New Castle hoped to put itself in position to win a section title later this week, but the Red Hurricanes on Tuesday had one giant piece of business to take care of first.

“Friday doesn’t mean much if we didn’t win tonight,” New Castle coach Ralph Blundo said. “Tonight had to happen first. I felt like we played well enough. We defended and rebounded, and against Fox Chapel, that always comes first.”

A second win this season against the Foxes now gives New Castle a shot to finish in first.

Led by balanced scoring effort that saw five players finish in double figures, New Castle earned a 58-41 win at Fox Chapel in a key Class 6A Section 1 matchup.

The win moves New Castle (16-3, 10-3) into a first-place tie with Fox Chapel (15-5, 10-3), but the Red Hurricanes hold the tiebreaker via their two wins against the Foxes. New Castle hosts last-place North Allegheny (2-11) in Friday’s section finale, while Fox Chapel plays at fourth-place Butler (7-6).

In what was New Castle’s fourth win in a row, the Red Hurricanes got 12 points from both Damian Harrison and Qualin Davis, 11 apiece from Ralphie Blundo and Kai Cox, and 10 from Kyrell Harris.

“It was good balance, and some guys hit some timely shots,” Ralph Blundo said. “The balance is always nice.”

New Castle used its defense to stifle Fox Chapel for the better part of two quarters. After Fox Chapel’s John Rehak made two free throws to tie the score at 17 with 5:03 left in the second quarter, New Castle went on a 16-2 run that was capped by Ralphie Blundo’s floater with just over two minutes left in the third quarter that gave the Red Hurricanes a 33-19 advantage. The Foxes went more than 11 minutes without a field goal and scored 12 total points in the second and third quarters.

“I felt like we were playing well defensively,” Ralph Blundo said. “I don’t recall how many clean looks they got, but I felt like we were playing well. The big thing was we were limiting them to one shot. We weren’t allowing them offensive rebounds.”

Most of the rebounds in this game seemed to make their way into the hands of New Castle players, with Harrison corralling quite a few of them.

Fox Chapel pulled to within 40-31 on Rehak’s three-point play early in the fourth quarter, but New Castle responded with a 6-0 run to quickly extend its lead back to 15.

Rehak finished with 14 points and Asher White added 12 for Fox Chapel, which saw its four-game win streak come to a close. Leading scorer Caiden Kaiser, who missed Fox Chapel’s most recent game with a back injury, scored just 4 points Tuesday before fouling out late in the third quarter.

New Castle shot 52% from the field (24 of 46), while Fox Chapel shot 29% (14 of 47).

Belle Vernon’s Curtis Wade (1), Zion Moore (2) and Trevor Kovatch (3) react after their team scores against Greensburg Salem on Tuesday. Belle Vernon claimed an 83-48 win. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Other boys games

• Tayt Lucas put in a layup just before the final buzzer to lift Butler (14-6, 7-6) to a 47-46 win at Pine-Richland (6-14, 4-9) in Class 6A Section 1. Butler outscored Pine-Richland, 18-13, in the fourth quarter. Lucas finished with a team-high 15 points while Stainton Forbes added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Grant Spacciapolli paced Pine-Richland with 14 points.

Mt. Lebanon (14-6, 9-4) used a huge third quarter to claim its seventh consecutive win, 73-61, against visiting Imani Christian (12-7, 10-3) in Class 6A Section 2. The Blue Devils broke open a tie game at the half by outscoring Imani Christian, 25-12, in the third quarter. Liam Sheely and Sam Deibert each scored 19 points for Mt. Lebanon. RJ Sledge scored 26 and Deston Hubbard 25 to lead Imani Christian.

• Mykel Bruce-McCrommon scored 26 points and host Gateway (11-8, 9-4) went overtime to defeat Penn-Trafford (11-9, 7-6), 56-50, in Class 5A Section 1. Paul Nnacho tacked on 12 points for Gateway, which held a 13-7 edge in the extra period. Zach Feldman led Penn-Trafford with 18 points.

• Colton Straight drilled six 3-pointers among his game-high 35 points to propel host Montour (19-1) to an 80-60 non-section win against Thomas Jefferson (10-11). Ama Sow chipped in 15 points and 15 rebounds for Montour, which extended its win streak to 13 games. Thomas Jefferson got 21 points from Nick Trklja and 20 from Noah Kaszer.

North Catholic (15-5, 10-1) took a big step toward winning the Class 4A Section 1 title by holding off visiting Knoch (14-6, 9-2), 54-53. Knoch had a potential go-ahead basket blocked just before the buzzer. Jason Fredericks scored 17 points for North Catholic, which outscored Knoch, 15-10, in the fourth quarter. Jackson Bauman scored 16 points to lead Knoch, while Teegan Finucan scored his 1,000th career point. 

• Brady Mayo poured in 26 points and Beaver (16-4, 6-2) rallied back from a halftime deficit to defeat visiting Quaker Valley (14-6, 4-5), 53-41, in Class 4A Section 2. Beaver trailed, 26-23, at the half before outscoring Quaker Valley, 30-15, in the second half. Mayo scored 15 of his points in the second half. Sam Chapman scored 13 points to lead the Quakers.

• Trevor Kovatch (27 points, six 3-pointers) and Zion Moore (25 points, five 3-pointers) combined for 52 points and 11 threes to push Belle Vernon (18-4, 11-1) to its 12th win in a row, 83-48, at Greensburg Salem (5-15, 3-8) in Class 4A Section 3. Braedon Leatherman paced the Golden Lions with 18 points.

• Josh Pratt pumped in 25 points and Aliquippa (16-3, 11-0) remained perfect in section play following a 65-48 win at Mohawk (16-5, 9-2) in Class 3A Section 1. Mohawk led, 15-13, after one quarter before Aliquippa outscored the Warriors, 20-4, in the second quarter. Marques Council chipped in 17 points for the Quips, who have won nine straight. Bobby Fadden scored 28 points to lead Mohawk.

• Jackson Maddix (17 points) led a quartet of players scoring in double figures for host Bishop Canevin (12-8, 9-0), which stayed unbeaten in Class 3A Section 2 courtesy of a 63-46 win against Keystone Oaks (14-6, 6-3). Canevin led by two points at the half before outscoring Keystone Oaks, 19-6, in the third quarter. Erond Jakupi led the Golden Eagles with 29 points.

• AJ Tarpley scored 17 points and Liam Gallagher added 14 to lead host Greensburg Central Catholic (19-2, 13-0) to a 58-48 win against Jeannette (17-2, 10-2) in Class 2A Section 1. After Jeannette took a 46-45 lead with five minutes left, Greensburg CC outscored the Jayhawks, 13-2, the rest of the game. Jayce Powell led Jeannette with 16 points.

Sewickley Academy (16-3, 11-0) stayed on top of Class 2A Section 2 following a 65-51 win at Northgate (11-8, 8-2). Sewickley Academy held just a 47-43 lead after three quarters before outscoring Northgate, 18-8, in the fourth. Caiden Battles scored 17 points and Mamadou Kane had 15 for the Panthers, while Kadenne Kemp led Northgate with 18 points.

• Courtney Wallace collected yet another triple-double (23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) and Kedron Gilmore added 24 points to drive host Neighborhood Academy (20-1, 9-0) to its 10th win in a row, 84-58, against Serra Catholic (16-3, 7-2) in Class 1A Section 2. Owen Dumbroski scored 21 points for Serra, which had its six-game win streak snapped.

Girls games

Norwin (12-7, 8-1) used a strong third quarter to win its seventh consecutive section game, 32-30, at Canon-McMillan (11-8, 5-4) in Class 6A Section 2. Bella Furno scored eight points to lead Norwin, which was tied with Canon-McMillan at the half before outscoring the Big Macs, 11-7, in the third quarter. Faye Saunders paced the Big Macs with 12 points.

Baldwin (12-8, 7-4) raced to a 20-point halftime lead before going on to claim its fourth win in a row, 52-40, against visiting Bethel Park (10-9, 6-4) in Class 5A Section 4. Julianne Ott scored a game-high 19 points for the Highlanders, while Ella Sabatos led Bethel Park with 14 points.

Three stars

***— Aydan Cunningham, McGuffey. Cunningham scored 24 points, including the 1,000th of his career, in leading McGuffey (14-6, 5-4) to a 63-42 home win against Sto-Rox (2-18, 0-9) in Class 3A Section 2.

** — AC Corfield, South Side. A junior, Corfield scored his 1,000th career point in addition to tallying 11 in the game, but South Side (11-10, 5-8) fell to visiting Union (16-5, 10-3), 66-35, in Class 2A Section 4.

* — Jacob Szep, Armstrong. Szep tallied a game-high 21 points to help Armstrong (6-14, 1-11) to its first section win, 46-45, at Hampton (10-10, 6-5) in Class 5A Section 2.

Hot from deep

Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Cartier Williams, Beaver Falls, 7; David Zaharko, Aquinas Academy, 6; Trevor Kovatch, Belle Vernon, 6; Kara Jones, Ellwood City, 6; Colton Straight, Montour, 6; Dylan Donovan, Peters Township, 6; Jacob Guillen, Aquinas Academy, 5; Thomas Werner, Avonworth, 5; Zion Moore, Belle Vernon, 5; Deston Hubbard, Imani Christian, 5; Sean Thelk, Peters Township, 5; Rowan Carmichael, Avonworth, 4; Jonas Cupps, Hampton, 4; Zechariah Frye, Nazareth Prep, 4; Noah Kaszer, Thomas Jefferson, 4; Josh Pratt, Aliquippa, 3; Jacob Szep, Armstrong, 3; Julianne Ott, Baldwin, 3; Dreana Haskins, Beaver Falls, 3; Bobby Fadden, Mohawk, 3; Kaleb Platz, Montour, 3; Liam Sheely, Mt. Lebanon, 3; Jacob Zaber, Mt. Lebanon, 3; Vange Balouris, North Allegheny, 3; Delaney Amato, North Hills, 3; Nick Trklja, Thomas Jefferson, 3.

Greensburg Salem’s Braedon Leatherman looks to pass the ball with pressure from Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore, left, and Curtis Wade during Tuesday’s game. Leatherman finished with a team-best 18 points, but Greensburg Salem fell to Belle Vernon, 83-48. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Scoreboard

Boys scores

WPIAL Class 6A

Section 1

Butler 47, Pine-Richland 46

New Castle 58, Fox Chapel 41

North Hills 59, North Allegheny 35

Woodland Hills 53, Seneca Valley 51

Section 2

Central Catholic 65, Connellsville 31

Mt. Lebanon 73, Imani Christian 61

Norwin 55, Canon-McMillan 51

Upper St. Clair 55, Hempfield 38

WPIAL Class 5A

Section 1

Gateway 56, Penn-Trafford 50 (OT)

Latrobe 71, McKeesport 43

Uniontown 70, Laurel Highlands 63

Section 2

Armstrong 46, Hampton 45

Indiana 72, Shaler 56

Kiski Area 63, Plum 36

Section 3

Baldwin 64, Bethel Park 55

Peters Township 77, Ringgold 45

South Fayette 53, Trinity 34

Section 4

Mars 68, Lincoln Park 60

Moon 56, West Allegheny 28

WPIAL Class 4A

Section 1

Burrell 78, Valley 49

Highlands 64, Freeport 51

North Catholic 54, Knoch 53

Section 2

Avonworth 85, Ambridge 68

Beaver 53, Quaker Valley 41

Central Valley 75, Hopewell 40

Section 3

Belle Vernon 83, Greensburg Salem 48

Elizabeth Forward 78, Yough 37

West Mifflin 62, East Allegheny 60

WPIAL Class 3A

Section 1

Aliquippa 65, Mohawk 48

Ellwood City 76, Beaver Falls 63 (2 OT)

New Brighton 64, Freedom 45

Section 2

Bishop Canevin 63, Keystone Oaks 46

Carlynton 61, Washington 48

McGuffey 63, Sto-Rox 42

Section 3

Seton LaSalle 52, Apollo-Ridge 31

Shady Side Academy 56, Steel Valley 42

South Allegheny 68, South Park 39

Section 4

Ligonier Valley 47, Waynesburg 39

Southmoreland 59, Mount Pleasant 44

WPIAL Class 2A

Section 1

Bentworth 74, California 57

Clairton 51, Riverview 23

Greensburg Central Catholic 58, Jeannette 48

Springdale 60, Frazier 43

Section 2

Eden Christian 71, Brentwood 67

Sewickley Academy 65, Northgate 51

Winchester Thurston 74, Leechburg 47

Section 3

Beth-Center 50, Burgettstown 40

Chartiers-Houston 79, Mapletown 18

Fort Cherry 61, West Greene 61

Jefferson-Morgan 51, Carmichaels 28

Section 4

Neshannock 59, Laurel 44

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 60, Rochester 29

Shenango 79, Western Beaver 62

Union 66, South Side 35

WPIAL Class 1A

Section 1

Aquinas Academy 82, Avella 57

Nazareth Prep 87, Cornell 35

Section 2

Geibel Catholic 75, Environmental Charter 42

Monessen 67, St. Joseph 51

Neighborhood Academy 84, Serra Catholic 58

City League

Allderdice 70, Westinghouse 33

Carrick 72, Brashear 53

Obama Academy 55, Perry 33

Non-section

Montour 80, Thomas Jefferson 60

Penn Hills 68, Propel Braddock Hills 30

Girls scores

WPIAL Class 6A

Section 1

North Allegheny 58, North Hills 48

Section 2

Norwin 32, Canon-McMillan 30

WPIAL Class 5A

Section 1

Shaler 52, Fox Chapel 50

Section 4

Baldwin 52, Bethel Park 40

Peters Township 63, Uniontown 19

WPIAL Class 4A

Section 1

North Catholic 67, Knoch 39

Section 2

Hopewell 50, Lincoln Park 33

WPIAL Class 3A

Section 1

Ellwood City 59, Beaver Falls 54 (OT)

Section 2

Greensburg Central Catholic 59, Steel Valley 17

Section 3

Keystone Oaks 51, Brownsville 30

City League

Allderdice 86, Westinghouse 16

Carrick 46, Brashear 33

Obama Academy 67, Perry 29

Non-section

West Greene 55, Carmichaels 16

Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.

Brad Everett

Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.