WCU women win first division title in five years

Seeking a win and its first PSAC East Regular Season title since the 201718 season, the West Chester women’s basketball team (21-7, 18-4) took to the road on Saturday afternoon, making the trip to Bloomsburg (9-17, 7-15) for the regular-season finale against the Huskies. West Chester men’s basketball jumped out to an early lead and never trailing on the way to an impressive 60-48 road victory.

The win, which gives West Chester its first Divisional Crown since the 2017-18 season, also extends West Chester’s winning streak to 14 games in a row, the longest since the team went unbeaten through East play in the 17-18 season.

Today’s victory is also the Golden Rams best defensive effort against the Huskies since at least the 1981-82 season, with the next best effort coming during the 2007-08 season when West Chester held Bloomsburg to just 48 points.

This road triumph is also the Golden Rams first road win over the Huskies since January 25, 2020, when WCU picked up a 7464 road victory inside Nelson Field House.

Leah Johnson had a big second half, finishing with 17, including 13 second-half points to lead all scorers, while Michelle Kozicki finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds to go along with a 12-point effort by Emily McAteer as she also finished with eight rebounds and three assists.

Men’s Basketball WEST CHESTER 92, BLOOMSBURG 89, OT >>

Robert Smith finished with 22 points to lead West Chester (217, 16-6) in scoring as the sophomore guard helped the Golden Rams erase a 20-point second-half deficit to earn a 92-89 OT victory over Bloomsburg (1-25, 1-21 PSAC) to conclude the regular season.

The comeback, which saw West Chester trail by 20 (78-58) with under six minutes to play in regulation, marks the largest comeback completed by the Golden Rams in recent memory, surpassing a comeback during the 2015 season, which saw West Chester erase a 15-point deficit in a 76-75 home win against Lock Haven.

West Chester closed the second half on a 24-4 run over the final 5:35 of regulation, shooting an impressive 9-of-15 from the field, led by eight points from Joshua Walker and another seven by Smith. This comeback allowed West Chester to force overtime for the second game in a row.

Baseball WEST CHESTER 5, MERCYHURST 3 >>

West Chester scored four runs in the first inning, and starting pitcher Joe Sperone was effective through six, as the Golden Rams topped PSAC West rival Mercyhurst, 5-3, in a nonleague game inside Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark on the campus of West Virginia University Saturday afternoon. West Chester (5-1) upped its modest winning streak to three games while Mercyhurst (1-2) dropped its second straight following a season-opening win.

Senior J.R. Gifford hit a two-run double, and Sean Szestowicki traded places with him for three of the Golden Rams’ four runs in the opening frame.

Julian Costa came on in relief of Sperone and picked up his first save of the season. Sperone (1-0) got the win pitching the first six innings.

Women’s Lacrosse WEST CHESTER 17, BENTLEY 3 >>

Graduate student, Lindsay Monigle scored five goals and posted seven points while junior Hannah Stanislawczyk scored five of her own to lead third-ranked West Chester to a 17-3 win over No. 23 Bentley on an emotional day at Vonnie Gros Field Saturday. West Chester (2-0) opened its home slate Saturday with a pre-game tribute to former Golden Rams defender Julia Rossi, who passed away suddenly last November. Former teammates Tara Morrissey, Quinn O’Malley and Claire Dennis joined Monigle at midfield to address the crowd and speak on Rossi’s behalf.

Men’s Lacrosse IMMACULATA 16, CAIRN 0 >>

The Immaculata men’s lacrosse team defeated Cairn University by a score of 16-0 in Saturday’s non-conference match up at Draper Walsh Stadium. Senior David Azzarano tallying his first goal of the day just 12 seconds into the contest. Azzarano would add another goal in the 2nd period to go along with an assist.

The contest saw nine different Immaculata players find the back of the net. Joseph Biuso led the attack with four goals and one assist, Bailey Mannion added four assists and one goal. Freshman Matthew Frame recorded his first career goal as a Mighty Mac, he would later go on and add two more to the box score to finish with three on the day.

Immaculata recorded the program’s first ever shutout, where goalkeepers Matthew Kirkland, Matthew Ludlow, Jake Klosinski, and Max Cummings combined for 16 saves in 16 attempts.

High School Boys Basketball

NATIONAL PREPS >> National Preps: Malvern Prep finished third out of 128 teams, with two champions. Freshman Lukas Littleton

Mascaro (113 pounds) and junior Jack Consiglio (132) claimed titles for the Friars. Littleton Mascaro scored a takedown in sudden victory against Lake Highland Prep’s Ethan Rivera. Consiglio pinned Blair Academy’s Matty Lopes to claim his second national title.

Nik O’Neill (126), Spencer Barnhart (138) and Reed Fullmer (157) took second, Tyler Conroy (107) and Tommy Link (120) earned third, Nathan Rickards (150) and Nick Wehmeyer (190) placed fifth, SP O’Donnell (144) was seventh and Stosh Zalota (215) and Phil Tabasso (285) were eighth for Malvern.

DISTRICT 1 3A NORTH SECTIONAL >>

District 1-3A North Sectional: Conestoga finished fifth as a team, qualifying five wrestlers to the Class 3A Southeast Regional, next Friday and Saturday. Hayden McLellan (172 pounds) won the lone title for the Pioneers with a 5-2 win over Perkiomen Valley’s Carson Pascoe in the finals. Steven Wiechecki (121), Miles Warkentine (127) and Matt Boye (160) were runners-up and Jake Allred (189) placed third.

Great Valley finished 11th as a team. Michael Cruz (121) and Tim Matthews (139) finished sixth for the Patriots and are the second alternates for regionals. DISTRICT 12-2A >> Church Farm finished eighth as a team. Kwadwo Onyinah (189) and Devon BowerProphet (285) were secondplace finishers for the Griffins. Luis Ruiz (121) placed fourth.

Girls Basketball UNIONVILLE 52, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 42 >>

Elle Johnson tossed in 17 points as the ninth-seeded Longhorns clinched a berth in the PIAA Turnament. Riley Angstadt added nine points and Milana Amoss and Savannah Lang had eight points each.