Lady Leopards make splash with win over Southmoreland
ROSTRAVER TWP. 鈥� Belle Vernon made a splash by hitting eight of 14 three-point attempts to upset highly ranked Southmoreland, 52-40, in a Section 3-AAAA girls basketball clash Monday night.
And after the game, the Lady Leopards made another splash as most of the players, as well as second-year head coach Kaitlyn Slagus, jumped into the BVA pool to celebrate.
鈥淟ast night leaving practice, the girls joked that they were all jumping in the pool if we won and I thought they were joking but they weren鈥檛,鈥� said Slagus as she tried to hold back a smile. 鈥淚t motivated the girls and anything that will motivate them, we will do.
鈥淭hey were super excited, and I was standing down there thinking I am not going to do it. I was still in my dress pants 鈥� but memories.
鈥淚t is the big ones, the wins and losses. Memories. It is all about the memories.鈥�
Viva Kreis hit a career-high five three-pointers and scored a season-high 18 points to pace Belle Vernon (3-0, 6-2).
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 really feeling it in warmups, not really,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have been working on it a lot in practice and they weren鈥檛 falling in warmups, but then I hit three of my first four.
鈥�(Southmoreland) was No. 1 in the WPIAL and it has been our goal since our freshmen year to beat them. And I am glad we got this win in defining fashion.鈥�
Slagus and Kreis both spoke about the team being determined after losing to Upper St. Clair by 32 points while Southmoreland had only lost to the Panthers by only two.
鈥淭he girls were motivated after that loss,鈥� Slagus said. 鈥淭here was a lot of energy.鈥�
鈥淲e spoke a lot about our energy,鈥� Kreis said. 鈥淲e felt the energy (from the crowd) and after the Upper St. Clair loss, we had to come out with energy.鈥�
Southmoreland coach Amber Cernuto said her team may have overlooked Belle Vernon.
鈥淚 think we took them lightly, and we always have a tough time here,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ffensively, we struggled and were hesitant, we were lackadaisical and didn鈥檛 rebound well today, and we broke down defensively.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 stop them and knew they were a three-point shooting team.鈥�
Belle Vernon used a box-and-one on Gracie Spadaro and held the 6-1 senior to six points.
鈥淲e went a box-and-one and it was all discipline on the girls end,鈥� Slagus said. 鈥淲e knew they were bigger and had an extra girl clog up the middle.
鈥淭his is our biggest win since I have been the coach, Viv shot great, and I am proud of how all of the girls played.鈥�
There were five lead changes and three ties in the first quarter and then Belle Vernon went on a 6-0 run to start the second quarter and took a 22-11 lead. However, the Lady Leopards didn鈥檛 score for the rest of the half.
The Lady Scotties (5-2, 1-1) mustered a 5-0 run to end the second quarter to trim Belle Vernon鈥檚 lead to 22-16.
The Lady Leopards blew the game wide open in the third as they hit four three-pointers and held an 18-7 advantage in the quarter to take a 40-23 lead into the fourth.
Southmoreland got no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Cernuto spoke about how the Lady Scotties, winners of two straight section crowns, have had a hiccup early both years.
鈥淲e lost to West Mifflin both years,鈥� she said. 鈥淗opefully, this is our West Mifflin, and we will get them at our place next time.鈥�
Jenna Dawson also hit double figures for BVA with 10 points while Olivia Cernuto (14) and Elle Pawlikowsky (10) led Southmoreland.