Leechburg not caught looking ahead against Riverview

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, January 20, 2018 | 12:15 AM

So much for any thought of a trap game.

With a big Section 1-AA showdown looming against Jeannette on Saturday afternoon, Leechburg didn't chance looking ahead.

The Blue Devils started on a torrid pace in the first quarter and cruised to a 66-42 victory over rival Riverview Friday night.

Christian Hack, honored before the game for eclipsing the 1,000-career point mark, scored 13 in the first quarter as Leechburg raced to a 19-5 advantage.

Leechburg committed just one turnover in the first quarter.

The Blue Devils are 3-3 in section play, 8-4 overall. Leechburg is 2½ games behind the Jayhawks.

“We wanted to come out confident tonight, last game we should have had,” Hack said, referring to Wednesday's 59-58 setback against Serra Catholic. “We came out hitting our shots tonight and felt good. We don't want to look ahead to Jeannette. We have to take care of business here first.”

“You can never look ahead,” said Leechburg coach Corey Smith. “This is a section game as well. We came out from the jump, ready to go.”

For a short while, Hack was on a pace to approach the school's all-time, single-game scoring record of 54 points set by Jon Blanciak in the early 1990s. He scored the final seven Leechburg points of the first quarter.

He had his 19th and final point of the night on a 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 39 seconds left in the half as Smith began to clear the bench late in the second quarter as the Blue Devils built a 40-16 lead by halftime.

In a shot that typified the night, reserve Connor McDermott drained a long jumper just before the buzzer.

Riverview (2-11, 0-6) had a couple players out because of illness, but Paul Sapotichne wasn't making excuses.

“The last four games, with the exception of the second half against Greensburg Central, we had leads and played our teams close.” Sapotichne said. “They were quicker to the ball than us. We weren't mentally ready. We were tired, and they just jumped on us. That's what a good team does.”

Leechburg's fast break was clicking as the Blue Devils soared to a 60-30 advantage after three quarters.

“Everybody was hands-on tonight, ready to go,” Smith said. “John Miskinis had 14 points, eights rebounds, five assists and three steals. This was a confidence-booster for him. He's had a couple of rough games. He had an ankle injury, but he stepped it up.”

A bright spot for the Raiders was the play of junior guard Noah Black, grandson of legendary Mt. Lebanon coach Dick Black. Noah had 17 points on four 3-pointers and was 5 of 6 from the free-throw line.

“He can shoot the ball,” Sapotichne said of Noah. “We try to set up shots for him. He's a confident shooter. He's been making key shots for us, and he is only going to get better. Noah works hard at the game and comes from a basketball family.”

Freshman Gideon Deasy, the smallest starter on the floor at 5-foot-6, led the Raiders in rebounds with seven.

“Riverview's well-coached,” Smith said. “Coach Sapotichne was at Greensburg Salem when I played for Kiski Area. He has a lot of knowledge and experience. You've got to be ready for his teams and get out there and execute.”

The Raiders were 18 of 20 from the foul line.

Jake Blumer had eight rebounds for Leechburg, and Tyler Leech collected seven.

George Guido is a freelance writer.

Tags: Leechburg, Riverview