West Forest junior becomes seventh player in school history to 1,000; Beaver Falls captures key early-season win; Shaler gets emotional victory; Novak scores 45.
By Chris Rossetti, www.d9sports.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
TIONESTA – West Forest’s Geena Sneeringer did something Saturday night most juniors only dream of when she scored her 1,000th career points before Christmas in a 57-37 win over visiting Moniteau.
Sneeringer, whose school is located in maybe the most rural county of Pennsylvania – Forest County doesn’t even have a stop light – had a double-double in the game with 20 points and 11 steals while adding seven rebounds.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Sneeringer said. “My team is always there for me. It really didn’t matter to me if I had gotten it, as long as the team is doing well.”
Sneeringer is only the seventh girls’ player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and only the second junior joining West Forest’s all-time leading scorer Pam Novosel (1983 graduate, 1,607 points), who did it in the playoffs her junior season. She is also the only active player, girl or boy, in District 9 currently with 1,000 career points with 1,017.
But Sneeringer’s game is more than just about scoring. The double-double marked the fifth time in six games this year she has had at least a double-double, and she also has two triple-doubles on the year. It was also the third time this season she has reached double figures in steals.
“Geena knows there is a lot more to the game than points,” West Forest’s 30-year coach Bob Wachob, who has 441 career wins, said. “Points are not the end to her game, that’s for sure. She rebounds well. She steals the ball well. She has good assists. She is an all-around player. I couldn’t be happier for her.”
Sneeringer is a two-time All American Awards & Engraving D9Sports.com District 9 All-District team member and was a first-team selection last year when she was third in District 9 in scoring (17.8 points per game) while adding 9.6 rebounds, 7.2 steals and 4.8 assists per contest. She was also the 2007 Co-Rookie of the Year in District 9 while also being named a third-team All-District performer averaging 13.8 points per game to go with 7.9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2.3 assists per contest.
In the win over Moniteau, Sneeringer got her 1,000th career point halfway through the first quarter on a steal and layup. It was one of seven steals in the opening quarter for her.
Sneeringer, though, wasn’t the only star in the win for West Forest, as senior point guard Erica Blum had a game-high 22 points to go with seven steals. She scored the final 11 points during a 19-2 second-quarter run that broke a 14-all tie at the end of the first quarter.
Alex Guercio had 17 points, 11 rebounds for Moniteau.
WPIAL Boys Basketball: Beaver Falls wins early-season showdown
Brock Vanlier scored the first seven points of double-overtime to help visiting Beaver Falls knock off Quaker Valley 79-75 in an early-season boys basketball showdown in the WPIAL Friday night.
Quaker Valley tied the game with 1:04 left in regulation on a 3-pointer by Jim Munizza, but Beaver Falls looked to take control in the first overtime scoring the first seven points. Quaker Valley, though, answered with a 7-0 run of its own to force double overtime.
B.J. McBryde led Beaver Falls with 19 points, while Munizza and Casey Courneen each had 14 for Quaker Valley.
WPIAL Boys Basketball: Shaler honors coach by upsetting PCC
Shaler, playing for the first time since the death of head coach Howie Ruppert last week, did the coach proud upsetting the top-ranked team in the WPIAL, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 72-71. Zach Kreke scored on a layup with four seconds left to play. PCC’s Lucas Mickens missed the front-end of a one-and-one that could have tied or won the game for the Vikings with 1.8 seconds left. J.T. Schwartz led Shaler with 22 points.
Meanwhile on Saturday, three WPIAL teams finished off perfect three-game stretches at the KSA Tournament in Orlando, Fla., including two of them winning titles.
Behind 36 points from T.J. McConnell, Chartiers Valley beat Erie Cathedral Prep for the Thomas Jefferson Bracket championship, while Fox Chapel got 19 points from Harrison Smith in a 55-49 win over Thomas Jefferson in the Barak Obama Bracket championship.
Also, Upper St. Clair finished off a perfect 3-0 trip in the non-championship George Washington Bracket with a 92-89 win over Eaglecrest, Colo.
WPIAL Boys Basketball: Top performances
Nick Novak turned in perhaps the best performance of the week in WPIAL boys basketball action when he scored 45 points Thursday for Franklin Regional in an 82-71 win over Woodland Hills. Additional top games during the week came from Upper St. Clair’s Christian Shea, Keystone Oaks’ Corey Bellovich, Northgate’s Dan Webster, Springdale’s Greg Arch and Moon’s Aaron Johnson
Shea had 32 points, including eight 3-pointers, in an 82-71 win over Glencoe-Silver Lake, Minn., at the KSC Classic Thursday, while Bellovich went off for 35 points in a 64-73 win over Ambridge Saturday after scoring 29 points in a 72-69 victory over South Park Thursday. Webster and Arch each scored 32 points in a 68-60 Northgate win over Springdale Saturday, and Johnson had a monster double-double Tuesday with 16 points and 20 rebounds in a 57-54 victory over Montour. He then followed up that performance with 28 points and 13 rebounds in a 60-49 victory over West Mifflin Thursday.
WPIAL Boys Basketball: Burrell stuns Deer Lakes
Burrell stunned Deer Lakes Wednesday when it scored five points, all from Brandon Nichols, in the final 1.4 seconds to pull off a come-from-behind 54-51 victory.
The Buccaneers trailed 51-49 when Nichols hit two free throws with 1.4 seconds left to tie the game. Deer Lakes then turned the ball over, and Nichols hit a basket, was fouled and connected on the free-throw. The final five points gave Nichols 18 in the game, as Burrell rallied from a 40-30 deficit entering the fourth quarter to win. Zach Reichard led Deer Lakes with 16 points.
WPIAL Girls Basketball: Two games Thursday won in final five seconds
In the WPIAL girls basketball action Thursday, two games went right down to the wire before last-second heroics decided them.
Elizabeth Forward beat Keystone Oaks 48-46 on a Leah Ubraniak layup with one second left, while Danielle McNabb hit two free with 4.9 seconds to play to lift Bethel Park to a 34-32 win over Upper St. Clair.
WPIAL Girls Basketball: Top performances
Three 30-point games, including one from a freshman, highlighted the top girls’ performances in the WPIAL from the week.
Freshman Destiny Brown scored 32 for Gateway, but the Gators let a five-point lead heading to the fourth quarter slip away in a 66-61 loss to Steel Valley Thursday. Brittany Dunmore had 28 points and Leslie McPherson 24 for Steel Valley.
Meanwhile, Markel Walker’s 33 points was more than enough to lift Schenley to a 61-39 win over Brashear in a Pittsburgh City league game, but 32 points from Jacqi Diez’s 32 were not enough to help St. Joseph in a 71-53 loss to Vincentian.
District 9 Boys Basketball: Clearfield holds off St. Marys
In District 9 boys basketball action Saturday, Clearfield held off St. Marys for a 65-63 early-season D9 League win. The Dutch had a chance to win it late, but a 3-point at the horn by freshman Justin Quiggle bounced off the front of the rim.
Levi Welder had a monster game in the loss for St. Marys with 33 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots. Clearfield offset that by having three players score at least 16 points led by 19 from Parker Herrington. Jarrin Campman added 18 and Matt Shiner 16.
In other District 9 highlights during the week, North Clarion’s Jeremy Schmader netted his second 40-point performance of the season when he scored 40 on 12 of 16 shooting and 15 of 16 from the line in an 84-70 win over Venango Catholic. Parker James had 26 points and Max Rynd 23 in the loss for the Vikings. Earlier in the week, Rynd had delivered a career-high 28 points in a 79-30 win over West Forest Monday.
District 9 Girls Basketball: Top performances
Kane’s Andrea Saquin turned in a triple-double Saturday with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 steals while helping the Lady Wolves down Port Allegany 53-41.
Thursday, Austin’s Whitney Crosby came close to two quadruple-doubles during the week getting 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals and seven assists in a 60-33 victory over Ridgway Thursday two days after going off for 15 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and six steals in a 38-20 win over Cowanesque Valley.
Brookville’s Janelle Mescall hit the game-winning free throw with 3.3 seconds left Tuesday to help the Lady Raiders to an 38-37 victory over arch-rival Punxsutawney.
