Jan 16, 2023 6 min read

Lexi Ewig led three McGuffey players in double figures with 15 points and the Highlanders knocked Charleroi out of a tie for first place in Class 3A Section 4 by defeating the visiting Cougars 50-44 Monday night.

Charleroi entered the night in a three-way tie for first place along with Waynesburg and Yough. Waynesburg was idle and was able to move a half-game ahead in the standings. The Raiders will play at Brownsville tonight. Yough lost at South Park, 48-34. Charleroi, Yough and South Park each are a half-game behind Waynesburg.

The first half was a good one for Charleroi (3-2, 8-6). The Cougars forged a 28-20 lead but the key to the game was the pivotal third quarter in which McGuffey outscored Charleroi 19-4 to turn their eight-point deficit into a 39-32 lead.

Madison Gaso scored 12 points for McGuffey (2-3, 11-5) and Taylor Schumacher added 10.

Bella Carroto scored a game-high 21 points for Charleroi, which has lost three straight.

McKenna DeUnger, Charleroi’s leading scorer, left the game in the third quarter with an eye injury. She was held to four points.

California 46, Frazier 45: Rakiyah Porter made two free throws with no time remaining to give California 46-45 home-court win over Frazier in Class 2A Section 4.

California inbounded the basketball trailing 45-44 with only six seconds to play. Porter made a length of the court dash and was fouled at the buzzer. Porter then calmly sank the tying and winning free throw.

Porter led California (4-2, 7-7) with 13 points.

Burgettstown 59, Carlynton 19: Kaitlyn Nease had another double-double as Burgettstown rolled to its sixth consecutive victory, a 57-19 thumping of host Carlynton in Class 2A Section 2.

Nase scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Blue Devils (5-0, 11-4) remained unbeaten and in first place in the section.

Christny Bartley scored 16 points for Burgettstown and Addie Cairns hit double figures with 12.

The Blue Devils led 28-10 at halftime and then outscored Carlynton 20-9 in the third quarter.

Skyla Brown had eight points to lead Carlynton (2-3, 6-8).

Washington 71, Beth-Center 43: Olivia Woods and Kaprice Johnson combined for 43 points as Washington continued to roll through Class 2A Section 4 with a 71-43 victory at Beth-Center.

The win keeps the Prexies unbeaten in the section at 6-0. Wash High is 10-4 overall.

Woods poured in a game-high 27 points and Johnson contributed 16 in a solid performance as the Prexies were in control throughout. Wash High led 33-21 at halftime en route to their third consecutive win. Amari Oakley grabbed 10 rebounds for the Prexies.

Callie Dorsey led Beth-Center (0-6, 3-11) in scoring with 15 points.

West Greene 70, Mapletown 40: West Greene overcame a one-point halftime deficit to beat host Mapletown, 70-40, in Class A Section 2.

The Pioneers (5-0, 8-5) trailed 20-19 at halftime but won the game by outscoring the Maples 51-20 in the sec ond half.

Kasie Meek led the Pioneers in scoring with 19 points. She scored 13 of the 19 in the big second half. Meek led three West Greene players in double figures. Taylor Karvan tossed in 14 points and Lexi Six had 10.

Krista Wilson scored a team-high 15 points for Mapletown (1-4, 4-10) and Isabella Garnek added 13.

South Fayette 74, West Allegheny 25: Class 5A Section 4 leader South Fayette got everybody into the scoring act and defeated visiting West Allegheny, 74-25.

The Lions (5-0, 13-2), who have won six in a row, scored 74 points but had only three players in double figures and none with more than 13 points.

Lainey Yater led the way for South Fayette with 13, Ava Leroux followed with 12 and Maddie Webber finished with 11.

The Lions led 19-7 after one quarter, then blew the game open with a 27-point second quarter that gave South fayette a 46-14 halftime lead.

West Allegheny is 1-4 in section and 5-9 overall.

Fort Cherry 73, Sto-Rox 29: Raney Staub scored 16 of her game-high 17 points in the first quarter to help Fort Cherry crush Sto-Rox, 73-29, in a Class 2A Section 2 game.

Fort Cherry raced out to a 23-6 lead after eight minutes and led 44-13 at halftime. The Rangers (3-2, 9-6) outscored Sto-Rox (1-4, 3-8) by a 29-16 total in the second half.

Zalayah Edwards scored 10 point for Fort Cherry, which won its second straight game.

Alana Eberhardt scored 14 points for Sto-Rox, which lost its third straight game.

Monessen 59, Avella 49: Monessen erupted for 25 fourth-quarter points to put the cap on a 59-49 victory over Avella in a Class A Section 2 game.

The Greyhounds (4-1, 8-4) entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead over Avella (2-3, 7-8) but outscored the Eagles 25-16 over the final eight minutes.

Svetlana Vining and Madison Johnson each tossed in 12 points for Monessen, which won its sixth straight game. Na’Jaziah Carter added 10.

Katie Dryer poured in a game-high 21 points for the Eagles, which has lost three of the last four games. Ava Frank contributed 13 points.

Chartiers-Houston 45, Carmichaels 30: Chartiers-Houston won its second game in a row, 45-30, over host Carmichaels in a Class 2A Section 4 game.

The Bucs (5-1, 9-6) outscored Carmichaels in three quarters and tied the Mikes in another. Ella Richey led Chartiers-Houston with 11 points.

Sophia Zalar scored a game-high 13 points for the Mikes (3-7, 5-10).

Laurel Highlands 49, Ringgold 44: Miya Harris scored 21 points and Laurel Highlands held off visiting Ringgold 49-44 in Class 4A Section 3.

Laurel Highlands (3-3, 8-6), which snapped a three-game losing streak, led 39-32 after three quarters. Ringgold (2-4, 4-10) made a late charge and trimmed the Fillies’ lead to one possession at several points in the fourth quarter, but Harris made five of six free-throw attempts down the stretch to seal the win.

Essence Davis finished with 10 points for LH, as did Ayrianna Sumpter.

Ringgold’s Abbey Whaley matched Harris for game scoring honors with 21 points. Angelina Massey followed with 13 points.

In other games: Wheeling Park rolled to a 74-44 victory over Trinity in the MLK Classic at Linsly School in Wheeling, W.Va. No game details were reported.