Robert Morris Falls To Detroit

February 20, 2021 3:58 am

DETROIT (AP) – Antoine Davis had 26 points as Detroit Mercy topped Robert Morris 85-74. Davis made all 10 of his free throws. He added eight assists. Noah Waterman had 19 points for Detroit Mercy (10-9, 9-6 Horizon League), which earned its fifth consecutive home victory. Bul Kuol added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Chris Brandon had 14 points. Charles Bain had 19 points for the Colonials (4-13, 3-11). Cameron Wilbon added 15 points and six rebounds, and Jon Williams had 14 points.

Jarry Strong As Pens Beat Islanders

February 19, 2021 3:54 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sidney Crosby picked up his sixth goal of the season, Tristan Jarry stopped 31 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the New York Islanders 4-1. Teddy Blueger, Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust also scored for the Penguins. Pittsburgh collected just its third regulation victory of the season to bounce back from a dismal loss to Washington. Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves for the Islanders and Brock Nelson scored late to help the Islanders avoid being shut out but New York’s three-game winning streak came to a halt.

#4 Ohio State Tops Penn State

February 19, 2021 3:56 am

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – E.J. Liddell scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half and No. 4 Ohio State outlasted Penn State 92-82. Duane Washington scored 21 points and C.J. Walker added 13 for the Buckeyes, who used a 15-0 run midway through the second half to take control and win their seventh straight. Myreon Jones led Penn State with 18 points. Izaiah Brockington and Seth Lundy each scored 12 points and Jamari Wheeler added 11 for the Nittany Lions, who lost their third straight.

NFL; Eagles Send Carson Wentz To Colts

February 19, 2021 3:57 am

UNDATED (AP) – Jared Goff and Carson Wentz went 1-2 in the 2016 NFL Draft. Less than five years later, the quarterbacks have gone 1-2 in the NFL trade market.  A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to trade Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional second-round selection next year. The 2022 draft pick can turn into a first-round pick if Wentz plays 75% of the snaps this year or 70% and the Colts make the playoffs.  Wentz is coming off the worst season of his five-year career and was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts after 12 games. He was 11-2 with the 2017 Eagles before a knee injury ended his season and Philadelphia went on to win its only Super Bowl title.  Wentz is an ideal fit to succeed Philip Rivers, who retired after leading the Colts to the playoffs in his only season in Indianapolis.

Basketball Declarations Due Thursday

February 18, 2021 2:12 am

At the start of this basketball season, the WPIAL announced it would host an open basketball tournament, allowing every team to participate.  This was an effort to mitigate COVID-19 impacts of unbalanced schedules and game cancellations. Member schools have to notify the League by 3 pm on Thursday if they are planning to participate. Over the weekend, WJPA surveyed Washington County athletic directors.  Today, Ringgold joined 11 other schools in the county, deciding to enter the boys and girls playoffs. The Bentworth boys and girls teams along with the Beth-Center girls have opted out of the League’s first open tournament since 1984. Beth-Center previously said that neither of its teams would advance but decided to enter the boys tournament. Playoff brackets will be assembled by the League and announced Tuesday evening with the first round starting as early as Feb. 27.

Colbert; Work To Be Done To Bring Back Roethlisberger

February 18, 2021 3:54 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert says there’s work to be done if the team wants to bring back quarterback Ben Roethlisberger next season. Roethlisberger and the team have talked about reducing the veteran’s NFL-high $41 million salary-cap hit. Colbert pointed to a lowering of the salary cap and a roster in transition as significant obstacles to navigate if Roethlisberger wants to play an 18th season in Pittsburgh.

Anderson Embracing Young Pirates

February 18, 2021 3:56 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Left-hander Tyler Anderson is embracing a fresh start in Pittsburgh. Anderson finalized a one-year deal with the Pirates worth $2.5 million. The 31-year-old Anderson is coming off a solid season in San Francisco. Anderson went 4-3 with a 4.37 ERA with the Giants. Anderson joins a very young pitching staff in Pittsburgh. He says he’s fine with being the group’s elder statesman and believes the Pirates have talent to be competitive in 2021.

Wrestling Shifts to Individuals

February 17, 2021 2:35 am

The PIAA Individual Wrestling Championship Series began Tuesday, the first step on a difficult road to the PIAA Finals Mar. 12-13 at the Giant Center in Hershey. COVID-19 protocols have the PIAA & WPIAL limiting participation to no more than eight wrestlers per weight at a single location. That has forced the addition of several steps in qualifying as well as fewer wrestlers advancing to the next level. WPIAL wrestlers will begin with Sub-Section tournaments (AA Tuesday, AAA Wednesday/Thursday). Only the top two in each Sub-Section advance to Section tournaments this weekend. From there, only the top two move on to WPIAL Championships. The PIAA has also added Super Regional (East & West) tournaments in both classes, each including just eight wrestlers with the top four advancing to Hershey. Follow all of our coverage of the PIAA Individual Wrestling Championship Series from Sub-Section to PIAA Finals.  Click Here!

Wednesday, Feb. 17
WPIAL AAA Sub-Section Wrestling
4:50 pm Sub-Section 4A on WJPA-AM (1450) — Listen Here!
Chartiers Valley, South Fayette, Trinity, Waynesburg at Canon-McMillan

WPIAL AA Sub-Sections were held Tuesday night. Burgettstown dominated Sub-Section 1A, taking first place in 12 weights while advancing all 13 wrestlers to the Section tourney Friday. Chartiers-Houston qualified four wrestlers for the next step, Wash High three. In Sub-Section 1B, Beth-Center took the top spot in five weights with a sixth qualifier advancing to Friday’s action. McGuffey has five qualifiers, Jeff-Morgan four, Bentworth and West Greene three apiece.

Pens Fall To Capitals

February 17, 2021 3:54 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Conor Sheary and Jakub Vrana scored in the second period, and the Washington Capitals stopped a four-game slide by topping the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1. Lars Eller also scored for Washington, and Vitek Vanecek stopped 26 shots in his 11th straight start. Pittsburgh won its first five games at home, including three against the Capitals. Zach Aston-Reese set a career high with his third goal in as many games, and Tristan Jarry made 39 saves for the Penguins.

Pirates’ Shelton Focused On Improvement

February 17, 2021 3:51 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton says he’s worried about his team improving and not the predictions of a bumpy 2021 for the Pirates. Pittsburgh finished with the worst record in the majors during the truncated 2020 season. The team spent most of the offseason flipping established veterans like first baseman Josh Bell for young prospects. Shelton says he and general manager Ben Cherington are in “alignment” when it comes to the club’s blueprint for success and he is confident the Pirates will become winners at some point down the road.  Meanwhile, the Pirates are closing in on a one-year deal with left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson. The deal, which won’t be complete until Anderson passes a physical, is worth $2.5 million. The 31-year-old Anderson went 4-3 with a 4.37 ERA last season while pitching for San Francisco. Anderson, who spent the first four years of his career with Colorado, is 22-27 with a 4.65 ERA in 86 games (82 starts) with the Rockies and the Giants.