Tuesday basketball rundown: Montour edges Moon in OT; Allderdice tops Obama to move into City League lead; Avonworth’s Rowan Carmichael scores 44

Montour coach Bill Minear had a message for his players prior to Tuesday’s showdown with Moon.

“I said, ‘They’re the defending WPIAL champions. They’ve been to where we want to get. To beat them on their home court, this is going to be a big test for you guys,’” Minear recalled.

Consider the test passed.

Moon’s Michael Santicola made a 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer to force overtime, but Montour owned the overtime period and went on to grab a 51-45 win in what was a big WPIAL Class 5A Section 4 matchup.

Colton Straight scored 16 points and Ama Sow and Kaleb Platz tacked on 14 apiece for Montour (10-1, 5-0), which has now won five straight and is the only team in the section without a section loss. Moon (11-3, 4-2) saw its seven-game win streak come to a halt. Carter Tumulty paced the Tigers with 13 points and Santicola added 11.

Straight made 1-of-2 free throws with 2.4 seconds left in regulation to put Montour ahead, 41-38. Moon then inbounded from under its own basket. Braeden Stuart fired a pass to Santicola, who caught the ball at midcourt, took one dribble, and drilled a long-range 3-pointer from the left side at the buzzer to tie the score at 41.

“He made a heck of a shot,” Minear said.

Minear added that he considered having one of his player’s foul before Santicola got off his shot. But with Sow being saddled with four fouls at the time, Minear was worried he might not end up having his star 6-foot-10 center for overtime.

“This way we had him for overtime, and he came up big,” said of Sow, who added 13 rebounds and 6 blocks.

Sow scored on a putback and added a free throw after being fouled early in overtime to put Montour ahead, 44-41, and the Spartans held the lead for the rest of the game. Sow scored five points in overtime, when Montour outscored Moon, 10-4.

“He was huge,” Minear said. “Ama just controlled the paint on defense. They weren’t getting anything easy.”

Other boys games

• Tyler Pepin pumped in 20 points to help Seneca Valley (9-6, 6-1) rally for its eighth win in a row, 45-42, at Pine-Richland (5-7, 3-4) in Class 6A Section 1. The Raiders trailed by six points at the half and by three points after three quarters. They outscored Pine-Richland, 17-11, in the fourth quarter, with Pepin accounting for 12 points. Grant Spacciapolli led Pine-Richland with 15 points.

• Central Catholic (9-4, 6-1) remained red hot with a 55-52 home win against Imani Christian (7-5, 5-2) in Class 6A Section 2. Jaydan Brown, Enzo Khalil, Calvin Vento and Christian Williams scored 12 points apiece for the Vikings, who have won eight of their past nine games. RJ Sledge led Imani Christian with 25 points and Donovan Gordon chipped in 15.

• Upper St. Clair (14-1, 7-0) held Mt. Lebanon (7-6, 3-4) to just two points in the first quarter and went on to claim its ninth win in a row by beating the host Blue Devils, 37-29, in Class 6A Section 2. Upper St. Clair’s Tyler Robbins was the only player to score in double figures. He finished with 13 points. Sam Diebert paced Mt. Lebanon with 9 points.

• Calvin Winfrey scored 29 points and Notorious Grooms added 20 to power Uniontown (12-3, 7-0) to its fourth win in a row, 75-58, at Franklin Regional (6-8, 2-5) in Class 5A Section 1. Jonah Johnston scored 18 points to lead Franklin Regional.

• Jason Fredericks tallied 16 points and Owen Maddalon chipped in 15 to help host North Catholic (10-5, 5-1) serve Deer Lakes (12-3, 5-1) its first section loss, 61-46, in Class 4A Section 1.  North Catholic held an 18-5 scoring advantage in the second quarter. Nate Moore led Deer Lakes with 13 points.

• Rowan Carmichael scored 44 points to lift Avonworth (11-2, 5-0) to a 57-53 win at Beaver (11-4, 3-2) in Class 4A Section 2. Carmichael made five 3-pointers and was 13 of 15 from the free-throw line. He’s now 44 points away from 2,000 for his career. Noah Goetz (8) was the only other Avonworth player with more than two points. Beaver was led by Brady Mayo’s 19 points.

• Freshman James Armstrong scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to help Hopewell (5-9, 1-4) rally for a 62-60 win at Ambridge (2-10, 0-5) in Class 4A Section 2. Ambridge held a 33-26 lead at the half. Zach Kovell added 19 points for Hopewell, while Jared Astorino’s 22 points paced Ambridge.

• Isaiah Jeter made five 3-pointers among his 22 points and host Central Valley (12-2, 4-1) was dynamite defensively in a 63-41 win against Quaker Valley (8-4, 2-3) in Class 4A Section 2. Central Valley led, 29-12, at the half after giving up only four field goals in the first two quarters. Nic Cohen paced the Quakers with 16 points.

• Aliquippa (8-3, 5-0) raced to a 21-point halftime lead and coasted to a 57-31 win at Ellwood City (8-5, 4-1) in Class 3A Section 1. Josh Pratt scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half for the Quips, who held a 38-17 lead at the break. Aaron Lake (10 points) was the only player to score in double figures for Ellwood City.

• Chartiers-Houston (12-2, 6-1) holds the lead in Class 2A Section 3 all to itself following a 55-38 win against visiting Jefferson-Morgan (9-4, 5-2). Justus Buckingham (14 points) led a group of four players scoring in double digits for the Bucs, who have won six straight and limited Jefferson-Morgan to 11 first-half points. Dayten Marion led the Rockets with 12 points.

• Jake Rynd scored 23 points and Tony Perrotta added 18 to help Neshannock (12-1, 7-0) claim its fifth consecutive win, 63-52, against visiting Union (11-4, 5-2) in Class 2A Section 4. Neshannock finished strong, outscoring Union, 15-6, in the final quarter. Union’s Lucas Stanley poured in a game-high 31 points.

• Jake Johnson poured in 31 points and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (10-4, 5-1) used a dominant second half to win at South Side (9-6, 3-4), 53-38, in Class 2A Section 4. OLSH trailed, 27-21, at the half before outscoring South Side, 32-11, in the second half. RJ Fischer led South Side with 12 points.

• Will Evans pumped in 35 points to help Nazareth Prep (10-3, 5-0) move into sole possession of the lead in Class 1A Section 1 following an 87-80 win at Aquinas Academy (12-2, 4-1). Leon Harrison added 20 points for the Saints, who outscored Aquinas Academy, 24-8, in the third quarter. Aquinas Academy’s Sam Duer made seven 3-pointers and finished with a team-best 33 points.

• With first place in the City League on the line, Allderdice (6-8, 4-0) rallied from five points down with four minutes left to win at Obama Academy (4-6, 3-1), 43-39. Asher Schwartz led Allderdice with 14 points, while Naron Jackson paced Obama with 16. Keilyn Walden scored two big buckets down the stretch for the Dragons.

Girls games

• Maggie Spell (15 points) led a quartet of players scoring in double-figures for Thomas Jefferson (13-2, 5-1), which held off a late rally to take down host Baldwin (7-7, 3-3), 65-60, in Class 5A Section 4. The Jaguars led, 55-38, after three quarters before Baldwin outscored them, 22-10, in the fourth. Lynsey Bernotas led Baldwin with 23 points.

• Freshman Bella Dumbroski poured in a career-high 34 points and Abby Genes added 22 to push host Serra Catholic (7-6, 5-2) to its sixth win in the past seven games, 68-50, against West Greene (8-3, 3-3) in Class 1A Section 2. The Eagles led, 38-22, at the half. Madelyn Roberts paced West Greene with 17 points.

Three stars

*** — Gavin Guinn, Hampton. Guinn knocked down six 3-pointers and scored 20 points to help Hampton (8-6, 4-2) win its fifth straight, 51-46, against visiting Shaler (5-9, 2-4) in Class 5A Section 2.

**— Michael Detrich, Canon-McMillan. Detrich’s game-high 28 points allowed Canon-McMillan (3-10, 1-6) to break a five-game losing streak via a 64-54 win against visiting Connellsville (3-11, 0-7) in Class 6A Section 2.

* — Donovan O’Connor, West Allegheny. A freshman, O’Connor posted a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds to push West Allegheny (6-8, 2-4) to a 62-53 win at Lincoln Park (2-10, 0-6) in Class 5A Section 4.

Hot from deep

Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Sam Duer, Aquinas Academy, 7; Gavin Guinn, Hampton, 6; Jon Jubec, North Allegheny, 6; Rowan Carmichael, Avonworth, 5; Isaiah Jeter, Central Valley, 5; Bobby Fadden, Mohawk, 5; Szyair Dungee, Ringgold, 5; Jake Rynd, Neshannock, 4; Jake Johnson, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 4; Xavion Thomas, Ringgold, 4; Caylee Sundy, Hopewell, 4; Teegan Finucan, Knoch, 4; Rex Roberts, Riverview, 4; Talan Anderton, Neshannock, 3; Chase Lemmon, New Castle, 3; Grant Spacciapolli, Pine-Richland, 3; Deron Nixon, Shaler, 3; Lucas Stanley, Union, 3; Maddox Thompson, Union, 3.

Scoreboard

Boys scores

WPIAL CLASS 6A

Section 1

Fox Chapel 49, Butler 38

New Castle 46, North Allegheny 37

Seneca Valley 45, Pine-Richland 42

Section 2

Canon-McMillan 64, Connellsville 54

Central Catholic 55, Imani Christian 52

Upper St. Clair 37, Mt. Lebanon 29

WPIAL CLASS 5A

Section 1

Uniontown 75, Franklin Regional 58

Gateway 77, McKeesport 22

Penn-Trafford 66, Laurel Highlands 44

Section 2

Hampton 51, Shaler 46

Kiski Area 68, Penn Hills 53

Plum 71, Indiana 68

Section 3

Baldwin 67, Thomas Jefferson 50

Peters Township 61, Bethel Park 60 (OT)

Trinity 67, Ringgold 63

Section 4

Montour 51, Moon 45 (OT)

West Allegheny 62, Lincoln Park 53

WPIAL CLASS 4A

Section 1

Knoch 71, Freeport 29

North Catholic 61, Deer Lakes 46

Section 2

Avonworth 57, Beaver 53

Central Valley 63, Quaker Valley 41

Hopewell 62, Ambridge 60

Section 3

Elizabeth Forward 57, Derry 52

West Mifflin 59, Greensburg Salem 50

WPIAL CLASS 3A

Section 1

Aliquippa 57, Ellwood City 31

Mohawk 68, Freedom 20

New Brighton 64, Riverside 60

Section 2

Bishop Canevin 59, Sto-Rox 34

Keystone Oaks 63, Carlynton 47

Washington 57, McGuffey 55

Section 3

South Park 51, Apollo-Ridge 33

Section 4

Ligonier Valley 56, Charleroi 52

Southmoreland 68, Brownsville 32

Waynesburg 87, Mount Pleasant 67

WPIAL CLASS 2A

Section 1

Bentworth 56, Frazier 37

Greensburg Central Catholic 57, Springdale 26

Riverview 50, California 47

Section 2

Northgate 82, Propel Braddock Hills 36

Sewickley Academy 74, Leechburg 24

Winchester Thurston 63, Eden Christian 46

Section 3

Burgettstown 77, Mapletown 50

Chartiers-Houston 55, Jefferson-Morgan 38

Fort Cherry 60, Carmichaels 41

West Greene 59, Beth-Center 55

Section 4

Shenango 61, Rochester 32

Laurel 63, Western Beaver 50

Neshannock 63, Union 52

Our Lady of Sacred Heart 53, South Side 38

WPIAL CLASS 1A

Section 1

Beaver County Christian 60, Avella 46

Nazareth Prep 87, Aquinas Academy 80

Summit Academy 66, Cornell 35

Section 2

Monessen 71, Geibel Catholic 61

Serra Catholic 74, Environmental Charter 48

CITY LEAGUE

Allderdice 43, Obama Academy 39

Westinghouse 43, Brashear 40

Girls scores

WPIAL CLASS 6A

Section 1

North Allegheny 52, Butler 30

Section 2

Canon-McMillan 59, Connellsville 22

WPIAL CLASS 5A

Section 1

Fox Chapel 41, Plum 23

Section 2

Kiski Area 52, McKeesport 29

Section 3

Moon 43, Montour 40

Section 4

Peters Township 55, Bethel Park 35

Thomas Jefferson 65, Baldwin 60

WPIAL CLASS 4A

Section 1

Knoch 54, Derry 23

WPIAL CLASS 3A

Section 2

Avonworth 43, East Allegheny 1

WPIAL CLASS 1A

Section 2

Serra Catholic 68, West Greene 50

NON-SECTION

Hopewell 59, Freedom 36

CITY LEAGUE

Allderdice 72, Obama Academy 34

Brashear 36, Westinghouse 13

Carrick 53, Perry 32