Laurel Highlands torches reeling Belle Vernon

By: Jeremy Sellew
Friday, February 3, 2023 | 11:08 PM

Previous Next

What could have been a rebirth and momentum builder for the Belle Vernon boys basketball team was anything but that Friday night.

Laurel Highlands went into the Belle Vernon gymnasium and embarrassed the out-of-sorts Leopards, 78-59, in front of a capacity crowd.

The bread and butter of a Joe Salvino-coached basketball team is defense, but there was none to be found Friday, as Rodney Gallagher and Keondre DeShields had their way offensively. The two combined to score as many points as the entire Leopards team.

Deshields led the way with 34, with 21 coming in the second half. Gallagher added 25.

“Those two are special ballplayers. They run everything for them,” Salvino said. “But we can’t let two guys score as many as our five. That’s ridiculous. I don’t know what else to do.”

While the margin of victory for the Mustangs (16-2, 7-1) was 19, the lead hovered near or above 20 for the majority of the second half.

“I just don’t think we get it. Offensively at practice yesterday, we ran and ran the offense until I thought they knew it,” Salvino said. “Then we get in a game, get a bucket, then we just stop running it. It’s like everyone is afraid if we run the offense, they’re not going to get the ball again. It’s selfish. That’s exactly what it is.

“We just want to sit out there and play one-on-one and not play team basketball.”

Laurel Highlands used an 11-2 run in the first quarter to take an 18-10 lead after the first eight minutes.

In the second quarter, a 7-0 run extended its lead to 31-15 at the midway point of the frame.

Mason Bolish buried a 3-pointer and Deshields scored twice on easy takes in the lane.

“It was way too easy for them to drive right down the middle of the lane,” Salvino said. “We wanted to come in and when one of those two were on the perimeter, we wanted to get the trap. We wanted to make them beat us with someone else. No one wanted to step in and help.”

The Leopards (9-10, 4-4) withered the lead down to 12 after some free throws and an Alonzo Wade bucket, but Laurel Highlands was able to close with a 6-0 run capped off by a Gallagher 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it 41-23. The West Virginia football commit finished with five buckets from beyond the arc.

“When we played there, I thought Trevor (Kovatch) did a great job on him,” Salvino added. “Tonight, he was just shooting right over him and hit some big shots.”

In the second half, Belle Vernon was able to win the third quarter by a 21-18 margin. Zion Moore scored eight of his team-high 19 points.

Moore was joined in double figures by Quinton Martin, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Alonzo Wade added 13.

“We had three guys in double figures, but it wasn’t like earlier in the season when we’d get three,” Salvino said. “But again, you have two guys on the other side putting up as many points as your five. Other guys have to step up, and we can’t be afraid to share the ball.”

The Leopards went on a 7-0 run late in the third to get the lead down to 10 at 54-44. Deaubre Lightfoot and Curty Wade combined to go 3 for 4 from the line and Martin added a jumper and a steal and layup.

But Deshields silenced the Belle Vernon faithful with a three-point play and drive to the basket to give the Mustangs a 59-44 lead heading into the fourth.

That’s when things went farther off the rails for the Leps.

Laurel Highlands started the quarter with a 9-0 run to make it 68-44 with six minutes to go.

Belle Vernon didn’t get closer than 17 the rest of the way.

“It’s embarassing. This team came in here knowing it was a big game, and they wanted it more than we did. That’s not acceptable,” Salvino said. “This game was obviously bigger for them than it was for us. I thought after the Franklin Regional game and the North Hills game, we were on the right track. I loved what I saw from them. Now we’re on our way back down.

“We’re hiding. We’re hiding from teams. I never thought we’d be at 9-10 and 4-4 in the section. I thought our athleticism would make us a better team. Instead, things don’t go our way and we pout so much, it’s just unreal.”

The Leopards – losers of three straight – will look to get back on track Tuesday when they travel to Albert Gallatin before finishing with Elizabeth Forward at home Friday.

“We have to win both of those games,” Salvino said. “I thought if we could have won tonight, maybe we’d be able to climb into a better seed for the playoffs. Now it looks like we’ll be on the road for the playoffs. We have to clinch a spot first.”

Tags: Belle Vernon, Laurel Highlands