Boys Hoops - Hempfield Tournament

December 06, 2019

120619-Boys Hoops-FR vs McKeesport-6740

Local Boys Teams Hit the Hardwood in Hempfield Hoops Tournament

The winter high school sports season in Pennsylvania got underway on Friday, December 6, with the majority of local boys and girls basketball teams seeing action. We were on hand at Hempfield Area's Spartan Fieldhouse for their annual boys hoops tournament, this year expanded to 8 teams. Varsity squads from Franklin Regional, McKeesport, Jeannette, Belle Vernon, Penn-Trafford, North Allegheny, Greensburg Salem, and host Hempfield tipped off the season on day one of the two-day event. A recap of the opening day games, and photos of the action from each contest, can be seen below.

Franklin Regional 82, McKeesport 62

Franklin Regional and McKeesport squared off to get the tournament started in the 4 PM game. Both teams played a close first quarter before the Panthers pulled away to lead 45-28 at halftime. Franklin Regional continued to keep the Tigers at a distance in the second half, defeating McKeesport 82-62.

Franklin Regional's Logan Summerhill led all scorers with 30 points. Luke Kimmich scored 18 points and Johnny O’Toole added 14 points for the victors.

McKeesport’s Travarese Rowe led all Tigers scorers with 16, as Brison Kisan added 12 points.

Belle Vernon 75, Jeannette 60

The second game of the day featured a battle between Jeannette and Belle Vernon. The teams played to a 32-point tie following the first two quarters of action before the Leopards pulled away in the second half for a 75-60 victory.

Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock led all scorers with 25 points. Thomas Hepple scored 12 points and Cam Nusser and Hunter Ruokonen
each added 11 points for the Leopards. Imani Sanders scored 15 points in leading the Jayhawks.

Penn-Trafford 52, North Allegheny 50

Penn-Trafford jumped to an early double-digit first half advantage, but the Tigers went on a late second quarter run to close the gap, as the Warriors took a 27-23 game into the halftime locker room. The teams exchanged leads several times in the closely contested second half, with North Allegheny's Greg Habib scoring a layup tie the game at 50 with 8 seconds remaining. But Penn-Trafford's Zach Rocco had the last word, driving the lane with his buzzer-beating layup, as the Warriors beat North Allegheny 52-50.

Rocco lead all scorers with 23, while his Warriors teammate Chase Vecchio chipped in for 10. Grant Timmerson scored 15 and Greg Habib 11 to lead the Tigers.

Hempfield Area 74, Greensburg Salem 59

The nightcap game featured the 2019 installment of the traditional rivalry between host Hempfield and neighboring foe Greensburg Salem. Both teams were well represented by their vocal student sections, as the Spartans opened up to a 34-25 lead at halftime. The Spartans kept the Golden Lions at a distance through the second half, as the teams played a spirited and physical contest that sent both teams to the foul line early and often. Hempfield took advantage of their opportunities with a 21 for 22 performance from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter as they beat the Golden Lions 74-59.

Drew Coletta and Christian Zilli led Hempfield with 17, while Marcus McCarthy added 14 and Mike Hosni was good for 12. Game-high honors went to the Greensburg Salem's Ryan Thomas with 18, as Shamar McCoy had 15 and Dante Parsons added 13.

The tournament continues on Saturday with McKeesport vs. Jeannette at 12:30 p.m., Belle Vernon vs. Penn-Trafford at 2, Greensburg Salem vs. Franklin Regional at 3:30, and North Allegheny vs. Hempfield closing out the tournament at 5

Watch for full galleries of action photos from these games, available for purchase or sharing, to be posted throughout the weekend.

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Keywords: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, hempfield, high school, Jeannette, McKeesport, North Allegheny, Penn Trafford, westmoreland county