Belle Vernon boys ready to get back to business against Farrell

By: Jeremy Sellew
Friday, March 7, 2025 | 3:01 AM

Going back a number of years, there have been plenty of battles between Joe Salvino and Farrell’s boys basketball team.

The two old foes will meet again Friday night at Belle Vernon as Salvino leads the WPIAL champion Leopards against the Steelers, the fifth-place team out of District 10.

It’s been eight days since the Leopards (21-4) hoisted the WPIAL trophy high, but Salvino said things remain status quo as the team begins its quest for a state championship.

“We’ve just tried to keep it as normal as possible,” Salvino said of the team’s preparation. “Playing at home has to be an advantage for us. I’m hoping the excitement of the game in general gets the team and the crowd excited and helps us get off to a fast start.

“After you win a WPIAL, you have to bring yourself back down. These kids said they’re going to keep on winning. There are no WPIAL teams ranked in Class 4A’s state rankings. I think that’s some motivation for them. We’re going to see how good we are.”

Salvino said he’s watched four or five of the Steelers’ games from the season. They’re 1-3 against WPIAL teams this season. Their lone win came against Sewickley Academy. They own losses to Mars, Aliquippa and Quaker Valley.

Farrell (15-11) advanced to the state playoffs with a narrow 54-50 win over Oil City. The Steelers are still a Class A team by enrollment but are playing up in classification.

“I think they have a pretty nice team,” Salvino said. “They have two really good guards. They can shoot the ball outside, they defend well, and they like to put a lot of pressure on the ball.”

The guards Salvino referred to are junior Juelz Johnson and Trae Cousin.

Johnson is the team’s leading scorer at 14.3 points per game with Cousin averaging 12.5.

Julius Phillips Jr. is a senior averaging 12.3 points per game.

“They do have some size. I know they have a 6-4 guy and another 6-5 on the bench, so they may throw one of them in the starting lineup to combat our size,” Salvino said. “When I watched the Oil City game, they played five guards.”

The Leopards’ size is one thing that’s been a catalyst over the past few weeks of the season. Belle Vernon has dominated the boards to allow extra possessions and second-chance points.

Leopards 6-6 senior forward Tommy Davis had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the championship win over North Catholic. Dom Ghilani added another 13 rebounds.

“Dom Ghilani has been so good for us lately,” Salvino said. “I want him to play physical. If he gets a couple fouls, I don’t care. I need him to be that physical guy getting those rebounds.”

Salvino said that the team really bought into the game plan early in the Leps’ 15-game winning streak.

“They realize that the defense and rebounding is a big part of what we wanted to do,” Salvino said. “I think we’ll have a good size advantage against Farrell.”

Looking back into the Steelers, Salvino said they are mainly a man-to-man team on defense.

“They will jump in and throw a 1-2-2 half-court trap in there. That’s something we’ll have to be prepared for,” Salvino added.

Comparing them to a team, Salvino said the Steelers are a lot like West Mifflin.

“That’s probably the closest one. They’re guard-oriented. They like to pressure the ball. It’s really just the overall way they play,” he said.

The Leopards have showed great offensive balance in the postseason.

Salvino said after rolling his ankle against Elizabeth Forward in the WPIAL quarterfinal round, Zion Moore is closer to 100%.

“He’s walking normally, and I think he’ll be able to go for our shoot-around,” Salvino said. “I think you could tell it was bothering him during our run, but he’s still dangerous with all the other things he can do.”

Moore has undoubtedly been affected by the ankle. He scored 14 points in a semifinal win over Avonworth before scoring 12 against North Catholic in the championship game. Despite a smaller output, he’s still averaging 24.4 points per game.

Joining Moore in the starting lineup will be senior guard Trevor Kovatch, Ghilani, Davis and Curty Wade. Davis is averaging 11.4 points per game with Wade and Ghilani combining for nearly 12 points per game.

Kovatch is second on the team at 13.7 points per game and needs just 16 points to give him 800 for his Belle Vernon career.

The winner of Friday’s game will play the winner of Sharon and Avonworth, which could set up a potential WPIAL semifinal rematch for the Leopards with the Antelopes.

“Right now, we just have to focus on Farrell,” Salvino said. “We can’t overlook anyone. That’s when you lose. If we win, then we’ll worry about Tuesday’s opponent.”

Tags: Belle Vernon