Dec 3, 2003 By Mike Ciarochi 4 min read

BELLE VERNON – Oxford American Dictionary defines the word workmanlike as “characteristic of a good workman, practical.” Laurel Highlands boys basketball coach Mark John has his own definition, but my any definition, the Mustangs’ 73-47 exhibition win at Belle Vernon Tuesday night was very workmanlike.

“An old assistant coach of mine used to use that word all the time,” John said after using the word to describe his team’s effort. “To us, it means ‘just do your job, keep pecking away.’ And that describes how we won this game. You work hard to get up by 10, then work harder to get up by 20, and so on.”

Kenny Riddell led the Mustangs with 20 points, while Corey Nesser added 14 and J.T. Stefanik netted 10 points and 10 rebounds, as LH remained undefeated at 3-0. Belle Vernon (1-2) got 19 points from Matt Rowland.

The Mustangs appeared to be giving a passing clinic, as their transition game led to one fast-break lay-up after another. LH didn’t make a three-pointer the whole game and didn’t attempt very many, either.

“This is a very unselfish group of kids,” John said. “That’s why we get a lot out of our transition game. They are always looking for one another, they respect one another. They’ve been playing together a long time. They have developed good chemistry and there is an unselfishness that comes from that.”

Indeed, all night, the Mustangs were making the extra pass to give a teammate an easier shot.

After a shaky start that saw each team commit three turnovers before a point was scored, Laurel Highlands scored the game’s first 14 points, most of them coming off steals and lay-ups.

Belle Vernon fought back to 16-12 with a 12-2 run of its own, but that run came at a price.

“We came out very tight,” Leopards coach John Dudzinski said. “Once we settled in, we had climbed back into it, but we used a lot of energy to get there and before we knew it, they had put another 10-point run on the board and kept separating themselves from us.”

Indeed, it was 26-12 when Dudzinski called time out 6:12 before halftime, but the Mustangs kept stretching their lead until it reached 38-22 at the break. A 10-2 run to open the third made it 48-24 and the Mustangs cruised from there.

“We are a very inexperienced team,” Dudzinski said. “An Laurel Highlands is an excellent team. They are athletic and they’ve been together a long time. But we hung in there and didn’t quit. This game will help us down the road, though.”

The Leopards committed 11 first-quarter turnovers and finished with 25. Dudzinski was happy that as the game wore on, BVA’s turnovers diminished.

“I think Belle Vernon has a good young team,” John said. “Rowland is as good a player as you’re going to see.”

Meanwhile, the Mustangs continue to prepare for the rigors of Quad-A basketball, which John noted, “doesn’t get easier, it gets tougher.”

He added that the players are responding well to some new terminology being installed by assistant coaches Ed Zelich and Mookie John. Zelich comes to LH as an assistant principal after several seasons as Waynesburg Central’s basketball coach.

“Our assistant coaches deserve a lot of credit for how well we’re playing,” Mark John said.

“They’ve been hammering away at the kids with some new terminology and the kids are starting to respond. I think they will continue to respond as they get more comfortable with it.”

The Mustangs host Kiski Area Friday before opening Section 2-AAAA play Tuesday at Trinity. The Leopards play in the Mon Valley Invitational Wednesday and Thursday before closing the exhibition season at Albert Gallatin Friday.