High school basketball: South Fayette slows pace, knocks off Baldwin
The scoring numbers were smaller but the win was huge for the South Fayette boys basketball team.
South Fayette dealt visiting Baldwin its first loss of the season, 37-32, Friday night in a key Class 5A Section 3 game.
The Lions (4-0, 7-3) led 15-7 after one quarter, 22-13 at halftime and 26-25 after three quarters. South Fayette cut short Baldwin’s comeback by out-scoring the Highlanders 11-7 in the fourth quarter.
Stafano Vezio (12 points) and Tyson Wright (10) led the offense for South Fayette.
Baldwin (2-1, 9-1) received a game-high 21 points from Nate Wesling.
Chartiers-Houston 71, Burgettstown 40
Chartiers-Houston remained near the top of Class 2A Section 3 by holding host Burgettstown to 12 points in the second half and pulling away for a 71-40 victory over the Blue Devils.
Aaron Walsh led the offense for C-H (3-1, 8-2) by scoring 18 points and was supported by Justus Buckingham’s 12.
The Bucs led 37-28 at halftime and then outscored Burgettstown (0-4, 3-7) by a 17-4 margin in the pivotal third quarter.
Colton County scored 13 points to lead the Blue Devils and Parker Rommes had 10.
Beth-Center 66, Carmichaels 34
Beth-Center continued its strong start to the season by putting four players in double figures and defeating visiting Carmichaels 66-34 in a Class 2A Section 3 game.
The Bulldogs (3-1, 6-4) took charge in the early stages, building leads of 18-8 at the end of the first quarter and 33-14 at halftime.
Parker Amos led a balanced B-C offense with 16 points. Santino Revi and Jason Zellie each tossed in 14 points and Brayden Hull had 11.
Carmichaels is 1-3 in section and 2-7 overall.
Belle Vernon 63, Elizabeth Forward 59
Zion Moore and Trevor Kovatch combined for 41 points and Belle Vernon was a 63-59 winner over Elizabeth Forward in a key Class 4A Section 3 game.
Moore, returning from a suspension, led the Leopards (3-1, 8-4) by flipping in a game-high 22 points. Kovatch followed with 19. Belle Vernon trailed 42-39 entering the fourth quarter.
EF (2-1, 8-3) put four players in double figures led by Tyler basic’s 16 points that included five three-point baskets. Daniel Spence had 15, James Gile 12 and Cy Herchelroath 10.
Fort Cherry 73, Mapletown 36
Fort Cherry snapped a three-game slide by defeating host Mapletown 73-36 in Class 2A Section 3.
Fort Cherry (2-2, 3-6) led 17-13 after one quarter and then pulled away with a 44-12 scoring edge over the next two quarters.
Shane Cornali led the Rangers with 20 points. Lucas Stevenson scored 17 for Mapeltown (0-4, 0-9).
Serra Catholic 63, Monessen 50
Serra Catholic scored the game’s first eight points and never looked back as the Eagles defeated Monessen 63-50 in a Class A Section 2 game on the Greyhounds’ home court.
Owen Dumbroski poured in a game-high 26 points to lead the Serra charge. The Eagles (2-0, 9-1) led 18-5 after one quarter and 29-14 at halftime. Monessen (0-2, 5-4) cut the Serra lead to single digits midway through the fourth quarter but the Eagles pulled away down the stretch. Mark Johnson scored 15 points and Brayden Graham had 12 for Serra.
Devonte Robinson was the leading scorer for Monessen with 15 points and Dennis Hawkins followed with 14.
In other games
Keystone Oaks improved to 2-0 in Class 3A Section 2 (9-2 overall) with a 56-45 victory over Washington. The Prexies fall to 0-2 in section and 2-7 overall. Also in Class 3A Section 2, Bishop Canevin (2-0, 3-7) was a 60-44 winner over McGuffey (1-1, 8-3). No game details were reported by press time.
Girls results
Bentworth 39, Carmichaels 26
Bentworth stayed unbeaten in Class 2A Section 3 play with a 39-26 victory over visiting Carmichaels.
The Bearcats (2-0, 6-5) forged a 20-7 halftime lead and maintained the 13-point advantage in the second half.
Jesse Laskey led Bentworth’s attack with 13 points. Ali Jacobs paced Carmichaels (0-2, 0-10) with seven points.
In other games
Canon-McMillan edged visiting Mt. Lebanon 54-51 in a Class 6A Section 2 contest. No game details were reported.