NA (27-0) eliminates Altoona

Morningstar leads way to 55-50 win

After losing one of its top players to a knee injury, North Allegheny has not missed a step.

The Tigers remained undefeated Tuesday night by defeating Altoona, 55-50, in the second round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs at Hempfield.

Piper Morningstar converted four 3-pointers and finished with 21 points for the Tigers (27-0). Madelyn Fischer contributed a doubledouble of 17 points and 12 rebounds.

North Allegheny lost junior guard Rachel Martindale, a Division I talent, to a seasonending knee injury in the WPIAL championship.

Altoona finished with a record of 21-4, with three losses against North Allegheny. The Tigers were a thorn in the Mountain Lions’ side all season, defeating them in the season-opening North Allegheny tournament and also traveling to Altoona for a midseason, non-section triumph.

The quarterfinals will feature a WPIAL matchup of North Allegheny and Bethel Park. It will be a rematch of a Jan. 27 non-section regularseason clash won by the Tigers, 57-43.

More Class 6A

Bethel Park 53, State College 35: Four players reached double figures in points for the Blackhawks in a rout at Central Cambria. Maria Cerro had 14, Kamryn Lach 12, Olivia Westphal 11 and Madelyn Dziezgowski 10 for Bethel Park (19-6). The Blackhawks sank 20 of 24 free-throw attempts, including 14 of 16 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Bethel Park has won eight of its past nine games.

Class 3A

East Allegheny 60, Brookville 34: The Wildcats (26-1) used a 21-7 run to pull away at Armstrong. Amani Johnson led the charge with a game-high 34 points. She poured in 22 by halftime and connected on 10 of 12

Girls roundup

free throws. Abby Henderson chipped in 12 for the victors. Brookville got 14 points from Marcy Schindler.

Mohawk 46, Laurel 31: For the third time this season, Mohawk (21-5) defeated its Section 1 rival. Caitlin Carnuche scored 13 points and Megan Meyer added 10 for the Warriors. Mohawk connected on six 3-pointers in the game at Aliquippa. Caroline Gibson scored nine points to lead Laurel (14-12), which was outscored, 12-0, in the first quarter.

Bishop Canevin 46, Everett 39: A game-high 19 points from Bri Allen and 12 more from Shamyjha Price helped the Crusaders (22-4) escape with a win at Central Cambria. Everett came within a point of Bishop Canevin in the third quarter. In the fourth, Everett sat back in a 2-3 zone defense while Bishop Canevin held the ball for five minutes.

Class 2A

Penns Manor 63, Brentwood 45: A four-point first quarter was too much for the Spartans to overcome, as they stumbled and could not catch up at Hempfield. Natalie Murrio netted 16 points and Morgan Dryburgh added 13 for Brentwood (18-8).

Chartiers-Houston 64, Bishop McCort 51: The Buccaneers (21-6) fell behind early, but connected on 16 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter to pick up a win at Plum. Alexa Williamson followed up her 51-point first-round performance with a doubledouble of 29 points and 10 rebounds. Madison Simpson added 18 for the victors.

Blairsville 41, Vincentian 36: The Royals had three players foul out in the fourth quarter of a loss at Armstrong. Caroline Elliott, one of the players who fouled out, led the Royals with 10 points. Vincentian (24-2) saw its 23-game winning streak come to an end. The Royals had not lost since their second game of the season, a 54-39 setback against Philadelphia West Catholic.