Belle Vernon overcomes halftime deficit; Davis hits clutch free throw to secure 1-point win over Avonworth

By: Adam Brewer
Saturday, February 22, 2025 | 8:03 PM

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The Belle Vernon boys basketball team faced an eight-point halftime deficit and had several of its starters in foul trouble.

Some teams might have cracked under the pressure, but not the Leopards.

Led by four players in double figures, Belle Vernon overcame Avonworth as Tommy Davis sank a free throw in the final seconds to give the Leopards a dramatic 57-56 victory in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals Saturday afternoon at Peters Township’s AHN Arena.

“These two teams are so evenly matched,” said BVA coach Joe Salvino, who is coaching in his final season after 41 years on the sidelines. “There is no doubt about that. Avonworth has a nice team, and their top guy is as advertised.”

The Leopards (20-4) extended their winning streak to 14 games and advanced to their first championship game since 2020. BVA’s lone district title was in 1978.

“It means everything to get to the finals,” said BVA senior guard Trevor Kovatch, who tallied 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second half. “This is something we been talking about since the last day of last season. We lost to Montour in the semifinals my freshman year, and I had a cousin that also lost later in the semis to North Catholic. To get to the finals is awesome.”

The top-seeded Leopards will face No. 2 North Catholic, which improved to 19-5 after a 71-42 victory over Beaver, at 9 p.m. on Thursday at Peterson Events Center.

Zion Moore scored 14 points for BVA, and Davis and Dominic Ghilani chipped in 11 each.

“To make it to the finals in my final year is special. All the credit goes to the kids,” Salvino said while holding back his emotions. “We never got in any type of rhythm in the first half because we had so many of our starters out with foul trouble.

“Zion was the only one scoring in the first half. But in the second half, Trevor made some tough shots, and then our bigs controlled the inside and got some huge points.”

The WPIAL’s leading scorer, Rowan Carmichael, did all he could to help the Antelopes (18-6) get the win, scoring 31 points and hoisting up a shot off an inbounds pass with 1 second left that rimmed out. Noah Goetz added 10.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Avonworth coach Joe Frank said. “You had two good teams battling it out for the whole game, and, unfortunately, someone had to lose. I am proud of my guys. I am proud of Rowan and all he did today. We just didn’t get that last bucket.”

Avonworth was looking for its first finals appearance since 2022 when it lost to Shady Side Academy. The Antelopes will play in the third-place game sometime next week against Beaver.

It was a back-and-forth opening quarter as both teams came out flying in front of a packed gym. The Leopards led 15-14 at the end of one, but the Antelopes grabbed the momentum in the second quarter with an 18-9 scoring outburst.

Avonworth started the second stanza with an 8-2 spree and built a 22-17 lead. After a 7-2 spurt by the No. 1 seed, the Antelopes closed the first half with an 8-1 fury that included a late second, buzzer beating three by Carmichael to make it 32-24.

“I have unbelievable confidence in my team,” Salvino said. “I knew eventually we will find our shot and our offense in the second half. I knew they would never give up. Carmichel is a tough matchup for anybody. I thought both Curtis Wade and Deubre Lightfoot did a really good job of being physical and making it tough for him to score.”

The Leopards came out firing after halftime with six unanswered points, but the Antelopes responded with a 9-3 spurt to push their lead to 41-33. Moore then collected a 3, and Kovatch scored six straight points to make it 42-41 Belle Vernon.

“I had to play a lot smarter and readjust my game in that second half,” Kovatch said. “My team needed me on the court, and, luckily, I got some shots to fall. On defense, we sat more in and avoided any dumb fouls. Sometimes you have to fight through those tough foul calls.”

Avonworth ended the third with a 5-2 spurt to regain the lead and then took a 49-46 lead in the early stages of the fourth after a 3-pointer by Goetz.

On the Leopards’ next possession, Moore worked his way into the paint, leading to a three-point play that started a 9-0 spree for Belle Vernon. Ghilani added a pair of baskets, and Davis had a putback that gave the Leopards a 55-49 edge with 2:16 remaining.

Carmichael compiled a three-point play at 1:59 to make it a one-possession game. After Davis hit one of two free throws, Carmichael hit a floater in the lane to make it 56-54 with 56 seconds left.

The Leopards, who went 11 for 22 at the free-throw line, missed four straight and gave the Antelopes a chance to tie. Carmichael needed only one look, and his runner knotted the score at 56-56 with less than 30 seconds left.

“We are usually a pretty good foul-shooting team,” Salvino said. “So getting those misses at the line was very unusual for us. It could be the pressure or the atmosphere, but I knew it would hurt us missing those shots. Luckily for us, they ran out of time and we got the win.”

BVA elected not to call a timeout, and that worked in its favor as the ball got to Davis near the hoop, and he was fouled with 5 seconds left to set up his winning free throw.

Tags: Avonworth, Belle Vernon