Belle Vernon boys show grit in playoff win vs. Elizabeth Forward

By: Adam Brewer
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 | 10:18 PM

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Ahead of its WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal matchup Wednesday night against Mon Valley rival Elizabeth Forward, the Belle Vernon boys basketball squad had a lot going against it.

The No. 1-seed Leopards were battling a 15-day layoff, and they were trying to beat the Warriors for the third time this winter.

They also had added pressures of this game potentially being the last one for a senior-laden team and its veteran coach.

It was the “Last Dance” for the Leps, but their story did not end Wednesday night.

Belle Vernon clamped down defensively in spurts in the second half and made six points in the fourth quarter stand up in a gritty 55-51 triumph over Elizabeth Forward.

“We were rusty, and being off two weeks took a lot out of us,” said BVA coach Joe Salvino. “It took time for us to settle down and score some points. Elizabeth is a good team and they were ready to play tonight. We had to weather the storm and rely on our defense.”

Last week, Salvino said this, his 41st season on the sidelines, will be his final one.

With the victory, the Leopards (19-4) extended their winning streak to 13 games and have won five of the last seven against EF. BVA improved to 51-36 all-time against EF.

The semifinal appearance is the fifth for BVA since 2018, and it will be against No. 4 Avonworth, a 72-63 winner over Knoch, on Saturday with a site and time to be determined.

“We gutted out the win, and we are happy to take this playoff win,” Salvino said. “Practice is at three o’clock tomorrow, and we will start a game plan against our next opponent. This one is over and done, and now we look ahead. We did not play our best, so hopefully that will motivate us.”

For the Warriors (18-6), defense was the emphasis and it was the main reason they stayed close in the first half and nearly pulled off the upset in the final eight minutes. EF’s prior losses to BVA this season were on Jan. 3 (63-59) and Jan. 28 (71-43).

“We spent the last two days and a lot of time in practice on the triangle-and-two defense,” EF coach Nolan Larry said. “It worked for us, and I thought the guys played with so much heart on defense. We had to switch it up against BVA and try to junk it up against them. Our guys did a great job on playing defense, and that set the tone.”

Zion Moore led all scorers in the game with 17 points for BVA, and Tommy Davis grabbed a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Trevor Kovatch chipped in 12 points.

James Gile (15), Cy Herchelroath (14) and Daniel Spence (11) led EF in the loss.

The Warriors started the game clicking with an early 6-1 lead on the strength of 3s by Spence and Herchelroath. After Spence connected on another shot from beyond the arc to give the visitors a 9-5 lead, the home team regrouped and took back momentum.

A foul shot by Dominic Ghilani started the Leopards’ run, and then Moore poured in seven straight points as BVA was nursing a 13-12 advantage at the end of one.

Kovatch and EF’s Tyler Basic exchanged 3-pointers to start the second quarter, before the Warriors retook the lead at 23-20 with an 8-4 spree. Later in the period, EF went up 27-24 after an interior bucket by Gile.

Trailing by three points, the Leopards rattled off 10 unanswered and carried a 34-29 lead into intermission. Davis scored eight of his 14 points in the second quarter for BVA.

The home team increased its edge to 42-33 midway through the third quarter with an 8-4 spurt and then grabbed a double-digit lead 49-39 later in the frame after a trey by Moore.

Gile capped off the scoring in the third for the visitors with a hoop, and EF collected the opening five points of the final quarter with a three-point play by Spence and a basket by Gile to make it 49-46.

The home team went cold from the floor in the final eight minutes but finally cracked the scoreboard with less than three minutes left in regulation with an inside hoop by Davis.

Justin Flournoy garnered a bucket for the Warriors to make it 51-48 before Moore knocked down one of two foul shots with 1:19 left.

Gile grabbed his final points of the night when he completed an impactful three-point play to make it 52-51 with 52 seconds left in regulation.

“I think defensive rebounding was the key in this game,” Larry said. “When you run a triangle-and-two defense, you put yourself in a bind with rebounding. Defensive rebounds were at a premium, and BVA won the glass. But I thought we played our best in that final eight minutes. We cut down on our turnovers and got away from those live-ball turnovers.”

BVA flexed its poise in the final minute as Davis made a critical basket in the paint and Kovatch hit one of two foul shots to secure the victory. On the final possession for the Warriors, they had a couple of chances to tie the score with a 3-pointer.

“We couldn’t let them shoot threes in the second half, and we had good ball pressure on the perimeter,” Salvino said. “We contested every one of their shots, and they did not get any open looks. Our offense struggled in that final quarter, but our defense kept us in the game.”

Despite the loss, EF’s season is not over. It will try to work its way into the state playoffs through the consolation bracket. The Warriors start that path Monday against Knoch.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward