Leah Parker led three players in double figures with 14 points as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart overpowered Riverside, 56-40, Thursday night in a WPIAL Class 3A Section 1 girls basketball game at Cornell High School.
The one-sided win left the Chargers with an overall record of 17-2 and a spotless 12-0 mark in the section. OLSH last week wrapped up its first outright section crown since 2020; the Chargers shared a Class 2A Section 1 title with Neshannock in 2021-2022 and then lost to the Lancers in the WPIAL title game that year.
Riverside is now 12-8 overall and 7-5 in section play.
OLSH took control early, building a 15-5 lead after one quarter, and the Chargers extended that advantage to 34-15 at halftime.
“It was a nice first half for us tonight,” OLSH coach Don Eckerle said afterward. “We built a nice lead with pressure defense.”
In his 22nd season as OLSH coach, Eckerle now has seen his teams win six section titles. He’s had just one losing season – in his first season at the helm.
Riverside cut the deficit to 45-33 heading into the final quarter but never threatened the Chargers.
Lola Garner added 13 points for OLSH and Claudia Ierullo contributed 12.
Ava Cummings scored 15 points to lead Riverside while Emma Meyer drained four 3-pointers for 12 points.
Bishop Canevin 35, West Greene 25
Senior Natalie Kirsch stepped up big with a career-high 14 points on Senior Night and the Crusaders pulled away in the second half to post a Class 1A Section 2 victory over the Pioneers.
Bishop Canevin improved to 10-7 overall and 5-6 in section competition with the win. West Greene fell to 11-7 overall and 5-6 in the section with the loss.
Bishop Canevin had its hands full in the first half and led just 16-14 at halftime. The Crusaders added to their lead by outscoring the Pioneers 10-7 in the third quarter and then iced the win with a 9-4 advantage in the final eight minutes.
Kendra Tharp led West Greene with 14 points.
Ellwood City 74, Sto-Rox 39
Caitlin Kreitzer scored 20 points and the Wolverines came out smoking hot, pouring in 30 first-quarter points on the way to a Class 3A Section win over the Vikings.
Kayla Jones added 15 points and topped the 1,000-point mark in her career for Ellwood City, which improved to 12-7 overall and 8-5 in the section. Sto-Rox, led by Kamiyah Thompson’s 16 points, dropped to 2-10 in conference play and 7-13 overall.
Rae Johnston added 13 points for Sto-Rox, which trailed 30-10 after one quarter and 47-16 at halftime.
Brentwood 40, Carlynton 26
Ashley Milligan and Jocelyn Griffin each scored eight points for the Cougars, but it wasn’t enough as the Spartans broke open a close game in the third quarter to claim a Class 2A Section 2 win.
Neither team found an offensive rhythm in the first half as Brentwood led 9-5 after one quarter and 16-12 at halftime.
But the Spartans outscored Carlynton 15-6 in the third quarter, and that proved to be the difference.
Cydney McClendon added six points for Carlynton, which fell to 8-10 overall and 2-6 in the section. Brentwood improved to 6-10 overall and 4-4 in section play.
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
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