Live PIAA basketball semifinal blog - CV pulls away late, wins, 76-67; Sewickley beats Lincoln Park, 50-47, on Droney basket; Lebo girls win; Avonworth loses

By Mike White | Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Live blog from PIAA semifinal doubleheader at Duquesne's Palumbo Center. Sewickley Academy-Lincoln Park in 6 p.m. game and Chartiers Valley-Hampton in second game. We'll also have reports from a few other games.

FINAL SCORE: CHARTIERS VALLEY 76, HAMPTON 67

T.J. McConnell scores 23, 10 in the fourth quarter. Matt Noszka was big with 28. Bill Luther 19 for Hampton. T.J. Brown 14. Tim Donegan 16. Christian Dill 10.

9:01 p.m. - Hampton had cut it to 64-63, but T.J. McConnell has scored eight in a row for CV and Colts now lead, 72-65.

8:55 p.m. - Char Valley tries to make a run. Hampton answers. Chris Dill 3-pointer for Hampton and it's 64-63 CV timeout 4:31 left in the game.

8:53 p.m. - Hampton's box-and-one very effective on T.J. McConnell. He has only 13 points after three quarters.

8:52 p.m. - Tim Donegan outside shot and Hampton has tied it, 58-58.

8:49 p.m. - End of third quarter and Char Valley leads, 57-52. Hampton has slowed down the Colts.

8:40 p.m. - Hampton just won't go away. Nate Winek scores six straight points for Hampton and Talbots come back to 40-48 with 3:37 left in third

8:34 p.m. - Sixth 3-pointer of the game for Matt Noszka. CV leads Hampton, 45-36.

8:32 p.m. - Mt. Lebanon girls advance. Final score: Mt. Lebanon 58, Central Dauphin 40.

8:30 p.m. - I mentioned before Buffalo Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny was here and former Hopewell standout guard Greg Rosatelli can't be far behind. I think he follows Posluszny, because of course, Rosatelli is now here.

Now if Rosatelli's buddy, Craig Hannon, former Union standout guard, shows up, I'm leaving.

8:16 p.m. - Halftime score: Chartiers Valley 42, Hampton 32. Bill Luther 10 points for Hampton and T.J. Brown with 12. Matt Noszka has 17 points. T.J. McConnell has nine points.

8:12 p.m. - FINAL SCORE FROM GIRLS' CLASS AA: Avonworth of the WPIAL gets crushed by Villa Maria, 65-38.

8:11 p.m. - Timeout with 3:42 left in the half and Char Valley leads, 33-25.

8:08 p.m. - Noszka has been tremendous. Short jumper this time and Char Valley leads, 28-21.

8:04 p.m. - Surely, Char Valley can't keep up this shooting. Then again, maybe it can. Hampton in a diamond-and-one and Chartiers Valley has eight - I SAID EIGHT - 3-pointers in the first quarter. Matt Noszka has five 3-pointers. T.J. McConnell has attempted only four two-point shots.

8:00 p.m. - Timeout with 1:31 left in the first quarter and Char Valley leads Hampton, 18-12. It's raining 3's. Hampton playing box-and-one on T.J. McConnell. Teammate Matt Noszka has four 3-pointers. Char Valley has attempted 11 3-pointers already and made six.

7:59 p.m. - Ooops T.J. McConnell just missed breakaway dunk.

7:57 p.m. - End of third quarter and Mt. lebanon girls lead Central Dauphin, 37-32. Lebo led by 11 at the half.

7:54 p.m. - Interesting matchup. T.J. McConnell, 6 feet, guarding Hampton's best player, 6-7 Bill Luther.

7:53 p.m. - Hampton starts in box-and-one on T.J. McConnell. Hampton leads, 4-3, early on. Two inside baskets by 6-8 T.J. Brown.

After Chaquille Pratt scored to tie the game, Sewickley Academy eventually got the ball to Tom Droney, who scored a three-point play with 3 seconds left to give Sewickley the win.

Tom Droney on final shot: "I thought [Devontae Watson] was a little out of position, so I just took it at him. I kind of had him on my hip."

Droney finished with 29 points and seven rebounds. He was the only Sewickley Academy player in double figures.

Chaquille Pratt finished with 14 to lead Lincoln Park, but he was averaging over 30 in the state playoffs. Devontae Watson finished with eight points and 20 rebounds.

TOM DRONEY DID IT AGAIN TO LINCOLN PARK.

Final score: Sewickley Academy 50, Lincoln Park 47

Droney hits driving layup and fouled with 3.6 seconds left. Makes free throw. Sewickley leads, 50-47. Timeout Lincoln Park. Droney beat Lincoln Park with a 3-pointer in the WPIAL finals.

7:24 p.m. - Tom Droney fouled. Ohhhhh. Around and in on the first. Sewickley leads. But Pratt hits to tie.

7:23 p.m. - Sean Shirley hits for Lincoln Park. Timeout with 38.4 left and Sewickley leads, 46-45.

7:20 p.m. - Pratt misses shot. LP rebounds, but Carrington Motely steals for Sewickley and gets fouled on layup. Makes one, 46-43, Sewickley with 1:30 left.

7:19 p.m. - Timeout Lincoln with 1:52 left and Sewickley leads, 45-43.

7:16 p.m. - Tom Droney pretty reverse layup and Sewickley leads, 45-43.

Avonworth trailing Villa Maria, 25-13, in first half. Kayla McBride (Notre Dame recruit) giving Avonworth trouble.

7:13 p.m. - Girls' score: Villa Maria Academy leads Avonworth, 15-11, after the first quarter.

7:10 p.m. - Timeout with 4:30 left in fourth and it's even, 43-43.

7:06 p.m. - Basket by Pete Schramm. Game now tied, 41-41.

7:04 p.m. - Sewickley needs to simply start getting Droney the ball and letting him go to the hoop. But Sewickley is having trouble getting him the ball against the press.

7:00 p.m. - Like the WPIAL final, Lincoln Park's press is starting to have an effect. Lincoln Park has taken a 40-37 lead Sean Shirley basket with 7 seconds left in quarter. Lincoln Park on 12-2 run. End of the third quarter. Lincoln Park 40, Sewickley Academy 37

6:56 p.m. - 14 rebounds so far for Devontae Watson. He just blocked Droney on a Droney drive to the basket.

6:55 p.m. - Nice crowd here, but it doesn't look like it will be as big as the WPIAL championship doubleheader.

6:53 p.m. - Sewickley opened up a 35-30 lead, but Devontae Watson just got a basket and a block. It's now 35-30.

Watson has a lot of potential at 6-9. He certainly will get some Division I looks. But like a lot of big kids when they're sophomores, he has a long way to go offensively. Also with strength. Really heeds work on everything offensively. But there is certainly potential there.

6:52 p.m. - Danny Holzer and his son, Riley, behind Sewickley bench. Is he a little crazy or what? He named his son after NBA coach Pat Riley.

6:45 p.m. - Tom Droney now with 21 and Sewickley leads, 33-28.

6:37 p.m. - Last meeting between Sewickley and Lincoln went to the final buzzer. This one looks headed the same way.

6:36 p.m. - Buffalo Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny in the house. His good buddy, former Hopewell standout guard Greg Rosatelli, can't be far behind.

6:32 p.m. - HALFTIME SCORE: SEWICKLEY ACADEMY 28, LINCOLN 26

Sewickley Academy's Tom Droney has 17 points. Has made 6 of 9 shots. Chaquille Pratt, who is averaging more than 30 points in the postseason, has only four for Lincoln Park. Pratt is 2 for 10.

6:28 p.m. - Tom Droney is hurting Lincoln Park with drives to the basket. No 3-pointers yet.

6:26 p.m. - Close game, but Tom Droney seems inspired tonight. Playing much better than he did the first time against Lincoln Park in WPIAL final. Droney has 17 points already and Sewickley has a 25-24 lead.

Both Devontae Watson and Sewickley's Pete Schramm, inside players, have two fouls but are playing.

Lincoln Park's Devontae Watson waits to come in the game.

6:19 p.m. - Tom Droney scored again. Already has 13.

6:15 p.m. - End of the first quarter and Sewickley Academy leads Lincoln Park, 15-13. Tom Droney off to a quick start. 11 points in the first quarter. Lincoln Park's Chaquille Pratt only two.

6:11 p.m. - Bad news for Lincoln Park. Devontae Watson, Lincoln Park's 6-9 sophomore center, just picked up his second foul. But coach Mark Javens is leaving him in the game. Nope. Dead ball. Watson coming out.

6:10 p.m. - 2:33 left in the first quarter and Sewickley Academy holds a 10-9 lead. Sewickley Academy five turnovers already.