Central Catholic starts out fast to defeat No. 4 Pine-Richland
It took a fast start in both halves, but Central Catholic jumped right back into the running for the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs.
Ben Sarson scored 23 points and Anderson Cynkar 17 to lead four Central Catholic (8-6, 2-3) players in double figures as the Vikings stunned No. 4 Pine-Richland (9-4, 3-2), 78-69, on the Rams’ home floor in a key Section 1 matchup.
Joe Petcash hit five 3-pointers as part of his game-high 25 for Pine-Richland, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Central Catholic’s quick start. The Vikings opened up a 1910 lead after the first quarter and held on at the end.
Other top games
• In what could be a preview of the City League championship game, Rob Jones scored 17 and Tony Henderson 16 to help defending champion Allderdice (10-2, 40) cruise to a 54-48 win against Obama Academy (6-5, 3-1).
• Tommy DiRienzo and Ryan Meis continued their season-long barrage as DiRienzo scored 17 of his 30 in the first half and Meis hit three 3-pointers as part of his 28 to lead Bethel Park (8-6, 3-2) to an 83-57 Class 6A Section 2 win against Baldwin (5-8, 0-5).
• Zach Rocco hit five of Penn-Trafford’s 10 3-pointers and finished with 27 points as the Warriors (9-4, 3-2) stayed on Fox Chapel’s heels in Class 6A Section 3 with a 64-38 win against rival Norwin (9-4, 1-4).
• South Allegheny (12-1, 60) won its only section title in 1997, but the Gladiators have a two-game lead at the turn in Class 3A Section 3 after Omar Faulkner had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in the team’s 57-43 win against third place East Allegheny (8-5, 3-3).
• Serra Catholic (7-6, 5-1) had an opportunity to take a one-game lead into the second half of its Class 2A Section 2 slate, but Jeannette had other ideas as Anton Good went for a game-high 24 and Jackson Pruitt had 16 to lead the Jayhawks (8-6, 51) into a three-way tie for first with Brentwood (10-2, 5-1) after a 75-47 win against the Eagles.
Stars of the night
• Freshman guard Vinnie Cugini did all he could to keep Aquinas Academy (4-9, 2-4) in it against Class 1A No. 4 Imani Christian (9-4, 60) as he scored more than half his team’s total with 48 points in a 95-82 loss to the Saints.
• Junior guard Demitri Fritch had a double-double with a game-high 33 points and 14 rebounds to lead Class 2A No. 2 Springdale (13-1, 7-0) to a 60-49 win against Riverview (6-8, 2-5).