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Boys' Basketball Game Summaries

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2023-2024 Game Summaries

NA Falls At Baldwin in WPIAL Quarterfinals, 55-49

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Facing a Baldwin boys’ basketball team that was hosting its first ever WPIAL playoff game in program history, the North Allegheny Tigers fell in the quarterfinal round of the Class 6A playoffs on Friday night, 55-49. For the Fighting Highlanders, the victory was its first playoff win since 2003.

The contest was a rematch of the 2022 WPIAL quarterfinals when NA defeated Baldwin on its home floor, 71-59, at UPMC Court. In the first half, it looked like history might repeat itself as the Tigers built a 23-17 lead by the late stages of the first half. Leading the way in the early going was senior Ty Iwanonkiw, who netted 11 of his 13 points over the first 16 minutes of play. Senior forward Joey Dopirak added six point of his nine points in the first half.

Baldwin, however, ended the second quarter on a 6-0 run and tied the game at 23-23 going into halftime. The Fighting Highlanders sparked the run with an opportunistic defense that turned turnovers into points. It was more of the same in the second half as Baldwin capitalized on NA miscues and constructed a nine point point, 40-31, late in the third quarter. The Fighting Highlanders were paced by junior guard Nate Wesling and his team-high 19 points.

Despite the deficit, the Tigers clawed back to within three points two different times in the second half, including 43-40 early in the fourth period. Senior guard Anthony Sciote was the catalyst with a game-high 20 points, including four 3-pointers. Scoring all 20 of his points after halftime, Sciote was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

While Sciote’s spirited play sparked the Tigers, it ultimately wasn’t enough as Baldwin hit critical free throws down the stretch to claim a 55-49 victory.

The loss ends North Allegheny’s season with an 11-12 overall record. Baldwin improves to 17-6 and advances to the WPIAL semifinals. Congratulations to head coach Dave DeGregorio and the entire North Allegheny boys’ basketball team for a return trip to the playoffs and another tremendous season.

Boys Basketball vs. Baldwin, 2-23-24

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
North Allegheny149111549
Baldwin1112171555

Tigers Soar Past Black Hawks On Strength Of Big 4th Quarter

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The North Allegheny boys’ basketball team wrapped up the regular season on Monday night with a 71-60 victory over Bethel Park in a non-section contest at UMPC Court. The Tigers used a big fourth quarter and took advantage of two technical fouls by the Black Hawks to claim the win.

In a back-and-forth game for over three quarters, the tide turned in the final stanza when Bethel Park was called for its second technical foul of the night with 3:54 left in the game and NA trailing, 54-53. After senior Ty Iwanonkiw converted both free throws and senior Joey Dopirak followed with a layup, North Allegheny surged ahead 57-54 and never trailed again.

Bethel Park’s press had given North Allegheny trouble early in the game but in the fourth quarter the Tigers breezed by the Black Hawks pressure for several easy baskets down the stretch. Ending the game on an 18-6 run, North Allegheny pulled away for the 11-point victory.

Iwanonkiw led the way with a 28-point performance and was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game. Dopirak netted 21 points and senior Paul Rubish touched double figures with 10.

For Bethel Park, senior guard Nick Brown led with 17 points, junior Tanner Pfeuffer tallied 11 points and senior Shawn Davis chipped in with 10.

North Allegheny improves to 11-11 overall following the non-section win, while Bethel Park falls to 11-11. The Tigers received the No. 5 seed for the upcoming WPIAL Class 6A playoffs and will visit fourth-seeded Baldwin on Friday, Feb. 23. The game will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network. For a look at the entire WPIAL Class 6A bracket, click here.

Boys Basketball vs. Bethel Park, 2-12-24

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
Bethel Park1215201360
North Allegheny1216182571

NA Drops Heartbreaker to Central Catholic, 58-57

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In a battle for the Section 1-6A title, sophomore Enzo Khalil’s basket-and-one with 0.7 seconds remaining lifted Central Catholic to a narrow 58-57 win over North Allegheny on Friday night at UMPC Court. The Vikings trailed for the vast majority of the contest and didn’t lead in the second half until Khalil’s game-winning basket and free throw in the waning seconds of the game.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair that saw the visiting Vikings grab a 9-8 lead before the Tigers ended the period on a 10-2 run to take an 18-14 advantage. North Allegheny’s height advantage posed problems for PCC as the duo of seniors Joey Dopirak and Ty Iwanonkiw combined for 19 points in the first half, helping the Tigers build a 31-25 lead by halftime.

NA led by as much as eight points in the first half, but in the second half, Central Catholic ramped up the defense and found a bit more offensive success thanks in part to junior big man Bradley Gompers. Gompers finished with 17 points on the night, while senior guard Peyton Wehner netted 13 points to help lead the Vikings comeback bid.

With NA leading 55-52 in the final minute of the game, junior guard Xxavier Thomas knocked down a corner 3-pointer to tie the game at 55-55 with 25 seconds remaining. North Allegheny regained the lead, 57-55, thanks to a pair of clutch free throws from senior guard Anthony Sciote with eight seconds left to play. However, Khalil’s heroics in final seconds propelled Central Catholic to a stunning win, 58-57.

Dopirak led the Tigers with 24 points and converted 10-of-13 shots from the free-throw line to take home Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors. Sciote finished with 15 points, going 5-for-6 at the charity stripe, while Iwanonkiw chipped in with 11 points.

North Allegheny dips to 10-11 overall and finishes section play with a 7-3 mark. Central Catholic improves to 13-8 overall and wins the Section 1-6A title with an 8-2 record. The Tigers will host Bethel Park on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. for a final tune-up game ahead of the WPIAL playoffs. The game will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Basketball vs. Central Catholic, 2-9-24

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
Central Catholic1411161758
North Allegheny1813121457

Tigers Roll Raiders For Section Win, 73-52

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The North Allegheny boys’ basketball team won its fourth consecutive game on Tuesday night with a 73-52 triumph at Seneca Valley in Section 1-6A action. The victory keeps the Tigers in a tie for first place with Central Catholic, setting the stage for a de facto section championship game on Friday night.

North Allegheny jumped out to a 33-22 lead by halftime and steamrolled Seneca Valley in the second half. Senior guard Ty Iwanonkiw led the way for the Tigers with a 24-point performance, while senior forward Joey Dopirak dominated the paint with 19 points on the inside. Junior guard Carter Melzer also touched double figures with a 12-point effort and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.

Seneca Valley was paced by Tyler Peppin with 14 points and Kai West chipped in with 11 points for the Raiders.

With the win, North Allegheny evens its overall record at 10-10 on the season and leaps to 7-2 in Section 1-6A. Seneca Valley dips to 6-15 overall and 2-7 in section play. The Tigers will host Central Catholic on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. in a showdown for the section title. The game will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Boys Basketball vs. Seneca Valley, 2-6-24

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
Seneca Valley1012151552
North Allegheny1419172373

NA Rallies From 15 Down to Beat Butler, Dave DeGregorio Earns 500th Win

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North Allegheny boys’ basketball team rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to beat the Butler Golden Tornado on Friday night, 70-63. Before a raucous crowd at UPMC Court, the thrilling NA comeback marked the 500th career win for head coach Dave DeGregorio and propelled the Tigers into a first-place tie with the Central Catholic Vikings.

In a hot-shooting first half for both teams, North Allegheny and Butler matched each other blow for blow and were tied 35-35 when senior Anthony Sciote buried a 3-pointer with 1:30 remaining in the second quarter. However, the Tornado stormed back with three consecutive 3-pointers for a 9-0 run to end the half. Senior Ayden Davis, who poured in five treys in the half, banked in a last second 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Butler to a 44-35 lead at intermission. Davis netted 17 points in the first half but didn’t score again for the rest of the night.

The Golden Tornado stretched their lead to 15 points at 53-38 near the midway point of the third quarter. With an incredible shooting performance in the first half, Butler buried 11 3-pointers. However, in the second half the GT’s only made two as the NA defense clamped down.

With the Tornado held at bay, senior Ty Iwanonkiw sparked the Tigers’ comeback with 10 points in the third quarter and finished 17 points. For his efforts in leading and sparking the second-half rally, Iwanonkiw was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

Thanks in part to the efforts of Iwanonkiw, North Allegheny trimmed the deficit to 57-50 after three quarters of play. The surge continued in the fourth quarter and the Tigers finally gained the lead in the game when senior Joey Dopirak‘s short-range hook shot found the bottom the net and gave NA a 61-60 lead with 2:31 left to play. Thanks to clutch free-throw shooting by Dorpirak and Sciote, the Tigers grew the lead and put the game away as NA prevailed, 70-63.

Dopirak was 8-for-9 on free throws and converted 7-for-8 in the final stanza, while Sciote went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe. Butler was only 5-for-11 on the free throws. Dopirak finished with 17 points and Sciote netted 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Additionally, seniors Joe Marquis and Ben Lukitcsh also connected on critical shots from beyond the arc in the second half.

With the win, North Allegheny improves 9-10 overall and 6-2 in Section 1-6A. Butler slips to 14-4 overall and 5-3 in the section. Thanks to a Central Catholic loss to New Castle, the Tigers pull into a tie for first place with two section games remaining on the season. North Allegheny will next visit Seneca Valley on Tuesday.

Boys Basketball vs. Butler, 2-2-24

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
Butler232113763
North Allegheny2015152070