Lorenzo Gardner said he didn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary was going on during the first half of his team’s game at California on Friday.
“I was just playing basketball just like any other normal game, and then I realized at halftime that I had 30,” Gardner recalled. “So I just wanted to come out in the second half and stay hungry.”
That hunger ultimately drove Gardner to a place few players have gone.
Gardner poured in 64 points, tied for second-most in WPIAL history, to lead Monessen to a 90-59 win.
With the win, the Greyhounds (17-3, 9-1) captured the outright Class 1A Section 2 title, while California (7-15, 6-4) finished third and also qualified for the postseason.
Gardner, a 6-foot-4 senior guard and three-year starter, reached 64 points just as Highlands’ Micah Mason did in 2011. Mohawk’s Larry Hardesty is the only player in WPIAL history to score more. Hardesty pumped in 71 in 1959.
“It was fun and it obviously created a fun atmosphere for our team and our fans,” Monessen coach Dan Bosnic said. “He was extremely aggressive early in the game. It was one of those games where the ball bounces your way every time, and he was a magnet. He was able to get in transition a lot. He was efficient. I don’t think he shot a ton of shots that weren’t good for the team. The other part was that his teammates played a big part in getting him out in transition.”
Gardner, who entered the night leading Class 1A in scoring with 22.8 points per game, made 23 two-point field goals, three 3-pointers, and was 9 of 17 from the free-throw line. He scored 15 in each of the first two quarters and 17 in each of the last two. Bosnic removed Gardner from the game following a 3-pointer with about two minutes left.
“It’s just a blessing,” said Gardner, whose previous career-best was 36 points. “I can’t thank my teammates and coaches enough. It’s honestly a dream come true. I never thought in my high school career I would have a game like this.”
Other boys games
• Logan Golle scored 24 points, including the 1,000th of his career, to lead host Allderdice (18-3, 10-0) to a 72-31 win against Carrick (9-13, 4-6). The Dragons finish City League regular-season play unbeaten for the seventh consecutive season.
• Upper St. Clair (15-5, 8-2) rallied from a six-point deficit after three quarters to win at Baldwin (16-5, 7-3), 57-52, in Class 6A Section 2. Brett Meinert scored 19 points and Christian Ito 18 for Upper St. Clair, which outscored Baldwin, 26-15, in the fourth quarter. Nate Wesling led Baldwin with 22 points.
• Brandon London scored a game-high 19 points to give Shaler (20-2, 9-1) an outright section title courtesy of a 57-44 win at Fox Chapel (12-10, 7-3) in Class 5A Section 2. Jefferson Moorefield-Brown paced Fox Chapel with 17 points.
• Lamont Perkins scored a career-high 40 points for McKeesport (5-13, 1-9), but it wasn’t enough as Cam Rowell scored 25 points and Cooper Rankin added 24 to help Franklin Regional (19-2, 9-1) outlast the visiting Tigers, 92-85, in Class 5A Section 3.
• In a game where each team saw a senior go over 1,000 career points, host South Fayette (13-8, 7-3) beat West Allegheny (11-11, 0-10), 60-51, in Class 5A Section 4. Both South Fayette’s Michael Plasko and West Allegheny’s Brandon Bell reached the 1,000-point plateau. Plasko scored a game-high 24 points.
• Zach Pollaro scored 26 points and Nathan Schanbacher added 25 to propel North Hills (11-9, 5-5) to a 78-73 win at Chartiers Valley (11-11, 4-6) in Class 5A Section 4. Jayden Davis led Chartiers Valley with 26 points and Julian Semplice chipped in 24.
• Robert Thomas scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to send host Penn Hills (13-7, 6-4) to a 73-66 win over Woodland Hills (8-13, 5-5) in Class 5A Section 2. Scoop Smith scored 25 points for Woodland Hills.
• Brady Mayo scored 25 points and host Beaver (12-9, 8-4) extended its win streak to five with a 69-61 win against North Catholic (13-7, 9-3) in Class 4A Section 2. Jason Fredericks led North Catholic with 25 points.
• Meleek Thomas and Brandin Cummings each scored 29 points as Lincoln Park (18-3, 12-0) closed out section play with a 102-61 win against visiting Blackhawk (6-16, 3-9) in Class 4A Section 2. Rhaki Lum added 21 points for the Leopards, who scored 92 points in the first three quarters.
• Jake Wolfe scored 17 points and Ama Sow and Kaleb Platz added 16 apiece to push Montour (18-3, 9-1) to a 68-53 win at Quaker Valley (10-11, 5-5) in Class 4A Section 4. Joe Coyle scored 25 points for Quaker Valley.
• Talan Anderton scored six of his team-high 21 points in overtime to lift Neshannock (17-3, 10-2) to a 69-67 win at Mohawk (15-7, 11-1) in Class 3A Section 1. Neshannock outscored Mohawk, 13-11, in the extra period. Bobby Fadden scored 42 points for Mohawk, including 26 of his team’s 36 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
• Eli Teslovich collected 28 points and Shady Side Academy (14-6, 10-2) handed host Deer Lakes (17-4, 11-1) its first section loss, 56-54, in Class 3A Section 3. Ryan Frohlich added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Billy Schaeffer led the Lancers with 17 points.
• Nate Papuga’s 42 points powered Derry (13-6, 7-5) to a 96-60 home win against Ligonier Valley (5-17, 3-9) in Class 3A Section 3. Ligonier Valley got a big game from Michael Wisniewski, who knocked down eight 3-pointers to account for all 24 of his points.
Girls games
• Canon-McMillan (11-10, 4-8), which had lost six games in a row, sent visiting Peters Township (20-1, 11-1) to its first loss of the season, 44-41, in Class 6A Section 2. Lauren Borella scored 15 points for the Big Macs, who outscored Peters Township, 14-6, in the fourth quarter. Natalie Wetzel led the Indians with 19 points. Their loss makes Oakland Catholic the only remaining unbeaten team, boys or girls, in the WPIAL.
• Syd Patterson’s layup at the buzzer gave host Butler (6-15, 3-7) a 53-52 win against Pine-Richland (7-13, 4-6) in Class 6A Section 1. Patterson scored 17 points for Butler, while teammate Amelia McMichael finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Madison Zavasky paced Pine-Richland with 25 points.
Three stars
*** — Joseph Roth, Ellwood City. Roth tallied 18 points and became Ellwood City’s all-time leading scorer with 1,948 points as the host Wolverines (14-7, 9-3) defeated Riverside (8-14, 4-8), 73-45, in Class 3A Section 1.
** — Hannah Pugliese, Penn Hills. Pugliese scored 14 points, including the 1,000th of her career, to help Penn Hills (10-10, 7-5) to a 52-42 win at Kiski Area (6-16, 2-10) in Class 5A Section 1.
* — Jack Valasek, Armstrong. Valasek’s 12 points moved him over 1,000 for his career, but Armstrong (10-12, 2-8) fell to visiting Plum (7-14, 1-9), 62-46, in Class 5A Section 2.
Hot from deep
Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Michael Wisniewski, Ligonier Valley, 8; Logan Golle, Allderdice, 5; Nick Krzeczowski, Beaver, 5; Nate Papuga, Derry, 5; Jason Fredericks, North Catholic, 5; Kai West, Seneca Valley, 5; Isaac Ellsworth, Uniontown, 5; Nate Schwarz, Western Beaver, 5; Jude Coombs, Central Valley, 4; Isaiah Jeter, Central Valley, 4; Ralphie Blundo, New Castle, 4; Xavier Rigby, Rochester, 4; Julian Semplice, Chartiers Valley, 3; Zach Kovell, Hopewell, 3; Luka Suchevits, Laurel Highlands, 3; Brandin Cummings, Lincoln Park, 3; Lorenzo Gardner, Monessen, 3.
Boys scores
Aliquippa 71, Shenango 31
Allderdice 72, Carrick 31
Aquinas Academy 67, St. Joseph 49
Avonworth 82, West Mifflin 54
Burrell 58, Valley 44
Butler 58, Pine-Richland 50
Carlynton 53, Cornell 38
Central Catholic 58, North Allegheny 57
Central Valley 55, Hopewell 34
Derry 96, Ligonier Valley 60
Eden Christian 66, Propel Braddock Hills 37
Ellwood City 73, Riverside 45
Franklin Regional 92, McKeesport 85
Gateway 55, Latrobe 53
Hampton 64, Greensburg Salem 50
Jeannette 75, Riverview 54
Kiski Area 62, Penn-Trafford 37
Knoch 58, Highlands 53
Lincoln Park 102, Blackhawk 61
McGuffey 64, Waynesburg 36
Monessen 90, California 59
Montour 68, Quaker Valley 53
Mt. Lebanon 61, Canon-McMillan 43
Neshannock 69, Mohawk 67 (OT)
North Hills 78, Chartiers Valley 73
Northgate 101, Laurel 44
Penn Hills 73, Woodland Hills 66
Peters Township 76, Bethel Park 66
Plum 62, Armstrong 46
Rochester 70, Western Beaver 34
Seneca Valley 67, New Castle 62
Serra Catholic 74, Leechburg 34
Seton LaSalle 45, Sto-Rox 37
Sewickley Academy 67, South Side 62
Shaler 57, Fox Chapel 44
South Fayette 60, West Allegheny 51
Thomas Jefferson 84, Connellsville 48
Trinity 74, Ringgold 43
Uniontown 85, Laurel Highlands 44
Upper St. Clair 57, Baldwin 52
Washington 47, Mount Pleasant 40
West Greene 47, Mapletown 44
Union 91, Avella 68
Yough 52, Charleroi 26
Girls scores
Blackhawk 57, Morgantown, W.Va. 44
Butler 53, Pine-Richland 52
Canon-McMillan 44, Peters Township 41
Jefferson-Morgan 80, Geibel Catholic 41
North Allegheny 70, Hempfield 31
Penn Hills 52, Kiski Area 42
Shaler 48, Fox Chapel 39
South Fayette 55, West Allegheny 32
Woodland Hills 60, Gateway 18
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.