Category: High School Basketball

Friday December 15, 2023 Boys High School Basketball

Riverside – 52

Beaver Falls – 56

Garland Cooper Is The Director Of Softball & Partner Development With The NCSA

Next College Student Athlete is a Chicago-based organization that focuses on the recruiting process for high school students who want to continue or play sports on a collegiate level, and helping them find the best schools and coaches for each individual student athlete.

Former ESPN softball analyst Garland Cooper is now the Softball and Partner Development for NCSA, and she joined Matt Drzik, Greg Benedetti & Frank Sparks for an interview on the Saturday Sports Slam. She explained how the recruiting process for college students is more difficult than it was before, and how her background and experience with NCSA wants to make it easier for the students.

To hear the interview, click on the players below.

Part 1

Part 2

Nick Nardone Is The Man In Charge Of Beaver Falls Football In 2017

After winning the PIAA Championship as a defensive coordinator, Nick Nardone will now take the head coaching reins of the defending state champions in 3A football, the Beaver Falls Tigers.

Nick spoke with Matt Drzik and Greg Benedetti on the Saturday Sports Slam about his new role with the team, the similarities and changes from last year’s squad, and what his background in football is to have led him to this point.

To hear the full interview, click the players below.

Part 1

Part 2

Ryan Matsook Talks About New Role As Western Beaver AD On Sports Slam

After a banner year that saw him coach the Beaver Falls Tigers to their first WPIAL title since 1984 and their first PIAA gold in football, Ryan Matsook left his position as BF’s head coach in March, and is now the new Athletic Director at Western Beaver High School in Industry.

Matsook phoned in to the Saturday Sports Slam on July 22 to discuss with Matt Drzik and Greg Benedetti about his new role, including what his duties are in helping Western Beaver Athletics, the similarities in his current and past jobs, and how he looks at the new six-class WPIAL format.

To hear the interview, click the players below to listen.

Part 1

Part 2

South Side Lady Rams go For Gold on Beaver County Radio

Tune into 1230/WBVP and 1460 WMBA Thursday morning at 10:45 a.m.  and join Bob Barrickman as the Lady Rams of South Side High School play Minersville in the PIAA 2A softball championship at Nittany Lion Softball Park on the Campus of Penn State University.  First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. . Tune in to find out if the Lady Rams are up to the task. Minersville has won a record nine state softball titles. South Side comes into the game with a 20-3 record and Minersville is 23-2.

WPIAL AA Baseball Championship: California 3, Freedom 1 (F/10)

The Freedom Bulldogs and California Trojans were locked in a pitchers’ duel through 9 innings (7 + 2 extra in high school baseball), but in the top of the 10th the Trojan bats finally arose to score two runs. Freedom could not answer in the bottom half of the third extra frame, and California wins the WPIAL AA Baseball Championship.

The Bulldogs will now enter the PIAA Playoffs as the #2 seed out of the WPIAL, and they will play the District 6 Championship in Round One.

High School Baseball – Avonworth 9, New Brighton 3

Top – Lions’ catcher R.J. Debo gets ready for a throw to the plate. Lower picture – Chase Hoffman gets a hit for New Brighton. Photos by Celeste Peterson.

(Pittsburgh, PA) It was a beautiful day for a ball game in the northern hills of the Steel City on Wednesday afternoon.  While it’s true that under normal circumstances in the jungle, the Lions would have the Antelopes running for their lives, on this day on the diamond,  it was the the Antelopes of Avonworth getting the best of the visiting Lions from New Brighton by a score of 9 to 3.

New Brighton got life late in the game to keep it from ending under the 10 run mercy rule and had a rally of their own in the last inning to put three runs on the board.

Ryan Matsook Resigns As Beaver Falls Football Coach

Beaver Falls football head coach Ryan Matsook has resigned. Matsook released a statement on his Twitter account earlier this evening, thanking the players that he had the opportunity to coach over his 11-year tenure.

Matsook took over the head coaching position at Beaver Falls in 2006, leading the Tigers to the 3A PIAA Championship this past season.

Tune in to A.M. Beaver County with Matt Drzik and Pat Septak tomorrow morning at 6:30 for more details and dicussion on this development.

PIAA 3A Boys’ Championship: Neumann-Goretti 89, Lincoln Park 58

Lincoln Park had overcome upset bids and a loss in the WPIAL championship to find themselves in Hershey. So for that the Leopards had accomplishments to be proud of.

Unfortunately, they cannot add “defeated a machine” to that list.

Neumann-Goretti defeated Lincoln Park in the 3A Boys’ Basketball Championship Thursday night by a score of 89-58 at the Giant Center on Beaver County Radio. The closest the Leopards got was 8-7 (all 7 scored by Evan Brown), but a 23-2 run to start the second quarter turned on the rout for the Saints out of District 12.

Neumann-Goretti wins their 4th consecutive 3A PIAA Championship in boys’ basketball, while Lincoln Park picks up silver for the 3rd time in four trips to Hershey.

Despite settling for silver, Nelly Cummings ended his career on a high note: 37 points and becoming the 5th-highest scorer in WPIAL history. He and the Saints’ Quade Green (a Kentucky recruit) were selected as the CCBC Players of The Game.

Bob Barrickman and Bruce Frey have the recap for beavercountyradio.com.

Lincoln Park Headed to PIAA Finals in Hershey

Down by 11 points in the second half, Lincoln Park came back to defeat Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 54-46 in the PIAA western semi-final at Ambridge.

CCBC Players of the Game: Nelly Cummings (Lincoln Park); Kenny Sukon (Cardinal Wuerl).