Friday basketball rundown: Natalie Wetzel drives Peters Township past USC; Belle Vernon boys edge Uniontown

Standing 6 feet 3 with the ability to score inside and out, Natalie Wetzel is one of the top offensive players in the WPIAL.

Wetzel, though, is just as talented defensively, which she showed Friday in leading Peters Township to an impressive early season win.

In a battle of WPIAL championship hopefuls, Class 5A Peters Township used a big third quarter to beat visiting Class 6A Upper St. Clair, 63-44.

Wetzel, a Miami recruit, scored a game-high 20 points for Peters Township (2-0), which led Upper St. Clair (1-1), 31-25, at the half before outscoring the Panthers, 19-4, in the third quarter. But Wetzel was also gigantic on the defensive end as she guarded Upper St. Clair star Rylee Kalocay throughout. Wetzel held Kalocay, a 5-8 senior guard headed to Kent State, to 12 points.

“She was great,” Peters Township coach Steve Limberiou said of Wetzel. “She was probably better on defense guarding Riley. And I thought she totally controlled the paint. Whenever she touches the ball, you have to double her. And doing that leaves people wide open.”

Bri Morreale took advantage of the extra space to drill five 3-pointers and score 18 points for Peters Township, which also got 14 points from freshman Taylor McCullough.

It marked the first time since 2004 that the teams weren’t meeting as section rivals. They shared the same section for two decades before Peters Township dropped to Class 5A this season.

“I think it’s a big win,” Limberiou said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Upper St. Clair. They’re always one of the most well-coached teams and you’re always in for a battle against them. You have to come up with a good plan against them, and I thought we did tonight.”

Other girls games

• Maggie Spell connected on seven 3-pointers and finished with 37 points to push Thomas Jefferson (5-0) to an 80-33 win against visiting West Mifflin (1-2). Kaylee DeAngelo chipped in 12 points for the Jaguars, who held a 54-14 lead at the half.

• Kendall Berger knocked down six 3-pointers among her game-high 21 points to lead defending WPIAL Class 6A champion Norwin (1-1) to its first win, 49-40, against Abington Heights (0-2) in the State College tournament. The Knights outscored Abington Heights, 21-6, in the second quarter.

• Bethel Park (1-0) rallied back from eight points down after three quarters to beat Mars (1-1), 56-52, in the Bethel Park tournament. Sadie Orie scored 23 points and Ella Sabatos chipped in 15 for Bethel Park, which outscored Mars, 25-13, in the fourth quarter. Vita Vargo led Mars with 13 points.

• Payton Newman’s 18 points and 10 rebounds propelled Neshannock (2-0) to a 65-58 overtime win against Lakeview (0-1) in the Lakeview tournament. Neshannock held an 18-11 edge in the extra period. The Lancers also got 16 points from Jaidon Nogay.

• Greta O’Brien poured in 25 points and Avonworth (1-1) used a big second-half rally to top Elizabeth Forward (1-1), 65-55, in the Bethel Park tournament. Avonworth trailed by eight points at the half before outscoring Elizabeth Forward, 43-25, in the second half. Michelle Jellison led the Warriors with 12 points.

Boys games

• Tommy Davis converted two free throws with 10 seconds left to give Belle Vernon (2-2) a 56-55 upset win at Uniontown (1-1). Zion Moore paced the Leopards with 23 points and Davis added 13. Kelan Milsom led Uniontown with 17 points.

• Lucas Harwood drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Connellsville (2-0) to a 66-63 win against Greensburg Salem (0-1) in the Hempfield tournament. Harwood finished with a team-high 25 points, while Tyler Martin led Greensburg Salem with 20 points.

• Jack Bruckner scored 14 points and Mike Bruckner added 10 to vault Bethel Park (1-1) to a 59-54 win against Seton LaSalle (0-2) in the Upper St. Clair tournament. Pat Weldon scored 13 points for Seton LaSalle, which trailed, 34-25, at the half. It was the first win for Bethel Park coach Rico Abbondanza, who is a Seton LaSalle graduate.

• Greensburg Central Catholic (2-0) raced to a nine-point lead after one quarter and went on to defeat Franklin Regional (2-1), 53-50, in the Hempfield tournament. AJ Tarpley paced the Centurions with 19 points, while Connor Crossey led Franklin Regional with 20 points.

• Max Marzina (14 points) led a group of four players scoring in double figures for Baldwin (1-0), which claimed a 74-50 win against visiting Shaler (0-2). Baldwin led, 46-21, at the half. Josh Berger paced Shaler with 12 points.

• Courtney Wallace had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists to lead Neighborhood Academy (3-0) to an 87-28 win against Trinity Christian (0-2) in the Neighborhood Academy tournament. Kedron Gilmore chipped in 18 points for the Bulldogs, who scored 36 points in the first quarter.

• Tyler Heckathorn’s 28 points and 11 rebounds helped host Blackhawk (2-2) edge Ambridge (1-2), 75-72. Justin Shanor also had a double-double for the Cougars, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Adam Fernandez poured in 31 points for Ambridge and Jared Astorino had 21.

• Freshman Jacob Zaber’s 28 points vaulted Mt. Lebanon (1-0) to a 64-62 win against Allderdice (0-2) in the North Hills tournament. The Blue Devils outscored Allderdice, 17-10, in the final quarter. Lukas Stead paced Allderdice with 19 points.

• Bobby Fadden pumped in 33 points and Mohawk (2-0) rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to defeat Mercyhurst Prep (0-1), 72-68, in the Neshannock tournament. Mohawk outscored Mercyhurst Prep, 30-21, in the fourth quarter.

• Carter Tumulty scored 23 points and Caden Kopay had 20 as Moon (2-1) picked up a 64-59 win against Penn Hills (0-1) in the Central Catholic tournament. Amon Hawthorne led Penn Hills with 16 points.

• Lucas Stanley tallied a game-high 22 points in leading Union (3-0) to a 51-43 win against Jefferson-Morgan (1-1) in the Fort Cherry tournament. Union outscored Jefferson-Morgan, 19-14, in the second half. Stanley is averaging 30.6 points a game this season.

• Serra Catholic (4-0) remained perfect following a 78-36 win against visiting Leechburg (1-4). Owen Dumbroski scored a game-high 24 points for the Eagles, who poured in 59 points in the first half.

Three stars

*** — Madison Johnson, Monessen. Johnson’s 27 points vaulted host Monessen (1-0) to a season-opening 47-29 win against Jeannette (1-1) in the Monessen tournament.

** — Stainton Forbes, Butler. Forbes scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Butler (3-0) to a 72-66 win against Indiana (2-1) in the Freeport tournament.

* — Sam Chapman, Quaker Valley. Chapman tallied 15 of his career-high 28 points in the second quarter to help Quaker Valley (2-1) roll to a 65-29 win against Laurel Highlands (0-2) in the Derry tournament. 

Hot from deep

Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Danny Husenits, Hempfield, 6; Tyler Anthony, Penn-Trafford, 6; Kendall Berger, Norwin, 6; Julia Antonacci, Indiana, 5; Bri Morreale, Peters Township, 5; Andrea Kuczma, South Park, 5; Leila Marchinsky, West Allegheny, 5; Lilly Holloway, Freeport, 4; Austen Wroblewski, Mars, 4; Carter Gould, Mt. Lebanon, 4; Jacob Zaber, Mt. Lebanon, 4; Max Grice, Plum, 4; Nika Contakos, South Park, 4; Darnell Kyte, Trinity Christian, 4; Jared Astorino, Ambridge, 3; Colt Busse, Archbishop Spaulding, 3; Emma Obersteiner, Avonworth, 3; Ava Wright, Beaver, 3; Connor Crossey, Franklin Regional, 3; Gavin Guinn, Hampton, 3; Steven Bubon, Howland, 3; Drew Navetta, Mars, 3; Aiden Ollinger, Mercyhurst Prep, 3; Dante Wright, Neighborhood Academy, 3.

Boys scores

Aquinas Academy 84, Cheswick Christian 53

Archbishop Spaulding, Md. 78, Seneca Valley 48

Avella 66, Mapletown 43

Baldwin 74, Shaler 50

Beaver 67, Rochester 26

Beaver County Christian 50, Propel Braddock Hills 31

Bentworth 52, Carmichaels 30

Beth-Center 45, Frazier 37

Bethel Park 59, Seton LaSalle 54

Blackhawk 75, Ambridge 72

Brentwood 57, Freedom 45

Burrell 40, Winchester Thurston 37

Butler 72, Indiana 66

California 47, Yough 41

Central Valley 58, Riverview 37

Chartiers Valley 85, Sto-Rox 26

Connellsville 66, Greensburg Salem 63

Derry 66, Ligonier Valley 34

Dock Mennonite 48, North Allegheny 45

East Allegheny 45, Carlynton 42

Fox Chapel 52, Plum 37

Greensburg Central Catholic 53, Franklin Regional 50

Hempfield 83, Penn-Trafford 79

Mars 71, Farrell 59

McGuffey 51, West Greene 33

Mohawk 72, Mercyhurst Prep 68

Moon 64, Penn Hills 59

Mt. Lebanon 64, Allderdice 62

Nazareth Prep 42, Sewickley Academy 40

Neighborhood Academy 87, Trinity Christian 28

Neshannock 58, Howland, Ohio 39

North Hills 73, Hampton 58

Quaker Valley 65, Laurel Highlands 29

Riverside 51, Laurel 35

Serra Catholic 78, Leechburg 36

South Fayette 60, Canon-McMillan 40

Southmoreland 57, Eden Christian 50

Springdale 67, St. Joseph 49

Upper St. Clair 46, Kiski Area 29

Washington 60, Waynesburg 45

Girls scores

Avella 63, Jefferson-Morgan 45

Avonworth 65, Elizabeth Forward 55

Baldwin 59, Pine-Richland 36

Beaver 62, Bishop Canevin 32

Beaver County Christian 36, Trinity Christian 30

Bethel Park 56, Mars 52

Canon-McMillan 37, Moon 36

Carlynton 36, East Allegheny 20

Derry 34, Charleroi 30

Fox Chapel 55, Highlands 23

Hempfield 38, Mount Pleasant 16

Indiana 55, Punxsutawney 17

Karns City 37, Seton LaSalle 35

Kiski Area 43, Freeport 29

Monessen 47, Jeannette 29

Neighborhood Academy 40, Propel Montour 25

Neshannock 65, Lakeview 58

Norwin 49, Abington Heights 40

Peters Township 63, Upper St. Clair 44

St. Joseph 51, Frazier 21

South Park 74, Serra Catholic 21

Southmoreland 48, Propel Braddock Hills 31

Thomas Jefferson 80, West Mifflin 33

West Allegheny 68, Winchester Thurston 48

West Greene 45, McGuffey 39