Michael Love stories, Page 120
Freeport girls basketball making postseason push with healthy Shemanski
Sidney Shemanski appreciates the ability to be on the court with her Freeport teammates. She doesn’t take that for granted. Not after injury and illness earlier this season took her away from game action. “You never know when something is going to happen to keep you from playing a game...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Deer Lakes solidifies playoff spot
Deer Lakes took a seven-point lead at halftime of Monday’s Section 3-3A matchup with Steel Valley, but a 20-1 third quarter in favor of the Lancers left no doubt in the 49-32 result. “It was fun to watch and definitely something I was confident they were able to do,” Lancers...
IUP basketball teams No. 5 this week in their respective national rankings
The Indiana University men’s and women’s basketball teams both find themselves in the top five of their respective national Division II polls this week. For the first time since last February, the Crimson Hawks women are ranked in the top five as they are No. 5 in the latest Women’s...
WPIBL regular season winding down to final two weeks
With two weeks left in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League’s regular season, teams and individuals are jockeying for championship-tournament positioning with some still fighting to qualify for the postseason. The WPIBL team championships will be Feb. 12 for the boys at Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum and Feb. 13 for...
Fox Chapel tops Shaler for key victory in WPIAL playoff chase
The Fox Chapel girls basketball team took one step closer to what it hopes is a trip to the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs with a 44-32 home victory over Shaler on Monday. The Foxes came into the game tied with the Titans and Seneca Valley for third place in Section...
Fox Chapel swimmers ready to take run at section title
The Fox Chapel girls swimming and diving team went undefeated in 2016-17 and captured a section championship. The last two years, Franklin Regional brought home the section title. But with performances from a mix of veterans and top-flight freshmen and overall depth up and down the lineup, the Foxes, 9-0...
Apollo-Ridge grad Jake Nulph hits ground running as Edinboro football coach
Jake Nulph hit the ground running when he was named the football coach at Edinboro on Jan. 19. From meeting players and getting settled into his new surroundings to assembling a coaching staff and making contact in the final stages of the recruiting season, the Apollo-Ridge graduate has not had...
Hannah Potter makes surprise comeback for Kiski Area girls basketball
When Hannah Potter suffered a broken wrist in Kiski Area girls basketball’s opener, she and others thought her season would be lost because of the nature of the injury and the recovery time needed. But good news during a doctor visit Thursday gave the Cavaliers senior captain a second chance....
Kiski Area’s Potter returns to lineup after recovery from wrist injury
Hannah Potter is back. The Kiski Area senior guard and team captain returned to the lineup for the Cavaliers girls basketball team Friday after missing 15 games because of a broken wrist suffered in the season opener against Saltsburg on Dec. 6. Potter came off the bench, entering the Section...
Trib HSSN girls swimmer of the week: Upper St. Clair’s Taylor Connors
Longtime followers of swimming at Upper St. Clair and throughout the WPIAL will remember the exploits of freestyler Merel Hommen. The multi-time WPIAL and PIAA champion graduated from USC in 1994, and in addition to her gold medals, she also left the program with a trio of school records —...
Trib HSSN boys swimmer of the week: Montour’s Alex May
Alex May was on a mission Monday as he set out to break the Montour school record in the boys 100-yard breaststroke. The versatile Spartans junior had the established mark of 1 minute, 2.99 seconds in his sights. When he touched the wall against Central Valley and Beaver Falls, he...
Plum’s Kvortek looks forward to WPIAL gymnastics championships
Sarah Kvortek fell in love with gymnastics after being introduced to the sport during a friend’s birthday party at Gymkhana in Plum while in first grade. “It was a lot of fun,” she said. “I loved swinging on the bars and the feeling of just flying through the air.” In...
Freeport girls run win streak to seven, top Burrell to clinch playoff spot
The Freeport girls basketball team hasn’t lost since a Jan. 2 setback at North Catholic. The Yellowjackets ran their winning streak to seven games Thursday with a 61-33 Section 1-4A victory at Burrell and remained on a roll heading into Monday’s rematch with the Trojanettes. “I was pleased with the...
Kiski Area freshmen to square off at WCCA swim meet
Freshmen Parker Sterlitz and Levi Hansen are no strangers to head-to-head competition as the Kiski Area teammates grew up battling each other at various club meets. “Levi and I go way back with racing,” Sterlitz said. “We were up there as the top two most of the time.” Sterlitz and...
Freshmen making impact all over A-K Valley girls basketball scene
From the first game of this season, Nina Shaw was a focal point of the gameplan for the Knoch girls basketball team. The freshman point guard was slowed by a concussion, which cost her a couple of games, but she returned and has helped keep the Knights entrenched in the...
A-K Valley basketball notebook: Plum’s Kennedie Montue eclipses 1,000 points
Kennedie Montue has shown a keen scoring touch the past three seasons for the Plum girls basketball team. This winter, the junior forward is averaging more than 20 points for a Mustangs squad (10-4, 6-1) leading Section 2-5A. In Monday’s 44-37 victory over Franklin Regional, Montue surpassed 1,000 career points....
Knoch rallies from early deficit to take down Indiana in section action
With just three minutes gone in Monday’s Section 1-4A matchup at Knoch, the Indiana girls basketball team held a 10-2 lead and hoped to take control. But the Knights shook off their slow start and made their move. Eleven minutes of game time later, Knoch was in front by 18....
Cheswick Christian girls playing inspired basketballVideo
Veteran experience, team balance and ongoing inspiration from its former coach are just a few things, first-year Cheswick Christian Academy girls basketball coach Jacque Willis said, that have contributed to the team’s strong performance. The Chargers entered the week 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the Southwest Christian Athletic Conference, and...
Gateway girls refocus for 2nd half of section play
After a 14-point loss to Section 2-5A rival Plum on Jan. 13 at Furrie Sports Complex, Gateway girls basketball team members held a players-only meeting to share their thoughts about the game and the overall state of the season heading into the second half of section play. “We just talked...
Apollo-Ridge rolls past Burrell for fourth straight victory
The Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team is about to embark on a crucial stretch of Section 1-4A games with matchups against North Catholic, Indiana, Knoch and Freeport. The Vikings will enter that gauntlet with momentum after Thursday’s 61-42 victory over Burrell, their fourth straight win overall and third consecutive triumph in...
Trib HSSN boys swimmer of the week: Moon’s Nicholas Settembrine
Nicholas Settembrine collected four medals — two individual and two in relays — at last year’s WPIAL Class AAA championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Moon senior has returned as a favorite in his events, including the 100-yard backstroke, and Tigers head coach Jeff Berghoff said Settembrine is on a...
Trib HSSN girls swimmer of the week: Thomas Jefferson’s Hallie Findlan
Thomas Jefferson junior Hallie Findlan owns the top time in the Class AA girls 50-yard freestyle, according to the qualifying lists recently posted at WPIAL.org. She recorded a time of 24.91 seconds in the Jaguars’ Dec. 20 meet against Seton-La Salle. On Tuesday against Baldwin, Findlan swam a time of...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Big game with Butler up next for Fox Chapel
The Fox Chapel girls basketball team opens the second half of Section 1-6A play Thursday at Butler in a game head coach Marty Matvey called crucial for its chances at a WPIAL playoff spot. The Foxes, who suffered a 58-51 loss to the Golden Tornadoes on Dec. 12, are 3-4...
Improving Riverview girls excited to tackle second half of section schedule
With a collection of experienced varsity players returning for this season, Riverview girls basketball coach Keith Stitt voiced an optimistic tone throughout preseason practices and scrimmages. With 14 games now under his team’s belt, he feels that his players are rounding into form and ready to tackle the challenges of...
IUP men’s and women’s basketball teams solidify national rankings
The Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s men’s and women’s basketball teams remain in the top 10 of their respective national Division II polls released Tuesday afternoon. The Crimson Hawks men, coming off Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference victories over Mercyhurst, Slippery Rock and Gannon, moved up two spots to No. 7 in...
