Quips hit last shot to stun Riverside
Nightly surprises are becoming the norm for Aliquippa.
A night after football coach Mike Zmijanac, one of the winningest in WPIAL history who had made the WPIAL finals a record 10 consecutive seasons, was ousted by the school board, the Quips basketball team shocked Riverside in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals at Ambridge.
William Gipson’s 3-pointer as time expired broke a tie score and lifted the Quips to a 53-50 victory.
Aliquippa (17-6) called a timeout with one second remaining before Gipson scored the last of his 10 points at the buzzer. M.J. Devonshire paced the Quips with 17 points.
Ty Thellman netted 15 for Riverside (13-10), while Gunnar Boehm and Austin Dambach each chipped in 12.
It was the third matchup of the season for the Section 1 rivals. Aliquippa swept the series.
More games
Seton LaSalle 74, Shady Side Academy 52:
Two 20-point scorers propelled the Rebels (18-5) past the Indians at Sewickley Academy and into the 3A semifinals. George Mike led the charge with 24 points, followed by Jakob Richardson with 20. Frankie Fuhrer had 11 for the Indians (14-9).
Lincoln Park 89, Burgettstown 64: A 34-point effort from Keeno Holmes helped the Leopards roll into the 3A semifinals after picking up a win at Ambridge. Holmes connected on four 3-pointers. Lincoln Park (17-6) has racked up at least 80 points in each of its playoff games. Burgettstown (16-7) was led by Jacob Schrockman’s 15 points.
Imani Christian 61, Monessen 59: In a rematch of the 2017 WPIAL championship won by the Greyhounds, the Saints got their revenge with an overtime victory in the 1A quarterfinals at ChartiersHouston. DeSean Hubbard’s 22 points led the Saints (139). He was followed by Sam Fairley with 16. Lyndon Henderson led all scorers with 25 for the Greyhounds (13-9).
Vincentian 62, Andrew Street 51:
Propel The topseeded Royals were tested, but a fourth-quarter rally helped push them into the 1A semifinals. Zach McDonough netted 21 points, followed by Angelo Reeves with 12, Kyler Fedko with 11 and Alex Griggs with 10 for the victors. Vincentian (16-7) outscored Propel, 25-8, in the final quarter to seal the win at Northgate. Propel Andrew Street (17-6) also utilized a balanced offense paced by Darrius Davis with 15 points, Eric Averett with 12 and Jarod Gambrill with 10. Propel saw its 11-game winning streak end.
Union 67, Eden Christian 52: A 23-8 third-quarter run helped Union (16-5) separate itself at Fox Chapel and pull away for the 1A quarterfinal victory, its fifth consecutive win. Trey Charles lived up to his name by drilling a trio of 3-pointers en route to 24 points for Union. Teammates Nate Meeks and Seth Pinkerton contributed 17 and 13 points, respectively. Chase Henry led all scorers with 27 for Eden Christian (16-6).
Cornell 71, Clairton 66: Cornell outscored the Bears, 12-7, in overtime to secure a 1A quarterfinal win. Cornell (18-6) had four players score in double figures: Desmond Ross with 20, Na-Dhama Luster with 15, Zaier Harrison with 15 and Kaden DiVito with 11. Clairton (16-5) outscored the Raiders, 18-12, in the fourth quarter to force the extra period.