Laurel Highlands lives up to hype, knocks off Belle Vernon

By: Jose Negron
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | 11:37 PM

Not often does pomp and circumstance surround an ordinary nonsection boys basketball game in the middle of January.

Wednesday’s showdown between Class 4A No. 2 Belle Vernon and Class 5A No. 1 Laurel Highlands wasn’t your ordinary affair, though.

And it lived up to the hype.

With the game tied at 49-49 after three quarters, the Mustangs used an 11-0 run to gain separation in the fourth, capturing a 76-67 win in a battle of unbeatens inside a packed Harold “Horse” Taylor Memorial Gymnasium.

The capacity crowd included Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi and Penn State’s James Franklin, in attendance to watch two of the WPIAL’s top football recruits in Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher and Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin.

“It was a great atmosphere, and it was good for both of us because we both needed to play each other,” Laurel Highlands coach Rick Hauger said. “I knew it was going to be a dogfight all the way. I was rather confident that it would be.”

Down the stretch, and throughout the entirety of the contest, the Mustangs (12-0) relied on their talented quartet of Gallagher, Brandon Davis, Keondre DeShields and Jayden Pratt.

LH opened the fourth quarter with five straight points on a 3-pointer by DeShields and a jumper by Pratt before BVA (12-1) answered with 3-pointers from Daniel Gordon and Devin Whitlock. The pair of treys put BVA in front, 55-54.

A three on the other end by Gallagher made it a two-point game and kick-started an 11-0 spurt that put LH ahead, 65-55, with 5:12 to go.

Davis had four points during the run, while DeShields and Pratt each added buckets inside.

Davis, who poured in a team-high 29 points, was especially valuable at the foul line in the final minutes. He went 7 for 8 to help preserve the win.

“He has a well-rounded game,” Hauger said of Davis, who converted 13 of 14 total attempts at the free-throw line. “He can shoot the 3, he can take the ball to the basket, he can shoot a pull-up jumper, and the one thing he really likes is to guard people. You don’t always find that.

“Brandon has an explosiveness that not a lot of people have. He knows how to use it and he’s fearless.”

Whitlock scored 15 of BVA’s 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Leopards struggled to capitalize on a number of their offensive opportunities after LH’s run of 11 unanswered. Whitlock hit five 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 29 points in the loss. He also added eight rebounds.

“Devin is Devin. He’s a person that just doesn’t want to lose,” Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino said. “He’s definitely a kid who is going to fight until the very end.”

A slow start put BVA behind in the first quarter as a 12-0 run by LH turned an 8-5 lead into a 20-5 advantage over the course of two and a half minutes. Davis and DeShields began the run with a pair of inside baskets before a three-point play by Gallagher pushed the lead to 10. Davis followed with a trey and a pair from the charity stripe.

The Leopards answered by ending a nearly three-minute long drought as Martin scored four straight points to cut the LH lead to 20-9 after one quarter. Martin finished with 10 points.

“We had that slow start, and I think that’s due to not putting enough pressure on ourselves so far throughout the year,” Salvino said. “We’ve kinda coasted and we’re looking at the competition instead of just going out there and playing.

“We have to get out of this mode where we have sluggish starts and begin playing from the beginning.”

Gallagher opened the second quarter with a 3 to make it a 14-point cushion for LH before BVA started to get going on the offensive end of the floor.

Gordon scored 7 of his 11 second-quarter points during a 16-3 run that cut BVA’s deficit to 26-25 with 2:43 left.

Davis scored five unanswered points on a 3 and a putback, but Gordon responded with a pair from the free-throw line to cut the lead to four.

LH maintained a six-point edge before Davis hit a late layup to push the lead to 38-30 heading into halftime.

The Mustangs led by as many as eight points midway through the third quarter, but another surge by the Leopards helped turn things around.

With their team trailing 47-39, Whitlock hit a 3, Gordon drained a floater in the lane and Martin hit a pair of foul shots to cut the lead to 47-46.

After a pair of missed free throws from Gallagher, Whitlock connected with another trey to put BVA in front for the first time at 49-47.

A late bucket by Gallagher tied the game heading into a fourth quarter in which the Mustangs outscored the Leopards, 27-18.

Davis was one of four LH players to finish in double figures. Gallagher netted 16, DeShields added 15 and Pratt had eight of his 10 in the final eight minutes.

Gordon hit four 3-pointers and poured in a career-high 25 points to join Whitlock in double figures. Martin added a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“Daniel is a big player for us with his 3-point shooting and even his defense, he’s come a long way for us since he was a freshman,” Salvino said. “He’s always been able to shoot the ball, but he’s picked things up with his defense, too.”

After suffering their first loss of the season, the Leopards will now turn their attention to the second half of section play. They return to action Friday for a home matchup against Mt. Pleasant.

“This was like a playoff atmopshere, but we have to look at every game like it’s a playoff game. I know it’s hard for kids, but we are preparing for what’s to come,” said Salvino, whose team is still a perfect 6-0 in Section 3-4A games. “We haven’t been playing really well and then all of a sudden you’re playing Laurel Highlands and you’re supposed to turn it on, but things don’t happen like that. You have to push yourself constantly from the moment you step on that floor.”

Tags: Belle Vernon, Laurel Highlands