Lincoln Park Crushes Monessen in Boys Class A Championship Game

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 28, 2014 | 9:35 PM

It was all Lincoln Park (25-1) after the first quarter as the Leopards claimed their second WPIAL championship in a short school history with a 85-41 victory over the Monessen Greyhounds (20-6) in the McDonald’s/WPIAL Class A Boys Championship Game at the A.J. Palumbo Center on Friday evening. Elijah Minnie had a triple double with 20 points, 16 rebounds and 12 blocked shots as the mercy rule took effect with 3:23 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Monessen scored the first seven points of the game, forcing Leopards’ coach Mark Javens to call a timeout to settle his troops down. Maverick Rowan took over the remainder of the quarter, he notched 12 of his game-high 25 points in the first as the Leopards stormed back to take a 22-16 lead. Monessen shot 7-of-15 in the opening frame, while Lincoln Park was 10-of-20.

Lincoln Park took over the game in the second quarter with a 12-2 scoring run highlighted by a Rowan dunk. The Leopards got a scare with 2:29 left in the half as Minnie was injured. Minnie’s knee was clipped by a Monessen player as they dove for a loose ball. The senior would return a short time later and hit one of his several dunks on the night. Lincoln Park finished the half on a 9-0 run and claimed a 45-21 lead at the break. The Greyhounds were 1-of-12 from the floor in the second quarter, scoring just five points.

Minnie continued his dominance against his former team in the third, with blocked shots, rebounds and even a three pointer. The Leopards snagged 15 rebounds in the quarter, they finished with a 45-31 advantage.

Antonio Kellum scored 16 points for Lincoln Park, Ryan Skovranko added 11. The Leopards were 35-of-67 from the floor, including 2-0f-6 from behind the arc. The Leopards committed 14 turnovers and go to 25-1 on the season, with their only loss coming over the holidays to New Castle in the C.J. Betters Classic. Lincoln Park will meet the third place team from District 9 in the opening round of the state playoffs next Friday.

Monessen was led by Javon Brown’s 10 points. After the 7-of-15 start from the floor, the Greyhounds were 8-of-50 for the remaining three quarters, finishing 15-of-65. The Greyhounds committed 15 turnovers as well. Monessen meets the loser of tonight’s game between Cochranton and Erie First Christian next Friday.

Score by Quarters:
Lincoln Park Leopards  22 – 25 – 21 – 17  = 85
Monessen Greyhounds  16 – 5 – 14 – 6 = 41

Click Here for Audio and Video Interviews with Antonio Kellem, Elijah Minnie and Maverick Rowan.