January 19, 2023 3:51 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Greg Elliott scored 23 points and Pittsburgh handed Louisville its eighth straight loss, 75-54. Elliott was 9-of-12 shooting with five 3-pointers, Nike Sibande made four first-half 3-pointers for his 12 points and Jamarius Burton had 10 points and a career-tying 11 assists – his first double-double – for the Panthers. El Ellis scored 19 points with five assists to lead the Cardinals. JJ Traynor added a career-high 14 points. The Panthers average 8.5 3-pointers a game but had 14 on 34 attempts Wednesday. Pitt’s ACC wins matches its conference total from each of the previous three seasons. The Panthers have won seven of their past nine games.
January 18, 2023 10:17 pm
The high school basketball season for boys teams is at the halfway point with most teams having played each section opponent once by now. The top four teams in each section qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, along with any unbreakable ties for qualifying positions. Following is a rundown for each team in the Washington/Greene County area (section records as of Tuesday).
Class 6A Canon-McMillan (0-5) is two games back of the final playoff spot, currently held by Norwin. The Big Macs lost to the Knights by one point, and by two to fifth-place Hempfield the first time through section play. C-M will have to win both of those games the second time through to have a shot at qualifying.
Class 5A Peters Township (4-1) created a three-way tie for first with Bethel Park and Thomas Jefferson. The Indians won at Bethel Tuesday night but lost to Thomas Jefferson in triple overtime right after New Years. Trinity (2-3) currently holds the final playoff spot thanks to comfortable wins over Ringgold (1-4) and Connellsville.
Class 3A Wash High (6-0) leads the seven-team section, beating each team by at least 19 points the first time through. McGuffey (4-2) is tied with Yough for second place. Charleroi (2-4) is one game back of the final spot while Waynesburg (0-6) is three games off the pace.
Class 2A Fort Cherry (6-0) ran the table, the Rangers’ closest margin being a 10-point win over second place Chartiers-Houston (5-1), the Bucs’ only loss. Burgettstown (4-2) and Bentworth (3-3) hold the other playoff positions at the moment, having lost to each team above and beating each team below them in the standings. Carmichaels (2-4) is one game back while Beth-Center (0-6) is three off the pace with six games left.
Class 1A Section 1 Avella (1-4) is one game back of the final playoff spot, currently held by Western Beaver. The Eagles lost to the Golden Beavers, 76-37, in early January.
Class 1A Section 2 Jeff-Morgan (3-2) and Mapletown (2-3) hold the final two playoff spots behind Monessen and Geibel Catholic. West Greene (1-4) and California (0-5) trail the field with five games left.
January 18, 2023 3:46 am
COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) – Brandon Staley will be back for a third season as the Los Angeles Chargers head coach. The same can not be said for some of his offensive staff. The team on Tuesday announced that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach Shane Day have been fired after two years. Criticism about Lombardi’s play-calling increased throughout the season. The Chargers were ranked ninth in total offense, but 20th in scrimmage yards per play along with the third-worst rushing attack in the league.
January 18, 2023 3:43 am
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Rafael Nadal says his hip was injured during a second-round loss at the Australian Open to Mackenzie McDonald. The 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 defeat abruptly ended Nadal’s title defense and bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam trophy. Nadal pulled up awkwardly at the end of a point late in the second set against the 65th-ranked McDonald on Wednesday. The No. 1-seeded Nadal was visited by a trainer on the sideline, then left the court for a medical timeout. Up in the stands, his wife wiped away tears. Nadal returned to play, but was physically compromised and not his usual chase-every-ball self.
January 17, 2023 3:54 pm
The girls high school basketball season is at/near the halfway point with most teams having played each section opponent once by now. The top four teams in each section qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, along with any unbreakable ties for qualifying positions. Following is a rundown for each of the teams in the Washington/Greene County area (section records as of Tuesday).
Class 6A Peters Township (3-3) is in a four-way battle for the final two playoff spots with Chartiers Valley, Bethel Park and Baldwin. Canon-McMillan (0-6) is three games back with six to play.
Class 5A Trinity (4-1) sits one game back of section leader South Fayette after Tuesday’s win at Lincoln Park.
Class 4A Ringgold (2-4) is in fifth place, one game back of Laurel Highlands for the final playoff spot. The Rams lost to the Mustangs, 49-44, Monday night.
Class 3A Waynesburg (4-1) is alone in first place, one game better than a three-team logjam in second. Charleroi, South Park and Yough are all 3-2. McGuffey (2-3) sits one game out of the playoff picture at the halfway point but the Highlanders’ win over Charleroi Monday night keeps them within reach.
Class 2A Section 2 Burgettstown (5-0) leads the way and needs only 1 win or losses by Sto-Rox and Northgate to clinch a playoff berth. Fort Cherry (3-2) is currently in third behind Burgettstown and Brentwood.
Class 2A Section 4 Wash High (6-0) leads this seven-team league by one game, having gone unbeaten the first time through. Chartiers-Houston (5-1), California (4-2) and Carmichaels (3-3) round out the top four, each losing only to the teams ahead of them in the standings. Bentworth (2-4) needs to pull a couple upsets while Beth-Center (0-7) is in danger of being eliminated.
Class 1A West Greene (5-0) leads the league, having now won 70 straight section games. The Pioneers’ last section loss was Feb. 2, 2016 to Jeff-Morgan. Avella (2-3) sits in fourth place, one game better than Mapletown (1-4). Jeff-Morgan (0-5) is two games back of the final playoff spot.
January 17, 2023 3:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jake Guentzel scored 33 seconds into overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins staged a late rally to pull out a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. The Penguins squandered a third-period lead but Bryan Rust tied it with 25 seconds remaining in regulation. Guentzel then won it with his 18th goal of the season as Pittsburgh snapped a two-game slide. John Klingberg and Trevor Zegras scored late in the third period to give the Ducks the lead before Pittsburgh’s push sent the Ducks to a fourth straight loss.
January 17, 2023 3:46 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Dak Prescott outplayed Tom Brady, throwing for four touchdowns and running for another to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 31-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC wild-card playoff game. Prescott completed 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards and played turnover-free ball for the first time in eight games as the Cowboys dominated the listless Bucs in what may turn out to be Brady’s last game in a Tampa Bay uniform. Dallas beat Brady for the first time in the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s career. The Cowboys earned a trip to San Francisco to face the 49ers in the NFC divisional round next Sunday.
January 17, 2023 4:05 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Frank Thomas, a three-time All-Star with his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates who later became the top hitter on the expansion New York Mets, has died at age 93. Both teams announced Thomas’ death. The Mets said he died Monday morning in Pittsburgh. No cause was given. Thomas played 16 seasons in the major leagues from 1951-66, the first eight for Pittsburgh, where he was born. He batted .266 overall with 286 home runs and 962 RBIs, finishing fourth in the 1958 NL MVP race. Thomas batted cleanup for the Mets in their first game in 1962 and led that lovable laughingstock team with 34 homers and 94 RBIs. Nicknamed “The Original,” Thomas was a big hit in uniform at Mets Old-Timers’ Day last summer.
January 16, 2023 3:48 am
CINCINNATI (AP) – Sam Hubbard returned Tyler Huntley’s fumble 98 yards for a tiebreaking touchdown in the fourth quarter, helping Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 in an AFC wild-card game. Facing third-and-goal at the 1 with about 12 minutes left, Huntley tried to go over the top of the line for the go-ahead score. But he was stood up by Germaine Pratt and stripped by fellow linebacker Logan Wilson. The ball went right to Hubbard at the 2, and the defensive end took off down the field for the longest fumble return for a touchdown in NFL postseason history.
January 16, 2023 3:50 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Daniel Jones passed for 301 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 78 yards in his first career playoff game for the New York Giants in a 31-24 victory over Minnesota in the wild-card round. The Vikings took their first loss in a one-score game of the season. Saquon Barkley rushed for two scores including the tiebreaker midway through the fourth quarter. The Giants defense finished off the franchise’s first playoff win since the Super Bowl 11 years ago. The Giants advanced to play at No. 1 seed and division rival Philadelphia.
