Free throws key as Belle Vernon edges SF
BELLE VERNON – Belle Vernon scored the game’s final five points to pull out a 66-60 win over South Fayette Friday night in a battle of two of the Section 3-AAAA tri-leaders.
“This win is really important. For the kids, the stage and the moment get bigger every game you play if you’re good,” said Belle Vernon coach Kyle DeGregorio. “South Fayette is a really good basketball team, they are athletic and they are well-coached.
“I thought the edge we had was that we had 10 guys, they didn’t, and our guys were energetic.”
South Fayette coach Dave Mislan was disappointed with the outcome but liked the effort of his team, which fell one game behind Belle Vernon and McGuffey in the section standings.
“We knew it was going to be a good game and I thought we answered a few times when they went on runs,” Mislan said. “We had some huge, unforced turnovers and it hurt us.
“They are a good team and it was a good crowd, but we will bounce back as the guys are resilient.”
With the win, BV (11-3, 6-2) remains tied with McGuffey, which won in double overtime at Keystone Oaks.
Down one point with 32 seconds to play and possession of the basketball, South Fayette (8-5, 6-2) had a chance to take the lead but a controversial no-call under the basket gave Belle Vernon the ball and South Fayette fouled the Leopards’ Griffin LaCarte.
Mislan was livid with the no-call and was called for a technical foul.
LaCarte sank the two free throws from the personal foul and Tommy Rodriguez hit one of the two technical foul shots to give Belle Vernon a four-point lead.
Rodriguez was fouled again with eight seconds to go and made the shots to give BV the six-point win.
Mislan took responsibility for the technical.
“I thought our kid was intentionally fouled so he wouldn’t get a layup and there was no call,” he said. “Honestly, I lost my mind and everything I tell my kids to not do, I did tonight.
“I snapped and reacted, I should have let it play out, and I made a mistake.”
South Fayette opened hot, jumping out to a 17-7 lead before Belle Vernon got going.
The Leopards went on an 11-0 run to end the quarter over the last 2:50, and scored the first four points of the second quarter.
After the 15-0 run, the Leopards led 23-17 only 30 seconds into the second quarter.
In the first quarter, Belle Vernon made all eight of its free throws while not being called for its first foul until the 7:04 mark of the second quarter.
Belle Vernon was 22 of 33 from the foul line while South Fayette was eight of 11.
After a 5-0 run by South Fayette to make the score 23-22, Belle Vernon went on a 13-0 run to take a 36-22 lead with 1:48 to go in the half.
The Lions went on an 8-2 run to close the half down 38-30.
South Fayette grabbed a 46-44 lead, but BV closed the quarter with a 7-0 run, including a Rodriguez three on the last play of the quarter, to take a 51-46 lead into the fourth.
Belle Vernon led the entire fourth quarter, but it did not lead by more than four points until there were eight seconds left.
Rodriguez led the Leopards with 17 points and J.J. Hartman had 11
Matt Thomas made five three-pointers and led South Fayette with a game-high 22 points while Tim Locher added 19 and Cam Garland 11. Noah Plack had 12 rebounds.