Jan 26, 2022 3 min read

Farrah Reader scored a career-high 20 points and Belle Vernon’s girls basketball team held off a fourth-quarter comeback by visiting Serra Catholic to win 43-42 in non-section play.

It was the first loss of the season for Serra (13-1).

Belle Vernon (13-3), which has a key section game Thursday night at Southmoreland, held Serra to only five points in the first quarter and took a 21-15 lead into halftime. The Leopards upped the advantage to 36-28 after three quarters before Serra mounted a late charge.

Chloe Pordash scored 18 points to lead the Eagles.

Reader almost had a double-double as she finished with eight rebounds. Viva Kreis scored 10 points and Tessa Rodriguez had a team-high nine rebounds and six assists.

Charleroi 54, Brownsville 38: Riley Jones led three Charleroi players in double figures with 17 points and Charleroi defeated host Brownsville 54-38 in a Class 3A Section 2 game.

Charleroi (3-3, 9-7) pulled away in the second half after leading 23-18 at halftime. McKenna DeUnger scored 13 points and Rece Eddy chipped in with 10 for the Cougars.

Brownsville’s Emma Seto scored a game-high 21 points including her 1,000th career point.

Avella 72, California 64: Katie Dryer scored a season-high 31 points and Avella pulled away in the second half to beat host California 72-64 in a non-section game.

Avella (8-6) led by only 28-27 at halftime and erupted for 44 points in the second half.

Hanna Brownlee scored 17 points for the Eagles, Allie Brownlee had 11 and Ava Frank tossed in 11.

California’s Kendelle Weston scored 24 points and Addison Gregory had 15.

Avella has won three in a row while California has lost three straight.

Boys results

Carmichaels 66, Frazier 37: Michael Stewart scored 19 points, Drake Long added 18 and Carmichaels rolled to a 66-37 thumping of Frazier in Class 2A Section 4.

Carmichaels (4-1, 10-3) scored 47 first-half points for a 32-point lead at the intermission. Long scored all of his points in the big first half.

Chris Barrish finished with 14 points, giving the Mikes three players in double figures.

Frazier (0-5, 0-15) was led by Keyshaun Thompson’s 12 points.

McGuffey 38, Jefferson-Morgan 35: One good defensive quarter and some clutch free throws down the stretch lifted McGuffey to a 38-35 win over host Jefferson-Morgan in a nonsection game.

McGuffey (5-9) trailed 14-9 after one quarter but held Jefferson-Morgan to only two points in the second period as the Highlanders grabbed an 18-16 lead. McGuffey led 29-25 entering the fourth quarter.

Maddix Ganster and Jantzen Durbin each scored nine points to lead the McGuffey attack.

Taj Jacobs scored a game-high 14 points for J-M (7-5), which has lost four in a row.

Bentworth 48, Mapletown 30: Ayden Bochter scored a season-high 25 points and Bentworth used a big first half to beat visiting Mapletown 48-30 in a nonsection game.

Bentworth held Mapletown to only six points in the first half and took a 17-point lead into halftime.

Landan Stevenson led Mapletown in scoring with 14 points.