Pitt Holds Off N.C State

February 8, 2024 4:34 am

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jaland Lowe scored 20 points, Blake Hinson added 16 and Pittsburgh held off North Carolina State for a 67-64 victory, Ishmael Leggett’s layup gave Pitt a 62-60 lead with 3:40 left and the Panthers led the rest of the way. A pair of Lowe free throws capped the scoring with five seconds to play. The Panthers forced Ben Middlebrooks to the free-throw line to end it. Carlton Carrington added 12 points for Pitt (15-8, 6-6 ACC), which has won three straight and five of its last six games. DJ Horne made five 3s and scored 25 points to lead N.C. State (15-8, 7-5).

HS Basketball–Feb. 7

February 7, 2024 10:21 pm

Burgettstown stayed atop 2A Section 2 with a home win over Sto-Rox. Bentworth swept a non-conference girls / boys doubleheader with Mapletown.

Wednesday–Girls Basketball
2A-2 Burgettstown 71, Sto-Rox 26
N/C Bentworth 62, Mapletown 41
N/C Hundred WV 40, Jeff-Morgan 36

Wednesday–Boys Basketball
N/C Bentworth 73, Mapletown 57

Boys Basketball Playoff Picture–Feb. 7

February 7, 2024 1:21 pm

The top four boys basketball teams in each section qualify for the playoffs. Ties for qualifying spots are broken by head-to-head results among the teams. If a tied cannot be broken, all teams involved qualify. Most teams have one section game left on the schedule. At this point, there are 11 Washington/Greene County boys teams that have clinched playoff berths. One other is still alive heading into Friday’s finale while six are officially eliminated. Here’s a rundown for all 19 Washington/Greene County boys teams (section records in parentheses):

6A Section 2
Canon-McMillan (4-5) will finish fourth in the section and has qualified.

5A Section 4
Peters Township (7-2) and Trinity (3-6) have both qualified, Peters as the second place team, Trinity fourth. Ringgold (1-8) has been eliminated.

3A Section 4
Wash High (10-1) and McGuffey (4-7) have earned playoff spots. The Little Prexies clinch at least a share of the section title with a win Friday at Mt. Pleasant or with any Yough loss. The Highlanders will finish fourth. Charleroi (3-8) and Waynesburg (2-9) have been eliminated.

2A Section 4
Fort Cherry (10-1), Burgettstown (9-2) and Chartiers-Houston (8-3) have all clinched playoff spots. Fort Cherry wins the section outright with a Friday win at Burgettstown. The Blue Devils claim a share of the championship with a win. Beth-Center (4-7) hosts Frazier (5-6) with the winner taking the final playoff berth. The loser is eliminated. Bentworth (2-10) and Carmichaels (1-10) have already been eliminated.

1A Section 1
Avella (4-5) has a playoff berth in hand but has lost three straight heading into Friday’s final vs. Union.

1A Section 2
West Greene (7-2), California (6-3) and Jeff-Morgan (4-5) are all in. Mapletown (1-8) has been eliminated.

Girls Basketball Playoff Picture–Feb. 7

February 7, 2024 10:01 am

The top four girls basketball teams in each section qualify for the playoffs. Ties for qualifying spots are broken by head-to-head results among the teams. If a tied cannot be broken, all teams involved qualify. Most teams have one section game left on the schedule. At this point, a dozen Washington/Greene County girls teams have playoff berths in hand while the other seven are officially eliminated. Here’s a rundown for all 19 Washington/Greene County girls teams (section records in parentheses):

6A Section 2
Peters Township (11-0) is also unbeaten overall, winning 20 straight to start the season. The Indians have clinched the section title. Canon-McMillan (3-8) has been eliminated.

5A Section 4
Trinity (7-2) has clinched a playoff spot and sits one game back of section leader Lincoln Park. The two play at Lincoln Park Thursday.

4A Section 3
Ringgold (0-11) has been eliminated

3A Section 4
Waynesburg (8-1) shares the section lead with South Park. Both have clinched playoff spots.  McGuffey (3-6) has clinched a spot despite four straight section losses. Charleroi (1-8) has been eliminated.

2A Section 2
Burgettstown (7-1) and Fort Cherry (8-1) have both clinched and currently share the section lead. Both teams have games with winless Sto-Rox. Burgettstown plays at Carlynton Thursday.

2A Section 4
Chartiers-Houston (10-1) and Wash High (10-1) have clinched playoff spots. The Bucs visit Carmichaels (3-8) while the Little Prexies travel to playoff-bound Beth-Center (7-4) to close the season. California (6-5) has also clinched and hosts Frazier, who has been eliminated along with Carmichaels & Bentworth (1-11).

1A Section 2
West Greene (5-2) is third and heading for the playoffs. Mapletown (3-6) has clinched.  Jeff-Morgan (1-8) and Avella (2-7) have been eliminated.

HS Sports–Feb. 6

February 6, 2024 1:01 am

Boys teams dominated the action Tuesday as we sprint toward the finish of the high school basketball regular season. Just a couple impact games are on the schedule while most teams are either tuning up for the playoffs or playing out the string. McGuffey lost at first-place Yough but clinched a playoff berth when Waynesburg lost to Mt. Pleasant. In 2A Section 4, Fort Cherry rebounded from their first section loss. Burgettstown sits a game back heading into Friday’s home showdown with the Rangers. Beth-Center topped Bentworth, setting up Friday’s winner in/loser out home game vs. Frazier. Avella has clinched but lost three straight heading into Friday’s finale against Union. Ringgold beat Connellsville, the Rams first section win this year.

On the girls side, top-ranked Peters Township rolled to a 20th straight win, opening a four-game lead heading toward the playoffs.

Tuesday–Girls Basketball
6A-2 Peters Township 52, Chartiers Valley 33
1A-2 West Greene 45, Jeff-Morgan 32

Tuesday–Boys Basketball
6A-2 Upper St. Clair 67, Canon-McMillan 44
5A-1 Peters Township 76, Trinity 39
5A-1 Ringgold 55, Connellsville 47
3A-4 Yough 40, McGuffey 38
3A-4 Charleroi 62, Brownsville 46
3A-4 Mt. Pleasant 53, Waynesburg 54
2A-4 Burgettstown 72, Frazier 44
2A-4 Fort Cherry 75, Carmichaels 32
2A-4 Beth-Center 66, Bentworth 57
1A-1 Carlynton 55, Avella 35
1A-2 California 72, Geibel 46
1A-2 Monessen 59, Mapletown 48
1A-2 West Greene 38, Jeff-Morgan 30
N/C Serra Catholic 65, Chartiers-Houston 53

Playoff status–Girls (12 in, 7 eliminated)
IN: 6A Peters Township, 5A Trinity, 3A Waynesburg, McGuffey, 2A Burgettstown, Fort Cherry, Chartiers-Houston, Wash High, Beth-Center, California, 1A West Greene, Mapletown. ELIMINATED: Avella, Bentworth, Canon-McMillan, Carmichaels, Charleroi, Jeff-Morgan, Ringgold.

Playoff status–Boys (12 in, 1 alive, 6 eliminated)
IN
: 6A Canon-McMillan, 5A Peters Township, Trinity, 3A Wash High, McGuffey, 2A Fort Cherry, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, 1A Avella, West Greene, California, Jeff-Morgan. Still Alive: 2A Beth-Center. ELIMINATED: Bentworth, Carmichaels, Charleroi, Mapletown, Ringgold, Waynesburg.

Jarry Gets NHL-Best 6th Shutout In Win Over Jets

February 7, 2024 4:36 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tristan Jarry stopped 24 shots in his NHL-leading sixth shutout this season and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the slumping Winnipeg Jets 3-0. Bryan Rust, Jeff Carter and Kris Letang scored. Jarry improved to 5-0 against Winnipeg, with two of his 19 career shutouts. Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves for the Jets, who lost their fourth straight game after winning 10 of 11. Rust scored his 12th goal and Carter his sixth, both on the power play, as the Penguins scored multiple goals with the man advantage for the first time since Dec. 18. Letang scored his fourth goal and became the 21st defenseman in NHL history to reach 30 points 14 times.

Chiefs Are Super Bowl Underdogs Against 49ers

February 7, 2024 4:37 am

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Chiefs are underdogs heading into the Super Bowl against San Francisco, a situation they have rarely experienced in the six years that Patrick Mahomes has been their starting quarterback. But it turns out they kind of like it. They no longer have to manufacture a chip on their shoulder, instead relishing the opportunity to prove naysayers wrong. That was the case when they beat Buffalo in the divisional round, and again when they beat Baltimore in the AFC title game. On Sunday in Las Vegas, they will try to become the sixth team since 2000 to win the Super Bowl as underdogs in their last three games.

ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery Planning Sports Streaming Platform

February 7, 2024 4:39 am

ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans on Tuesday to launch a sports streaming platform in the fall that will include offerings from at least 15 networks and all four major professional sports leagues. A one-stop app to view most sports should be a welcome sight for fans, who continue to navigate rising costs by subscribing to multiple services. The three companies will each share one-third ownership in the joint venture. A name for the service and pricing will be announced at a later date.

HS Sports–Feb. 5

February 5, 2024 12:01 am

The final week of the WPIAL basketball regular season opened Monday night with several important girls games. Canon-McMillan’s struggles continued as the Big Macs lost their sixth straight and were officially eliminated from the 6A playoff chase.. Trinity knocked off South Fayette, preserving the Hillers’ shot at a share of the section title. In 3A, Waynesburg lost at home to South Park. The two now share to top spot in Section 4. Charleroi’s loss to Brownsville eliminated the Cougars. Burgettstown and Fort Cherry are tied atop 2A Section 2 and play the bottom teams to close their schedules. Chartiers-Houston and Wash High are tied for the 2A Section 4 lead, both with road games to close the season Thursday. Avella lost to Geibel, eliminating the Eagles and clinching a spot for Mapletown.

Monday–Girls Basketball
6A-2 Upper St. Clair 56, Canon-McMillan 48
5A-4 Trinity 52, South Fayette 46
4A-3 Southmoreland 45, Ringgold 42
3A-4 South Park 53, Waynesburg 46
3A-4 Brownsville 68, Charleroi 45
3A-4 Yough 27, McGuffey 26
2A-2 Burgettstown 51, Brentwood 20
2A-2 Fort Cherry 54, Northgate 17
2A-4 Wash High 60, California 36
2A-4 Beth-Center 37, Bentworth 16
2A-4 Carmichaels at Frazier
1A-2 Geibel 63, Avella 36
1A-2 Monessen 60, Mapletown 29

Playoff berths clinched
Girls: 6A Peters Township, 5A Trinity, 3A Waynesburg, McGuffey, 2A Burgettstown, Fort Cherry, Chartiers-Houston, Wash High, Beth-Center, California, 1A West Greene, Mapletown. Still Alive: 1A Jeff-Morgan

Boys: 6A Canon-McMillan, 5A Peters Township, Trinity, 3A Wash High, 2A Fort Cherry, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, 1A Avella, West Greene, California, Jeff-Morgan. Still Alive: 3A McGuffey, Waynesburg, 2A Beth-Center.

Eagles Will Host NFL’s First Regular Season Game In Brazil

February 6, 2024 4:38 am

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles will be the host team for the NFL’s first regular-season game in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6. Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the game during his news conference at the Super Bowl site in Las Vegas on Monday. It will be the first Friday game on the NFL’s opening weekend in 54 years. The Eagles will play in Sao Paulo against an opponent to be named. The game will be played at Corinthians Arena, which was used in both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. It will be one of five international games in 2024.