Thomas Jefferson’s roster was bolstered in the offseason when two talented guards who had been playing at private schools returned to play for their home district for the first time since eighth grade.
Junior Maggie Spell played the past two seasons at Shady Side Academy, helping the Bulldogs win the WPIAL Class 3A title last season. Sophomore Kaylee DeAngelo spent her freshman season at Oakland Catholic, which had one of the strongest teams in Class 5A a season ago.
Spell and DeAngelo debuted as members of Thomas Jefferson’s high school team Friday, and as far as first impressions go, it’s looking like those two and this Jaguars team could be destined for big seasons.
DeAngelo scored a team-high 14 points and Spell added 12 to lead Thomas Jefferson to a 66-23 win against Quaker Valley in the Montour tournament.
“It’s special to be back,” DeAngelo said. “We were gone for a year or two years, so it’s definitely special to wear the jersey.”
DeAngelo started as a freshman at Oakland Catholic last season when she quickly asserted herself as one of the top perimeter shooters in the WPIAL. New school, same marksmanship, as DeAngelo knocked down four 3-pointers on Friday.
Spell was a two-year starter at Shady Side Academy and averaged 19.8 points per game last season as she was named third-team all-state. Spell, who is 5 feet 10, was good at getting to the basket against Quaker Valley, and she also did an admirable job defending Quaker Valley’s 6-4 Mimi Thiero, a matchup nightmare and one of the country’s top juniors.
“Guarding her for most of the game, it was pretty tough,” Spell admitted. “She made it hard on me. I was winded out there, but she’s really tough. She’s so good. She never takes a play off.”
Thiero, who has more than 40 scholarship offers, finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Spell and DeAngelo might be the biggest names, but the talent on this Thomas Jefferson team goes beyond them. Junior Riley McCabe added 13 points, while sophomore Allie Wilson and junior Leah Lockhart chipped in eighth points apiece.
“We have a lot of potential,” DeAngelo said. “We just have to stick together. Our coach talks to us about penetrating the ball and playing defense hard. If we get all of that down, I think we’ll be good.”
Other girls games
• Keystone Oaks holds the distinction of being the first WPIAL team, boys or girls, to win a game this season. Alayna Wagner scored 18 points and Hannah York added 16 to lead the Golden Eagles to a 55-38 win against Hopewell in the South Side tournament. Caylee Sundy paced Hopewell with 18 points.
• Tiffany Miller scored 17 points and Abby Cleary chipped in 15 to help Montour defeat Knoch, 41-33, in the Montour tournament. Montour led by one at the half before outscoring Knoch, 14-7, in the third quarter. Jada Burgard led the Knights with 19 points.
• Geibel Catholic’s Emma Larkin, who was second in the WPIAL in scoring last season, scored a game-high 21 points while helping the Gators down Jefferson-Morgan, 55-41, in the Jefferson-Morgan tournament. Mallory Clemmer added 18 points for the Gators.
Boys games
• R.J. Sledge’s 36 points helped Imani Christian topple Moon, 74-54, in a battle of reigning WPIAL champions at Geneva College. Imani won the Class 1A title and Moon the Class 5A title a season ago. Imani has since voluntarily moved up to Class 6A. Imani also got 16 points from Donovan Gordon.
• Lucas Stanley’s triple-double of 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals propelled Union to a 64-58 win against Ellwood City in the Ellwood City tournament. Stanley scored 17 points in the first half and 18 in the second half. Aaron Lake and Maykel Cuevas led Ellwood City with 16 points apiece.
• Nick Trklja pumped in 26 points and Noah Kaszer added 21 to lead Thomas Jefferson to a 76-58 win against Belle Vernon in the MVI Shootout. Zion Moore, who led the WPIAL in scoring last season, paced Belle Vernon with 23 points.
• Brady Mayo and Nick Krzeczowski scored 18 points apiece to lead Beaver to a 60-52 win against Grove City in the Shenango tournament. Junior Marino added 14 points for the Bobcats, who led, 34-22, at the half.
• Blackhawk raced to a 31-point halftime lead before coasting to a 67-34 win against Rochester in the Ellwood City tournament. Justin Shanor led the Cougars with 19 points and Tyler Heckathorn had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Three stars
*** — Owen Dumbroski, Serra Catholic. Dumbrowski scored 21 points, including the 1,000th of his career, to propel Serra to a 76-38 win against Brownsville in the MVI Shootout.
** — James Armstrong, Hopewell. Playing in his first high school game, Armstrong, a freshman, tallied a game-high 23 points to help Hopewell beat Western Beaver, 68-31, in the South Side tournament.
* — Erond Jakupi, Keystone Oaks. Jakupi went off for a game-high 28 points to lead Keystone Oaks to an 85-53 win against South Side in the South Side tournament.
Hot from deep
Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Erond Jakupi, Keystone Oaks, 4; Kaylee DeAngelo, Thomas Jefferson, 4; Brady Mayo, Beaver, 3.
Boys scores
Albert Gallatin 55, West Mifflin 50
Ambridge 45, Beaver Falls 40
Beaver 60, Grove City 52
Blackhawk 67, Rochester 34
Deer Lakes 61, River Valley 27
Hopewell 68, Western Beaver 31
Imani Christian 74, Moon 54
Keystone Oaks 85, South Side 53
Latrobe 66, Mount Pleasant 25
Laurel 69, Commodore Perry 22
McGuffey 48, Avella 34
Ringgold 61, Charleroi 46
Riverside 52, Sharpsville 37
Serra Catholic 76, Brownsville 38
South Allegheny 59, Elizabeth Forward 35
Thomas Jefferson 76, Belle Vernon 58
Union 64, Ellwood City 58
Valley 45, Summit Academy 41
Girls scores
Avella 45, Mapletown 32
Deer Lakes 39, Sto-Rox 18
Geibel Catholic 55, Jefferson-Morgan 41
Hampton 48, Apollo-Ridge 21
Keystone Oaks 55, Hopewell 38
McGuffey 52, Burgettstown 34
Montour 41, Knoch 33
Thomas Jefferson 66, Quaker Valley 23
West Greene 46, Beth-Center 40
Williamsburg 53, Indiana 45
Yough 45, Springdale 21
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.