North Allegheny and Norwin advance to Class 6A semifinals

North Allegheny warmed up for the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals the same way it did last season, by beating Baldwin in the quarterfinals.

Paige Morningstar led the host Tigers Saturday with 14 points, connecting on four 3pointers, in a 54-39 win.

North Allegheny (22-1), the defending WPIAL champions, cranked up the defensive pressure in the second quarter and that helped the offense get going. The Tigers outscored the Highlanders, 19-7, to build their halftime lead to 35-15.

Jasmine Timmerson added 13 points for North Allegheny, 12 of them coming in the first half, and Lizzy Groetsch had 11.

The Highlanders (9-8) cut the gap to 47-32 in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as they could get.

More Class 6A

Norwin 53, Butler 33: The big difference was the first and third quarters when host Norwin doubled Butler’s point total each time. The Knights held a 16-8 edge in the first quarter and 18-9 in the third.

Lauren Palangio’s 17-point effort sparked Norwin (13-4). Mara Polczynski and Brianna Zajicek added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Sarayne Forbes paced Butler (10-9) with 12 points.

Class 3A

North Catholic 69, Freedom 49: Alayna Rocco poured in 30 points and the host Trojanettes (17-2) had no trouble with the Bulldogs (6-7). Dacia Lewandowski and Ava Walker each chipped in 13 points for North Catholic.

Mohawk 71, Keystone Oaks 49: The host Warriors pounced early, racing to leads of 20-7 after the first quarter and 42-18 at halftime. Paige Julian scored 25 points to lead Mohawk, followed by Hannah McDanel with 18 and Nadia Lape with 11. The Golden Eagles (11-8) got 24 points from Erionna Neal and 12 from Lexi Wagner. Mohawk (15-4) lost its final two games of the regular season but has won its two playoff games handily.

Laurel 50, South Park 35: The host Spartans advanced to the semifinals for the third consecutive season. Regan Atkins netted 19 points and

Danielle Pontius added 10 more. Reese Bintrim controlled the boards as she pulled down 15 rebounds. The Spartans (18-2) were particularly strong in the second and third quarters when they outscored the Eagles, 30-13, to take control of the game. The win was their ninth in a row and forces a matchup in the next round against defending champion North Catholic. The Trojanettes defeated the Spartans in last season’s WPIAL final. Maya Wertelet led South Park (11-3) with 11 points.

Beaver Falls 39,

Waynesburg 37: The visiting Tigers were shut out in the first quarter before storming back to force overtime and secure a victory. Macyla Collins scored 14 points, including 3 for 3 from the free- throw line, to lead Beaver Falls (7-13). Collins may have been perfect from the charity stripe, but the team went 9 of 23 combined. The Tigers have won two in a row in the postseason after losing seven of their final nine to close out the regular season. Clara Paige Miller led Waynesburg (13-6) for 14 points.