Cougars pull out win late vs. Knoch

Freshman Hupp leads way with 18

It took most of the game for Blackhawk girls hoops to completely whittle away an early nine-point deficit against Knoch in a PIAA Class 4A secondround game Wednesday night at Hampton.

The WPIAL runner-up Cougars (23-4) rallied against the Knights (18-10), securing a 38-35 victory after trailing 12-3 late in the first quarter.

Blackhawk cut the deficit to 21-17 at halftime and chipped away a little more, trailing 3230 after three quarters. A 3pointer by Alena Fusetti with seven minutes left gave the Cougars their first lead, 35-32. Freshman guard Aubree Hupp led Blackhawk with 18 points, making 10 of 11 at the free throw line. Blackhawk senior guard Kassie Potts added 12.

Nina Shaw led Knoch with 13 points. The Knights had a chance to send the game to overtime in the final seconds but missed two 3-point attempts.

More Class 4A North Catholic 51, Harbor Creek 34:

The Trojans (24-3) won impressively against Harbor Creek of District 10 in a contest played at Westminster College. Alayna Rocco netted 15 points. Darcia Lewandowski added 14. North Catholic led 28-19 at halftime.

Class 5A South Fayette 69, Mechanicsburg 29:

The Lions (26-2) continue to steamroll their way through the playoffs, blasting Mechanicsburg of District 3 at Altoona. Ava Leroux led South Fayette with 21 points. Lainey Yater added 12. South Fayette has outscored both PIAA opponents by 40 points. Riding a 20-game winning streak, the Lions closest postseason victory thus far was by 15 points in the WPIAL final against Oakland Catholic.

McKeesport 63, Penn-Trafford 25:

The Tigers (23-5) continued their dominance against the Warriors, routing Penn-Trafford (18-10) at Norwin. Senior guard Malina Boord led McKeesport with 29 points. Boord made nine 3pointers. Rachael Manfredo added 12 points. Lily Palladino led Penn-Trafford with seven points. McKeesport has defeated Penn-Trafford three times this season by an average of 25.6 points.

Erie Cathedral Prep 51, Mars 24:

The District 10 champion Ramblers (23-1) routed the Planets (18-9) at Sharon. Erie Cathedral Prep led 28-6 at halftime.

Oakland Catholic 48, Hollidaysburg 47: The WPIAL runner-up Eagles (24-4) stunned the previously unbeaten Golden Tigers (24-1) of District 6 at Armstrong. Oakland Catholic meets WPIAL Section 3 rival McKeesport in the quarterfinals. The Eagles have beaten McKeesport in the three previous matchups.

Class 1A Union 39, Elk County Catholic 35:

For the second consecutive season, the Scotties (20-6) eliminated the Crusaders (245) of District 5 in the second round at Clarion University. Union came back from a 21-9 deficit early in the third quarter. A 14-4 run to start the fourth quarter gave the Scotties a 3831 lead midway through the final period. Union held on despite missing five of eight free throws in the final 70 seconds. Kylie Fruehstorfer led the Scotties with 13 points. Kelly Cleaver added 12 points.

Berlin Brothersvalley 47, Aquinas Academy 35: Berlin Brothersvelley (22-5) eliminated WPIAL runner-up Aquinas Academy (17-10) at Norwin.