Shady Side loses first of season

South Allegheny wins first of two against Indians

South Allegheny has been the top-ranked team in Class 3A all season, but at no point did the Gladiators have control of Section 3.

Not until now, anyway. Antonio Epps scored a game-high 20 and brother Bryce Epps chipped in 16 as South Allegheny (6-1, 5-0) dealt Shady Side Academy (6-1, 4-1) its first loss of the season, 56-49, Tuesday in the first of their two section meetings.

South Allegheny was coming off its first loss of the season, a 48-46 decision to Class 5A No. 5 Mars.

Other top games

• Robby Jones led three North Allegheny players in double figures with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, as the Class 6A No 2 Tigers (9-2 , 7-0) blew open a game tied after three quarters to take home a 56-48 Section 1 road win against Pine-Richland (5-4, 2-3).

• Thomas Jefferson (10-2, 2-2) has had some tough luck in Class 5A Section 1 action, but Evan Berger and Ethan Dunsey each scored 12 to lead four Jaguars players in double figures. The team was 8 for 8 from the line in overtime in a 68-59 win over Albert Gallatin (6-3, 4-2) despite 18 points from Hunter Sexton.

• Sto-Rox (5-4, 5-1) has not had to come from behind very often this season, but it’s nice to know it can. The Vikings, trailing by four at halftime, but saw Corey Simmons score 19 of his game-high 27 in the second half as the Class 2A No. 3 squad beat No. 5 Section 2 rival Carlynton (7-2, 41), 67-52.

• Freshman Brody McQuiston scored 21 for Shenango (8-6, 2-4), but it wasn’t enough as Jake DiMichele went for 31 and Dante Spadafora 21 for Class 2A

No. 1 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (11-0, 7-0) in a 75-57 Section 1 win.

• Devin Carney scored 15 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter as Butler (5-5, 1-4) won its first Class 6A Section 1 game, 92-83 over Seneca Valley (5-7, 3-4).

•Nate Witkowski netted a game-high 21 points to help McGuffey (4-3, 2-2) come from behind to hand first-place Bentwood (7-2, 5-1) its first Class 3A Section 4 loss, 4342.

Milestone

• New Castle senior Sheldon Cox scored 14, including the 1,000th point of his career in the first quarter, and the Class 5A No 1 Red Hurricanes (11-0, 6-0) beat West Allegheny (5-4, 2-4), 88-55.

Stars of the night

•In a Battle of the Bears, Clairton’s Andre Henderson put up 44 but Winchester Thurston’s Jackson Juzang almost had a triple-double — 36 points, 10 rebounds and 8 steals — in an 87-77 win.