Monday postseason basketball rundown: Woodland Hills continues to roll, wins at Seneca Valley; Lucas Stanley scores 36 to lead Union over Fort Cherry

Two teams with identical records but appearing to be going in opposite directions met in a WPIAL playoff opener Monday.

And on what was a frigid night, the hot team stayed hot and the cold one remained icy cold.

Landon Akins scored a game-high 15 points to power No. 9 Woodland Hills to a 43-32 win at No. 8 Seneca Valley in a Class 6A first-round game.

Scoop Smith and Calvin Barksdale added 8 points apiece for Woodland Hills (12-11), which won its fifth consecutive game to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019. The Wolverines needed to win their final three section games just to reach the postseason. Meanwhile, Seneca Valley (11-12) dropped its sixth straight game, which followed a 10-game win streak.

“We’re playing with a lot of confidence,” said Smith, a junior guard and the team’s leading scorer on the season. “Coach [Steve Scorpion] has been telling us, ‘We’ve been here before.’ These last four games have been postseason games. I think a lot of teams got us early while we were trying to figure things out, and now we have them figured out.”

Defense played a big part in the win, with Woodland Hills limiting Seneca Valley to 4 points in the second quarter and 11 in the first half. The 32 points were the second-fewest scored by the Raiders this season.

Tyler Pepin (10 points) was the only Seneca Valley player to score in double figures.

Woodland Hills faces a tall task (literally) next when it takes on 6-foot-10 Tyler Robbins and Upper St. Clair, the No. 1 seed and defending champion, in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

“I’m excited,” Smith said. “That’s a good team over there. But being small, I’ve always been doubted. I’ve always been the underdog. So I like this. Having a chance to play one of the best teams in the state and what a lot of people say is the best team in the WPIAL, it’s a big opportunity for me and my team, and I can’t wait.”

Other Class 6A boys

• Sam Deibert pumped in 24 points to lead host No. 6 Mt. Lebanon (16-7) to a 61-34 win against No. 11 Norwin (10-12). Freshman Jacob Zaber chipped in 17 points for Mt. Lebanon, which held a 10-point lead at the half. The Blue Devils will play at No. 3 Imani Christian (13-7) in the quarterfinals. Mario Czukas scored 14 points to lead Norwin.

• After splitting a pair of games in the regular season, host No. 7 Butler (16-6) won the rubber match with No. 10 North Hills (7-16), 71-54. Andrew Gettinger finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for Butler, which won its fifth game in a row and will meet No. 2 New Castle (19-3) next. Zach Pollaro’s 22 points led North Hills.

Class 2A boys

• Brady O’Rourke’s 15 points led a group of four players scoring in double figures for No. 1 Greensburg Central Catholic (21-2), which rolled to a 67-42 home win against No. 16 Laurel (12-12). AJ Tarpley added 14 points for the Centurions, who won their sixth game in a row.

• No. 2 Sewickley Academy (18-4) raced to a 17-point lead after one quarter and rolled to a 59-26 win against visiting No. 15 Bentworth (11-11). Mamadou Kane, a 6-8 freshman, led the Panthers with 16 points, while Chris Harper paced Bentworth with 12 points.

• Kymon’e Brown scored 20 points and Markus McGowan had 18 to help host No. 3 Jeannette (20-2) thump No. 19 Brentwood (10-13), 91-42. Stone Markham knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points for Jeannette, while Forrest Betz led Brentwood with 20 points.

• Tony Perrotta scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to lead No. 4 Neshannock (20-2) to its eighth win in a row, 56-44, against visiting No. 13 Winchester Thurston (16-8). The Lancers led, 32-25, at the half. Michael Hammerling led Winchester Thurston with 24 points.

• Ty Daniels collected a game-high 20 points in leading No. 5 Northgate (14-9) to a 59-44 home win against No. 21 Springdale (14-9). Northgate led by 10 points at the half before outscoring Springdale, 15-5, in the third quarter. Pat Wylly paced Springdale with 14 points.

• Tiernan McCullough poured in 32 points to propel No. 6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (18-5) to a 64-37 win against No. 11 Clairton (8-11) at Cornell. Jake Johnson tacked on 16 points for the Chargers, who led by 25 points at the half. Michael Ruffin led Clairton with 7 points.

• Justus Buckingham scored 20 points to lead No. 7 Chartiers-Houston (20-3) to a 55-35 win against visiting No. 10 Shenango (11-12). Chartiers-Houston held a 22-13 scoring edge in the fourth quarter. Joe Campoli paced Shenango with 18 points.

• Lucas Stanley’s 36 points vaulted No. 8 Union (17-6) to a 70-49 home win against No. 9 Fort Cherry (13-9). Stanley was 13 of 13 from the free-throw line for Union, which led, 39-22, at the half. Shane Cornali paced Fort Cherry with 22 points and Matt Sieg chipped in 17.

Seneca Valley and Woodland Hills players battle for a rebound during Monday’s game won by the visiting Wolverines, 43-32. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Class 4A girls

• Aubree Hupp scored 24 points and host No. 1 Blackhawk (21-2) rolled to its 14th consecutive win, 60-12, against No. 16 Yough (12-12). Ava Pagani added 14 points and Andrea Kinger 13 for the Cougars, who led, 24-4, after one quarter. No Yough player scored more than two points.

• No. 2 Oakland Catholic (20-3) rolled to its eighth win in a row, 65-15, against visiting No. 15 Hampton (10-12). Alayla Bivins (16), Josie Fontana (14), Zephaniah Troxler-Scott (13) and London Creach (11) all scored in double digits for the Eagles.

• Sam Weir scored 14 points and Brady Wehner added 13 to lead No. 3 and three-time defending champion North Catholic (20-3) to a 62-23 win against visiting No. 14 Mount Pleasant (6-16). The Trojanettes led, 46-9, at the half. Danica Trainer paced Mount Pleasant with 9 points.

• Mia Sostaric scored 12 of her 17 points in the first half to push host No. 4 Elizabeth Forward (18-5) to a 69-42 win against No. 13 Hopewell (9-14). The Warriors led, 40-19, at the half. Alyssa Spang led Hopewell with 18 points.

• Ava Wright’s 19 points propelled host No. 5 Beaver (17-5) to a 62-28 win against No. 12 Freeport (6-17). Emerson Connelly added 12 points and Annsley Baker 11 for the Bobcats, who led, 45-7, at the half. Freeport was led by Maggie Conger’s 8 points.

• No. 6 South Park (16-5) jumped to a 12-point lead after one quarter before going on to capture its eighth win in its last nine games, 40-24, against visiting No. 11 Burrell (13-10). Brooke Paylo led South Park with 13 points, while Casey Brancato’s 7 points paced Burrell.

• Central Valley (15-7), the No. 7 seed, rallied from a 1-point halftime deficit to claim a 55-46 home win against No. 10 Belle Vernon (10-11). Nyah Hayes scored a team-best 16 points for Central Valley, which outscored Belle Vernon, 14-4, in the third quarter. Aubrey Brown paced Belle Vernon with 13 points.

• Miya Harris scored 16 points and Taylor Schwertfeger tacked on 15 to lead No. 8 Laurel Highlands (17-5) to a 61-43 win against visiting No. 9 Knoch (12-11). Laurel Highlands has won six consecutive games. Karlee Buterbaugh led Knoch with 16 points.

Class 1A girls

• Gia Richter’s 21 points propelled host No. 6 St. Joseph (16-7) to a 61-13 triumph against No. 11 Sewickley Academy (5-15). Kasey Cienik chipped in 13 points for the Spartans, who advanced to play No. 3 Clairton (17-4). Molly Cephus led Sewickley Academy with 5 points.

• Kendra Tharp scored 19 points and Madelyn Roberts added 17 to push No. 7 West Greene (16-7) to a 59-29 home win against No. 10 Eden Christian (5-16). West Greene outscored Eden Christian, 45-11, over the middle two quarters. The Pioneers advanced to play No. 2 Geibel Catholic (21-1). Hannah Wallace led the Warriors with 9 points.

• Isabella Sysak tallied a game-high 19 points to lead No. 9 Bishop Canevin (12-9) to a 45-12 win at No. 8 Springdale (11-12). The Crusaders, who held a 29-7 lead at the half, advanced to play No. 1 and two-time defending champion Union (22-0).