Saturday, February 22, 2025, 12:15AM |  27°
MENU
Advertisement
Quaker Valley’s Daniel Bartels tries to keep Belle Vernon's Zion Moore from the basket in a WPIAL Class 4A playoff game Monday. Moore scored 32 points in an 81-55 win.
4
MORE

Belle Vernon gets 'up,' beats defending WPIAL champ Quaker Valley in Class 4A playoffs

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Belle Vernon gets 'up,' beats defending WPIAL champ Quaker Valley in Class 4A playoffs

The Belle Vernon Leopards have some size, plenty of athleticism and certainly some talent. That’s why coach Joe Salvino admits frustration over his team’s inconsistent season, and he pulls no punches when it comes to the reasons.

“It’s very hard to figure out in a way, but I kind of know why,” Salvino said. “We’ve been selfish, we’ve played very lazy defense and at times we play too much 1 on 5. We’ve been up and down the whole season.”

But Belle Vernon picked a good time to move the needle upward.

Advertisement

The Leopards played their first WPIAL playoff game Monday night and also played one of their best games of the season. A lot of those things Salvino lamented seemed to disappear when Belle Vernon beat host Quaker Valley, 81-55, in a Class 4A first-round game.

Our Lady of Sacred Heart's Rocco Spadafora handles the ball in 2022. On Monday, Spadafora and OLSH held off Beaver Falls, 75-67, in a Class 3A WPIAL playoff game.
Keith Barnes
Boys basketball: Our Lady of Sacred Heart holds off Beaver Falls’ bid for upset

Quaker Valley is the defending WPIAL 4A champ. Although this team doesn’t compare to last year’s, these Quakers did enter the playoffs with a 14-6 record and tied for a section title in the regular season. Plus, coach Mike Mastroianni’s teams don’t lose in the first round very often. This was the 19th consecutive year the Quakers made the playoffs, and the first time they lost in the first round since 2010.

Meanwhile, the win evened Belle Vernon’s record at 11-11 and put the Leopards into the quarterfinals against Laurel Highlands. Belle Vernon started the season 1-4 while it played without some of its top players who were on the football team that won a state championship. Even when those football players came back, things didn’t always mesh.

“We ran offense in this game and we played defense,” said Salvino, who picked up a convenience store victory with career win No. 711. “We can be a very good team. I’ve said that all along. The thing was, we didn’t know if it ever was going to happen. I know football has something to do with it, but football has been over a long time. Sooner or later, you just have to do it.”

Advertisement

And against Quaker Valley, Moore was plenty. Zion Moore, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, poured in 32 points to lead the Leopards to the win. Moore made 10 of his 14 shots in the first three quarters, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Not only did he hurt Quaker Valley with outside shots, but also on drives to the basket.

“Oh my goodness, he’s so good,” Mastroianni said.

Moore believes Belle Vernon could be a changed team for the playoffs.

“We’ve been playing selfish. For real, I admit it,” Moore said. “We haven’t been on the boards a lot, either, or playing great defense. We’ve been playing one-on-one ball.

Connor Spratt scored 31 points for Seton-LaSalle in a victory against Washington in a WPIAL first-round game.
From local dispatches
Boys basketball playoff highlights: Seton LaSalle holds off Washington for upset

“Coach has been on our butts, but we had very good practices last week. We got the intensity up at practice, came into this game with confidence and just took over.”

Belle Vernon jumped to a seven-point lead in the first quarter and opened up an 11-point advantage in the second quarter before Quaker Valley cut it to 35-31 at halftime. But Belle Vernon shot a sizzling 64% (22 of 33) in the second half while Quaker Valley shot only 30% (9 of 30). Belle Vernon opened up a 56-39 lead with 2:41 left in the third quarter and breezed from there.

One of Quaker Valley’s top players, senior guard Troy Kozar, was limited because of a sprained ankle, did not start and scored only three points.

“Even saying that, we knew we would have to play a great game,” Mastroianni said. “We said at halftime that we were only down four and we didn’t even compete at all. We needed some defensive stops, but we could never stop them. I’m not sure how many games that has happened to us, but we weren’t good at any matchup.”

Junior guard Joseph Coyle led Quaker Valley with 20 points and senior guard Noah Jordan added 14.

Quinton Martin, a junior forward and Belle Vernon football star, showed his athleticism at various times and scored 15 points while pulling down 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Trevor Kovatch added 13 points.

Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh

First Published: February 21, 2023, 3:50 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Penguins fans hold up cards for recently retired Hockey Hall of Fame announcer Mike Lange in a tribute him during a break in the first period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, in Pittsburgh.
1
sports
Mike Sullivan, longtime Penguins players reflect on life and legacy of Mike Lange
Cars drive through snow on Washington Road in Bethel Park Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.
2
news
Pittsburgh will climb out of an Arctic cold snap and into above-average temperatures soon. Will it last?
An airplane lands at Pittsburgh International Airport Tuesday, Feb. 4,  2025.
3
news
Pittsburgh International Airport can attract more flights with landing fee waivers, airport authority says
President Donald Trump speaks Friday at the Governors Working Session in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington.
4
news
President Trump spars with Maine's governor at the White House over transgender athletes
Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. prior to an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass.
5
sports
Steelers sign veteran tight end Donald Parham Jr. for offseason depth
Quaker Valley’s Daniel Bartels tries to keep Belle Vernon's Zion Moore from the basket in a WPIAL Class 4A playoff game Monday. Moore scored 32 points in an 81-55 win.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Belle Vernon celebreates its 81-55 victory against Quaker Valley.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin goes for two over Quaker Valley defenders.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Quaker Valley’s Daniel Bartels goes up for a rebound against Belle Vernon’s Alonzo Wade.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story