Not your average win for Joe; Belle Vernon rallies to stun Monessen
BELLE VERNON – Emotions were at a premium Saturday afternoon and Belle Vernon boys basketball coach Joe Salvino, formerly the coach at Monessen, was at the center of attention as he faced his former team for the first time.
Down 53-43 heading into the fourth, Belle Vernon took advantage of 11 Monessen turnovers and outscored the Greyhounds 23-6 in the frame to rally and pull out a 66-59 win in a nonsection game.
Salvino, who coached the last 34 years at Monessen, tried to downplay facing his alma mater, but his body language was different than it was prior to tipoff.
“I knew how it was going to be, but again, I am at a different place now,” he said. “It was nice of the (Monessen) players to come over to me (during the pregame).”
Monessen coach Dan Bosnic talked about the Greyhounds’ fourth-quarter struggles.
“We lost our way there in the fourth quarter,” he said. “Plus, we shot shots that are not bad shots in the realm of basketball, but they are bad for us. We went through a spell there and Belle Vernon made plays.”
During the fourth-quarter run, Belle Vernon’s Cam Nusser drained a pair of 25-foot three-pointers and Monessen (7-6) could not overcome foul issues late in the game.
“We never gave up and when Cam (Nusser) hit those two threes, it made our defense play harder,” Salvino said. “Hopefully, it gives us momentum.”
“We stayed confident, even when we were down,” said Nusser, who finished with 19 points. “With the threes, I was just trying to make plays for the team, and it didn’t necessarily have to be me, but I am happy it was as it could have been anyone. I am just happy to get the win because I get up for Monessen.”
Hunter Ruokonen was the catalyst for Belle Vernon (4-12) as he finished with career-highs with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
“They were focusing on Cam so I had to step up and try to be a catalyst for the team,” he said. “If we always played as a team, it shows how much we can improve.
“We wanted to get this win for Coach and we knew he wanted it because of what he did there.”
Salvino won 643 games, six WPIAL championships and a pair of PIAA titles at Monessen.
The Greyhounds jumped out to an 11-0 lead. Freshman Devin Whitlock paced the run with five points and an assist.
Ruokonen finally broke the ice for the Leopards when he hit one of two free throws with 5:07 to go in the quarter, and after a steal, he made the first Belle Vernon basket.
Leading 21-16 going into the second quarter, Monessen went on a 5-0 run behind a Dishon Howell three-pointer and a Whitlock layup.
Belle Vernon again had trouble scoring in the second quarter and didn’t make a basket until there was 1:12 left. The Greyhounds outscored the Leopards 15-9 in the second quarter, despite foul trouble, to take a 36-25 lead into halftime.
For the game, Monessen was called for 22 fouls to 11 for Belle Vernon.
Marquell Smith scored to give Monessen a 38-25 lead early in the third, but the Leopards went on an 11-0 run to cut the Greyhounds’ lead to 38-36. Monessen countered with a 7-0 run and took a 53-43 lead into the fourth quarter before Belle Vernon made its comeback.
Elijahwa Payne finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds for Monessen. Whitlock had 15 points, Marquell Smith added 11 and Dishon Howell 10.
Mitch Pohlot had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Belle Vernon and Jake Sepesky grabbed 10 rebounds.
After the game, Salvino showed class as he spoke individually to each Monessen player as the teams shook hands. He told them, “Don’t put your head down, you have a season to worry about.”
Monessen finished with 24 turnovers. BVA had 22.
Belle Vernon leads the all-time series against Monessen, 30-29.