When Imani Christian played at Upper St. Clair just over three weeks ago, the Saints went home with a 43-point loss.
Following that mercy-rule defeat, the Saints didn’t have a prayer in Thursday’s rematch, right?
Well, as Imani Christian coach Khayree Wilson told reporters after the first matchup, the Saints aren’t two-time state champions for nothing.
In a matchup of teams that won WPIAL titles last season, Imani Christian turned the tables on Upper St. Clair, handing the Panthers just their second loss of the season, 63-58, in a Class 6A Section 2 game at CCAC Allegheny.
“We knew what was on the line,” Wilson said. “We know this is the measuring stick and how people are going to view Imani. We know playing against Upper St. Clair is a test for us. We needed to have a strong game. And we showed we are just as legitimate as Upper St. Clair and as legitimate as any other team in 6A.”
A month ago, this result wouldn’t have sounded much surprising. But considering the way Upper St. Clair dismantled Imani Christian in a 74-32 win on Jan. 7, the result of Thursday’s contest was a real eye-opener. Upper St. Clair had won 13 games in a row since a loss to Montour on Dec. 14. The Panthers (18-2, 11-1) still hold the section lead, but Imani Christian’s win now has the Saints (12-6, 10-2) hot on their heels.
Imani Christian, which won back-to-back PIAA Class 1A titles before voluntarily moving up to Class 6A this season, was led by sophomore Kieshaun Demus, who scored a team-high 18 points and added 10 rebounds. Senior RJ Sledge chipped in 11 points, 7 assists and 6 steals.
“He played a phenomenal game,” Wilson said of Demus. “He’s a legit Division I kid. He just needed to come out of his shell.”
Imani Christian jumped to a 24-18 lead after one quarter and led, 37-30, at the half. That margin increased to 10 points after three quarters before Upper St. Clair chipped away at it in the fourth.
The difference between the first and second meetings? Wilson said it was a combination of his team executing the game plan better and his players being healthy and fresh.
“When we played them the first time, that was a tough week,” Wilson said. “We were coming back from the Play-By-Play Classic (at John Carroll University in Ohio). We had a game on Sunday night at 8:15. And then we drove back in a snowstorm. Not to mention RJ got kneed in his back in that game. We didn’t have school the next day and I gave them practice off to rest. And then we went into a hostile environment (that Tuesday). It was a big hype game. And whenever your best player isn’t 100%, they are tough to beat.”
Other boys games
• Jacob Dunkle scored 21 points, including the 1,000th of his career, in leading Trinity (9-8) to a 53-46 non-section win at Hampton (10-9). Jonah Williamson chipped in 16 points for the Hillers, while Griff Jarrell made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points for Hampton.
• Chris Harper and Ben Hayes scored 22 points apiece and Bentworth (8-9, 5-6) rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat visiting Clairton (7-8, 7-4), 54-49, in Class 2A Section 1. Bentworth trailed, 32-24, at the half, but went on to outscore Clairton, 30-17, in the second half to win for the fifth time in six games. Taris Wooding led Clairton with 10 points.
Girls games
• Ava Christopher scored a team-high 15 points to help host Norwin (11-6, 7-1) win for the seventh time in eight games, 52-43, against Mt. Lebanon (11-8, 4-4) in Class 6A Section 2. Kendall Berger added 14 points for the Knights, who trailed by three at the half before outscoring Mt. Lebanon, 34-22, in the second half. Payton Collins paced Mt. Lebanon with 17 points.
• Addy Hutton and Emily Betsinger each scored 17 points and Indiana (15-3, 9-1) went to overtime to claim a 62-57 win at Latrobe (10-8, 6-4) in Class 5A Section 2. It was the ninth win in 10 games for the Indians. Maggie Maiers led Latrobe with 17 points and Carley Berk added 16.
• Chartiers Valley (14-6) rolled to its fourth win in a row, 52-39, against Trinity (8-9) in non-section play. Rachel Boehm scored 13 points to pace Chartiers Valley, which led by five points at the half before outscoring Trinity, 22-7, in the third quarter. Gabby Rieg led Trinity with 12 points. The Hillers have lost five in a row.
• A night after seeing its 112-game section win streak come to an end, North Catholic (16-3, 10-1) began what it hopes will become another long streak by winning at Highlands (5-13, 4-8), 60-30, in Class 4A Section 1. Brady Wehner scored 15 points for the Trojanettes, who erupted for 27 points in the third quarter. Tyarah Woody led Highlands with 18 points.
• Annsley Baker (20 points) led a quartet of players scoring in double figures for Beaver (14-4, 8-2), which collected a 67-63 overtime win over visiting Central Valley (12-7, 6-4) in Class 4A Section 2. Central Valley rallied from six points down after three quarters to force overtime. Izzy Miller poured in 30 points for Central Valley.
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (17-2, 12-0) raced to a 19-point halftime lead and went on to capture its eighth consecutive win, 56-40, against visiting Riverside (12-8, 7-5) in Class 3A Section 1. Leah Parker scored 14 points and Lola Garner had 13 for OLSH, which held a 34-15 halftime lead. Riverside got 13 points from DeLana Fox.
• Karis Thomas scored 24 points and Cassie Sauer had 23 to help Shady Side Academy (19-0, 12-0) remain unbeaten courtesy of a 71-31 home win against Deer Lakes (12-7, 7-5) in Class 3A Section 2. Sauer scored 13 points in the first quarter and Thomas tallied 11 in the third. Anna Clark (14 points) was the only Deer Lakes player in double digits.
• Laney Wagner scored a game-high 20 points and Keystone Oaks (15-1, 8-1) used a big third quarter to claim its 12th win in a row, 45-34, at Brownsville (11-7, 4-5) in Class 3A Section 3. Keystone Oaks led by two points at the half before outscoring Brownsville, 14-2, in the third quarter. Skyler Gates, a Virginia volleyball recruit, led Brownsville with 16 points.
• Kylie Fruehstorfer connected on four 3-pointers among her game-high 18 points to lead unbeaten Union (19-0, 12-0) to a 50-32 win against visiting St. Joseph (12-6, 8-3) in Class 1A Section 1. Union led, 33-23, at the half. Gia Richter scored 11 points to lead St. Joseph, which had its five-game win streak snapped.
• Freshman Bella Dumbroski pumped in 31 points to lead Serra Catholic (12-6, 10-2) to a 61-45 win at Monessen (4-12, 2-10) in Class 1A Section 2. Abby Genes added 17 points for the Eagles, who have won six consecutive games. Serra outscored Monessen, 20-10, in the first quarter. Madison Johnson paced Monessen with 27 points.
Three stars
***— Jaz Farnan, South Allegheny. Farnan scored a career-high 30 points to propel host South Allegheny (4-14, 4-7) to a 52-28 win against Steel Valley (2-16, 2-8) in Class 3A Section 3.
** — Delaney Sturgeon, Ellwood City. Sturgeon finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists in leading Ellwood City (11-7, 7-5) to a 74-39 win against visiting Sto-Rox (7-12, 2-10) in Class 3A Section 1.
* — Ashlyn Ferderbar, Springdale. Ferderbar tossed in a game-high 20 points to power Springdale (9-10, 6-5) to a 33-22 win at Sewickley Academy (4-12, 3-9) in Class 1A Section 1.
Hot from deep
Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Griff Jarrell, Hampton, 5; Faith Ealy, McGuffey, 4; Sophia Bonner, Neshannock, 4; Emma Meyer, Riverside, 4; Gabby Rieg, Trinity, 4; Jonah Williamson, Trinity, 4; Kylie Fruehstorfer, Union, 4; Caylee Sundy, Hopewell, 3; Payton Collins, Mt. Lebanon, 3; Kendall Berger, Norwin, 3; Karis Thomas, Shady Side Academy, 3; Jaz Farnan, South Allegheny, 3.
Scoreboard
Boys scores
WPIAL Class 6A
Section 2
Imani Christian 63, Upper St. Clair 58
Norwin 61, Hempfield 56
WPIAL Class 3A
Section 3
South Allegheny 68, Steel Valley 27
Class 2A
Section 1
Bentworth 54, Clairton 49
Non-section
Penn-Trafford 80, Greensburg Salem 41
Trinity 53, Hampton 46
Girls scores
WPIAL Class 6A
Section 2
Norwin 52, Mt. Lebanon 43
Upper St. Clair 67, Connellsville 38
WPIAL Class 5A
Section 1
Fox Chapel 59, Armstrong 35
Plum 33, Penn Hills 20
Section 2
Indiana 62, Latrobe 57 (OT)
Kiski Area 42, West Mifflin 22
Penn-Trafford 63, McKeesport 23
Section 3
South Fayette 75, New Castle 22
Section 4
Baldwin 63, Uniontown 23
Peters Township 62, Albert Gallatin 26
WPIAL Class 4A
Section 1
Burrell 31, Freeport 23
Knoch 44, Derry 24
North Catholic 60, Highlands 30
Oakland Catholic 66, Valley 37
Section 2
Beaver 67, Central Valley 63 (OT)
Blackhawk 74, Lincoln Park 27
Hopewell 53, Ambridge 15
Section 3
Elizabeth Forward 55, Ringgold 11
Laurel Highlands 52, Belle Vernon 20
Mount Pleasant 47, Southmoreland 25
South Park 55, Yough 18
WPIAL Class 3A
Section 1
Beaver Falls 61, Mohawk 29
Ellwood City 74, Sto-Rox 39
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 56, Riverside 40
Quaker Valley 78, New Brighton 6
Section 2
Avonworth 55, East Allegheny 13
Greensburg Central Catholic 68, Ligonier Valley 24
Shady Side Academy 71, Deer Lakes 31
South Allegheny 52, Steel Valley 28
Section 3
Keystone Oaks 45, Brownsville 34
McGuffey 55, Waynesburg 14
Seton LaSalle 58, Washington 51
WPIAL Class 2A
Section 1
Aliquippa 68, Laurel 21
Neshannock 60, Freedom 29
Rochester 54, Shenango 33
Section 2
Brentwood 40, Carlynton 26
Fort Cherry 53, Burgettstown 33
South Side 60, Northgate 11
Section 3
Beth-Center 59, Carmichaels 29
California 51, Bentworth 30
Chartiers-Houston 57, Jefferson-Morgan 26
Section 4
Apollo-Ridge 56, Jeannette 41
Riverview 57, Frazier 24
Winchester Thurston 53, Ellis School 19
WPIAL Class 1A
Section 1
Aquinas Academy 65, Leechburg 16
Eden Christian 44, Western Beaver 27
Springdale 33, Sewickley Academy 22
Union 50, St. Joseph 31
Section 2
Bishop Canevin 35, West Greene 25
Clairton 69, Avella 42
Geibel Catholic 50, Mapletown 16
Serra Catholic 61, Monessen 45
Non-section
Chartiers Valley 52, Trinity 39
Franklin Regional 52, Hampton 37
Neighborhood Academy 28, Nazareth Prep 15
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.