Despite loss in section opener, signs point to strong season for Leechburg boys

By: George Guido
Thursday, January 6, 2022 | 6:20 PM

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Leechburg had hoped to augment its hot 7-0 start with a victory in the Section 3-A opener at Imani Christian on Tuesday.

Instead, the Saints used a combination of rebounding and a stingy defense to hand the Blue Devils boys their first loss of the season, 65-44.

Leechburg had entered the week rated fifth in the TribHSSN Class A rankings, while Imani stood at No. 3. But the Blue Devils are eager to move on from Tuesday’s setback.

“I think there’s really some great chemistry here,” said Leechburg coach Damian Davies. “I think that’s unique to (our start). Everybody really supports one another and they play without fear of making a mistake, and that’s really healthy for us.”

The Blue Devils had several five-point leads early against Imani, thanks to a solid shooting effort by junior guard Marcus Cleveland. In fact, Cleveland had 10 of Leechburg’s 17 points in the first period.

Cleveland had to replace Leechburg’s only graduated starter, top scorer Dylan Cook, a four-year letterman at point guard. So far this season, Cleveland has become one of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s most improved players.

“I just had to find my role,” Cleveland said. “At the beginning of the season, I didn’t know my role. I was getting more reps, and it’s tough to replace Dylan, but I’ve been playing point guard my whole life.”

“Marcus, this summer, really moved forward to running our offense and using his own ability to get to the hoop,” Davies said. “He’s a good shooter. He shoots a ton in practice.”

Cleveland spent a considerable amount of time over the summer working on his game.

“I put in a lot of work on my shot,” Cleveland said. “I’d go over to Freeport up on the hill, probably like 200 or 300 shots a day.”

Said Davies: “Marcus had a good tournament at Apollo-Ridge and had a good game at Imani. I think he’s constantly working to get better. He loves the game and everybody likes Marcus. He’s fun to play with. I’m excited for him and excited for the team.”

Things came off the rails for Leechburg in the second period Wednesday when most possessions resulted in usually a single shot as Imani utilized its height advantage.

“We played well at first when they played man for man,” Davies said. “But then they went to a zone with that 6-10 kid (Alier Maluk) in the middle, and there’s was nowhere to go. It slowed us down and it slowed Marcus down.”

The Blue Devils look to get back on the winning track Friday against Propel Andrew Street, and they don’t want one blemish erasing a good start on the hardwood after a fine football season.

“I think we’re doing very well coming off last season when we got to the semifinals,” said junior Braylan Lovelace. “We’re getting the ball out very well, and we’re playing good defense. A lot of us have played basketball coming off football seasons. We are always ready to go.”

Friday’s game has a 6 p.m. start. Andrew Street has no junior varsity team.

“Every team in our section is a private school. We’re the only public school,” Davies said. “People coming in can change the whole game. We played Neighborhood Academy at Apollo, and they have some good guards. There are coaches like George Yokitis at Aquinas. I like his up-tempo style.”

St. Joseph rounds out the six-team section.

Tags: Leechburg