Laurel Highlands girls cruise to victory in opener
Laurel Highlands jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in defeating Connellsville, 61-19, in the season opener Monday night in non-section girls basketball play at Harold “Horse” Taylor Memorial Gymnasium.
The Mustangs are coming off a 21-5 season that included a trip to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals and the quarterfinals of the state playoffs, and if their opener is any indication, the team is right on schedule for a repeat performance.
Laurel Highlands had a 25-6 lead after the first quarter, as Miya Harris scored 11 of her game-high 20 points in the period. LH had a 20-7 advantage in the second frame for a 45-13 halftime lead.
The Mustangs’ Ayrianna Sumpter and Taylor Schwertfeger scored 10 points apiece. Laurel Highlands had seven players score, made six 3-pointers and was 7 for 8 at the foul line.
Maggie Orndorff led Connellsville in scoring with six points.
Geibel Catholic 71, Southmoreland 27 – Emma Larkin and Mallory Clemmer combined for 53 points in the Lady Gators’ non-section victory at Southmoreland.
Geibel (3-0) had a 27-2 lead after the first quarter and led 48-8 at halftime. The Lady Gators outscored the Lady Scotties, 11-4, in the third period. Southmoreland had a 15-12 edge in the fourth.
Larkin scored 33 points and Clemmer put in 20.
Olivia Aumer led the Lady Scotties (0-1) in scoring with 18 points.
Mapletown 49, Propel Montour 18 – Nicole Barrera and Emma Zalar had double-doubles in the Lady Maples’ non-section victory over Propel Montour.
Barrera scored 14 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Zalar had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Teammate Sophia Jennings had 10 rebounds.
Ka’Niyah Barbour scored 10 points for Propel Montour (0-1).
Mapletown (1-2) had a 10-4 lead after the first quarter and a 20-10 halftime advantage. The Lady Maples had an advantage of 17-4 in the third period and 12-4 in the fourth quarter.
Belle Vernon 56, Rochester 51 – The Lady Leopards built up an 11-point lead after three quarters and held on for a non-section triumph.
Belle Vernon (2-1) had a 10-9 edge after the first quarter, and took a 27-19 advantage into the halftime break after outscoring the Lady Rams, 17-10, in the second. Belle Vernon had a 16-13 edge in the third, but Rochester kept battling and outscored the home team, 19-13, in the final period.
The Lady Rams’ Tia Yellock led all scorers with 22 points. Teammate Nevaeh Squires added 11.
The Lady Leopards were led in scoring by Saylor Lee’s 19 points. Aubrey Brown had 10 points.
Washington 70, Frazier 18 – Olivia Woods and Kyndra Wynn scored 19 points apiece to help the Prexies (1-0) earn a non-section victory over the Lady Commodores.
Teyler Barnes and Xavier King added 12 points each for Washington. The Prexies shut out the Commodores, 23-0, in the second quarter and held them to single-digit point totals in all four quarters.
Boys basketball
Beth-Center 62, Bentworth 36 – The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-point lead after the first quarter and earned a comfortable victory over the Bearcats in non-section play at Bentworth.
After a 24-3 advantage in the first period, a 12-12 second quarter gave Beth-Center (1-0) a 36-15 halftime lead. The Bulldogs had an 11-10 edge in the third quarter. Bentworth (0-1) outscored B-C, 11-9, in the fourth.
The Bulldogs’ Jason Zellie scored a game-high 19 points. Teammate Brayden Hull added 17.