Masked man Moore scores 24 to lead Deer Lakes boys over Belle Vernon

By: Josh Rizzo
Friday, December 27, 2024 | 10:02 PM

Previous Next

Deer Lakes forward Nate Moore already had a test run with the protective plastic mask that adorned his face. When Moore needed to get underneath the basket and battle Friday during the Deer Lakes Christmas Tournament against Belle Vernon, he did so with confidence.

Moore will have to wear the mask for three weeks after breaking his nose against Burrell earlier this month. Against the Leopards, Moore scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to help the Lancers pick up a 71-59 win.

“It’s honestly not that bad,” Moore said. “Maybe down near my eyes I get a glare, but it’s not that bad.”

Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher said he thought Moore worked out the kinks during a loss to Plum last week.

“I know at Plum on Monday, the first time he had to wear it, he was fiddling with it,” Fletcher said. “I know that’s tough. He battled through that. He won’t sit out unless the doctor says he can’t go.”

The Lancers (8-2) needed that grit in a game in which they got off to a slow start against a depleted Belle Vernon roster. The Leopards were missing four of their starters because of disciplinary reasons with the school, coach Joe Salvino said.

Luca Ghilani (13 points), Trevor Kovatch (11) and Jude Minniti (10) finished in double figures for Belle Vernon.

“It gave these kids an opportunity to show me what they can do,” Salvino said.

Belle Vernon (6-4) didn’t look like a team missing personnel during the opening frame. The Leopards built a 21-13 lead thanks to nine points from Dane Daugherty. Daughtery finished with a team-high 18.

“They have some big guys,” Fletcher said. “They have size. We have to be physical. We didn’t have five guys collectively that were physical during the first quarter. We had two guys here, three guys there. Going to a zone slowed down the number of shots they got to put us in a better position to rebound.”

Deer Lakes surged ahead with a 15-0 run during the second quarter. Moore gave Deer Lakes the lead for good, 28-26, with a layup with 4 minutes, 15 seconds left before halftime.

The Leopards were ahead 26-17 before Deer Lakes’ surge.

Moore said Deer Lakes did a better job defensively during the second quarter.

“We went into a zone, and it helped,” Moore said. “Putting a body on someone helped.”

Collin Rodgers (17 points), JT McCue (13) and Luca Mangieri (10) also finished in double figures for the Lancers.

Deer Lakes will play Indiana in the championship game Saturday. The Leopards will have Keystone Oaks in the third-place game.

“We always try to schedule good things to come in here,” Fletcher said. “It helps us with the stretch run in February. We’ve done it throughout the years here, and we will continue to do it in the future. Playing back-to-back nights is tough, too.”

Tags: Belle Vernon, Deer Lakes