girls game

• Natalie Wetzel’s game-high 22 points helped Peters Township (11-10, 5-7) clinch a playoff berth courtesy of a 59-31 home win against Canon-McMillan (5-15, 1-11) in Class 6A Section 2. Gemma Walker added 13 points for the Indians, while Lauren Borella paced the Big Macs with 12.

Three stars

*** — Connor Spratt, Seton LaSalle. Spratt knocked down seven 3-pointers among his 33 points in a 69-47 win at Sto-Rox.

** — Benjamin Mayhew, Propel Braddock Hills. Mayhew scored his 1,000th career point in a 73-53 loss at Eden Christian. Mayhew finished with 19 points.

* — Olivia Pepple, Penn-Trafford. Pepple’s four 3-pointers and 26 points propelled Penn-Trafford to a 51-45 win against visiting Latrobe.

Hot from deep

Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Connor Spratt, Seton LaSalle, 7; Ruby Morgan, Trinity, 5; Olivia Pepple, Penn-Trafford, 4; Brody Almashy, South Side, 4; Peter Kramer, Hampton, 3; Brody Barber, Mt. Lebanon, 3; Lucas Garofoli, Mt. Lebanon, 3; Jack Glies, Neshannock, 3; Nick Wallace, New Castle, 3; Lucca Grisafi, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 3.

Boys scores

Ambridge 77, Brentwood 56

Bishop Canevin 93, Winchester Thurston 52

Brownsville 69, California 35

Burrell 61, Valley 55

Carlynton 72, Cornell 21

Central Catholic 59, North Allegheny 42

Eden Christian 73, Propel Braddock Hills 53

Ellwood City 56, Riverside 41

Fort Cherry 75, Burgettstown 63

Hampton 91, Greensburg Salem

Highlands 75, Knoch 60