Pittsburg, PA
Cheswick Christian boys edge Pittsburgh Christian Academy for SWCAC title | Trib HSSN
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Saturday, February 24, 2024 | 8:49 PM
Antonio Rossetti | For TribLive
Cheswick Christian celebrates its victory over Pittsburgh Christian Academy in the SWCAC title game Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.
Antonio Rossetti | For TribLive
Cheswick Christian celebrates its victory over Pittsburgh Christian Academy in the SWCAC title game Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.
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The Cheswick Christian Academy boys basketball team defeated Pittsburgh Christian Academy, 42-39, on Saturday at a packed Steve Warden Gymnasium to take home its first SWCAC title since 2015.
Grant Rochkind, the league MVP, finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for Cheswick Christian.
The game featured eight lead changes. Pittsburgh Christian, in its second season, took a 26-25 lead in the third quarter.
But the Chargers responded with an 11-0 run, which was fueled by Joseph Rosio, who knocked down a 3-pointer. A layup from Sean Louis put Cheswick up 36-26, but the River Hawks rallied with an 11-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from Aaron Powers to give Pittsburgh Christian a 37-36 lead.
The Chargers got their first points in the fourth quarter when Grant Rochkind was fouled and made both free throws with 1 minute, 46 seconds remaining to make it 38-37. Powers fouled out on the play.
Tim Nicklas then drove for a layup to give Pittsburgh Christian back a 39-38 lead.
Then came the biggest play of the game. Rochkind was forced left on an isolation and hit a fadeaway for a 40-39 lead.
“I knew we had to get a bucket,” Rochkind said. “I knew if we were going out, I had to take my best shot at it and it went in.”
The Chargers forced a stop, and after reaching the bonus, Brian Kazmer hit both free throws to go up 42-39.
The River Hawks chucked up a final shot as time expired, but it went long.
“The crowd was electric,” Rochkind said. “It was amazing tonight. I love their support. They’re great.”
Rosio, who scored 14 points and buried three 3s, marveled at his teammate.
“He’s clutch, man,” Rosio said of Rochkind. “That’s the reason he’s MVP.”
Rosio contributed several key baskets, including an and-one 3 early in the game to energize the crowd.
“Joseph man, he’s a sniper,” Rochkind said. “He’s great. He’s been huge for us all year, and it continued tonight.”
Rosio also appreciated the atmosphere.
“I love these fans man,” Rosio said. “I love this crowd.”
“My team puts that trust in me. They trust me to get the ball. They trust me to knock down those shots, and I do my best to knock them down.”
Kazmer said the team is peaking at the right time.
“I’m super proud of the team,” Kazmer said. “We’ve been playing good defense all year. Our offense has been getting better and better as we went on. Playing WPIAL teams made us better as a team. Our team chemistry, we’ve been playing since middle school, so it’s just through the roof.”
Pittsburgh Christian dominated much of the fourth quarter until Cheswick Christian’s late rally.
“They worked really hard, and they had a goal to get here,” River Hawks coach Chadd Schafer said of his team. “Obviously we wanted to win, but we’re really proud of how they played. They battled a lot of things this season. I’m super proud of them.”
Nicklas finished with 15 points and four rebounds, and Powers had 12 points and five rebounds.
Tags: Cheswick Christian
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The holiday season began in Pittsburgh on Saturday night with the city’s popular Light Up Night event.
Thousands crowded Downtown streets to ring in the holidays.
The iconic Highmark Christmas tree was lit along with trees at the City-County Building and PPG Place. A new light show on the Sister Bridges was also unveiled.
“It’s just a magical time of the year,” said Nicole Ambrogio.
She brought her kids to see the Highmark tree lit up.
“It almost gives you that Times Square-like feeling,” said Melissa Iaquinta. “It was amazing. The fireworks are always an added touch, and it’s beautiful.”
Vendors also filled Market Square, along with caroling and drumming.
“This is my first Light Up Night. It’s honestly amazing. I love all the music,” said Pietro Pucci. “It’s really magical; it’s like a winter wonderland come to life.”
HOMESTEAD, Pa. (KDKA) — One man has died after a house caught fire in Homestead on Saturday.
Allegheny County 911 was notified of a fire in the 100 block of West 12th Avenue just before 11:30 a.m.
First responders found an elderly man trapped inside the second floor of the residence. Firefighters were able to get the man out of the home, and he was transported to an area hospital, where he later died, according to a news release from the Allegheny County Police Department.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause and origin of the fire.
Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
The Pittsburgh Steelers let their guard down in Week 12, dropping a divisional trap game to the now 3-8 Cleveland Browns in the snow.
The Steelers had no business losing to Cleveland, at least on paper, and there’s plenty of finger-pointing to go around. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo chose to shift the blame onto head coach Mike Tomlin during an interview with 93.7 The Fan’s Donny Chedrick on Friday morning, stating that his decisions didn’t age well as the contest went on.
“I think hands down, it was the coaching,” Fittipaldo said. “And I’m sure we’re gonna get into some of the personnel decisions and some of those fourth down calls, but I thought overall Mike Tomlin showed the Browns a lack of disrespect early in the game.”
Cleveland’s final drive of the night alone encapsulated what was a subpar night for Tomlin. On 3rd-and-2 from the Steelers’ 25-yard line, he decided to accept an illegal touching penalty on offensive lineman Ethan Pocic that pushed the Browns back five yards for a redo instead of making it 4th-and-2.
Despite the fact that Pittsburgh was in front 19-17 at the time, all indications pointed to Cleveland keeping its offense on the field instead of sending out the kicking unit given the weather. Had Tomlin declined the penalty, a stop on fourth down would have all but sealed a win.
Instead, Jameis Winston found Jerry Jeudy for a 15-yard completion and a first down. Tomlin also burned his second timeout with the clock stopped before the Browns moved the chains, which put Pittsburgh’s offense in a disadvantageous position on its ill-fated closing possession.
Nick Chubb went on to punch the ball into the end zone, putting Cleveland up for good with 57 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Tomlin is an irreplacable part of the Steelers’ organization and is the driving force behind their success year in and year out, but Thursday night was a definite low point for him.
Pittsburgh still sits atop the AFC North with an 8-3 record, however, and can wash away any bad feelings emanating from the loss with a bounce back performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.
Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
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