NEW CASTLE —
Point Park University’s Ja’Nia McPhatter has picked up right where she left off following her high school career.
McPhatter started and scored 14 points in a 69-52 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball win over Carlow on Tuesday.
A sophomore forward and New Castle High graduate, McPhatter was 6 of 12 from the field with eight rebounds in 37 minutes of play.
McPhatter, who transferred from La Roche, has played in 20 games, 19 of which are starts. She paces the Lady Pioneers (17-4) in scoring (15.1 points) and rebounding (9.3) a contest.
McPhatter closed her high school career with 961 career points, while competing on a pair of WPIAL Class AAA championship teams (2010 and 2009).
Ryenn Micaletti, a 2007 New Castle graduate, is an assistant coach on the Point Park staff.
Elsewhere around women’s college basketball:
Waynesburg’s Becca Kerr played seven minutes off the bench in a 76-54 Presidents’ Athletic Conference win over Bethany.
Kerr, a sophomore guard from Laurel, has played in 10 games off the bench for the Lady Yellow Jackets (8-9). She’s scored 14 points with eight rebounds.
•La Roche’s LaShauna Brothers was strong off the bench in a 76-48 win over D’Youville College on Saturday.
Brothers, a 5-7 sophomore guard/forward from New Castle, scored 14 points in 20 minutes off the bench for the Lady Red Hawks (14-2).
Brothers ranks third on the team in scoring at 12.2 points a game, to go along with 4.2 rebounds a matchup. She’s played in 15 games, three being starts.
•Mercyhurst’s Abby Allen started in a 60-44 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference win over Slippery Rock University on Saturday.
Allen, a redshirt senior guard from New Castle, tallied four points, five rebounds, five steals and five assists for the Lady Lakers (5-10).
Allen is averaging 4.3 points and 4.7 rebounds a game for Mercyhurst in 15 games, all of which are starts.
•Geneva’s Taylor Yarletts was scoreless with an assist in four minutes off the bench in a 64-52 PAC loss to Thiel on Saturday.
Yarletts, a freshman guard from Mohawk, has played in 16 games off the bench for the Lady Golden Tornadoes (2-15). She’s scored 25 points and snared 18 rebounds.
Chelsea Kauffman, a sophomore guard from Neshannock, has played in six games — three of which are starts. Kauffman has scored 28 points with nine rebounds.
Men’s basketball
Bragging rights
A county pair got the best of another local product Saturday.
Matt Lorello started and scored a team-high 25 points to lead Geneva to an 87-86 PAC overtime win over Thiel. Brian Rice played for the Golden Tornadoes but didn’t score.
Anthony Harvey started for the Tomcats, netting 17 points with five assists and three rebounds.
Lorello, a senior forward/center from Mohawk, was 9 of 10 from the field with three rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Lorello paces Geneva (2-15) in scoring at 19.8 points a game. He’s adding five rebounds as well.
Rice has played in 15 games off the bench, scoring 30 points. Rice, who is 43, opted to join the Navy instead of attending college right out of high school. He is a freshman guard/forward from New Castle.
Jacob Grim, a junior guard from Mohawk, has played in 12 games for the Golden Tornadoes, eight being starts. Grim is averaging 2.2 points and 3.2 rebounds a contest.
Harvey, a senior guard from New Castle, tosses in 9.4 points a game for Thiel (8-7), while pulling down 3.1 rebounds.
•Anthony Thomas is delivering for Westminster College.
Thomas, a junior guard and Union High graduate, ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.2 points a game. Thomas has started all 17 games for the Titans (6-11), averaging 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists a contest.
•Penn State University’s Nick Colella came off the bench to score six points in a 68-64 Big Ten Conference loss to Nebraska on Saturday.
Colella, a senior guard from New Castle, pulled down six rebounds in 31 minutes of action. He’s averaging 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds a matchup for the Nittany Lions (8-11).
•Devin Taylor came through for Slippery Rock University on Saturday.
Taylor shared team-high honors in scoring with Tabari Perry in The Rock’s 56-48 PSAC win over Mercyhurst on Saturday.
Taylor, a redshirt senior forward from New Castle, added nine rebounds and three assists as well.
Taylor is averaging team-highs in scoring (14.6) and rebounds (11.3) a game for Slippery Rock (12-3).
•Tyrone Steals recorded four points in 14 minutes off the bench for California University (Pa.) in an 82-52 loss to Gannon on Saturday.
Steals, a junior guard from New Castle, is posting 2.4 points a game for the Vulcans (6-9) in 11 contests off the bench.
(If you know of someone who was omitted from this winter sports Names in the Games, contact sportswriter Ron Poniewasz Jr. at rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com).
Schools
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Ja’Nia McPhatter
Discussion
Names in the Games: Catch up with local athletes competing in college
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