Feb 20, 2014 By Paul S. Brittain for The 3 min read

CANONSBURG — Last year, the Belle Vernon girls’ basketball team reversed a regular season loss to Greensburg Salem in the WPIAL playoffs. On Wednesday, the Lady Leps were on the unfortunate end of a similar reversal as Mount Pleasant rallied for a 46-42 WPIAL playoff win at Canon-McMillan High School.

Belle Vernon (16-7) won a January non-section game at Mount Pleasant, and seemed on the way to a second win over the Lady Vikings after building nine point leads twice in the first half on Wednesday.

But junior dynamo Alexa Szelong led a determined comeback for MP that turned an 18-9 deficit into a 19-18 halftime lead. Szelong scored seven straight points and Elaina Fearer sank a 3-point basket with three seconds left in the half to give the Lady Vikings their first lead.

Belle Vernon regained the lead by outscoring Mount Pleasant 9-3 to start the third quarter on a basket by Meghan Murphy, a free throw and basket by Phaedra DeWitt, and baskets by Sam Mendicino and Kaitlyn Slagus to offset another trey by Fearer.

Trailing 27-22, Mount Pleasant got six points by Szelong to close the quarter on a 6-2 run as Belle Vernon led 29-28.

Angela Sullivan and Slagus opened the fourth quarter with baskets for a 33-28 BV lead. But Kadey Donitzen scored twice around the basket by Morgan Barlock as Mount Pleasant regained the lead at 34-33.

After Slagus scored to give the Lady Leps their final lead, Mount Pleasant (15-8) went ahead for good at 40-35 on six straight points by Szelong.

After Slagus sank two free throws, Belle Vernon took a time out with 1:49 left.

But Barlock sank two free throws and Donitzen added another foul shot for a 43-37 lead.

In the final half minute, Kaitlyn Thomas sank a trey and Slagus added a basket for BV, but Barlock sank three of four free throws to seal the win at 46-42.

Szelong led all scorers with 24 points while Slagus led Belle Vernon with 19 points.

Belle Vernon coach Lisa Fairman said the game came down to several turnovers in a 40 to 50 second span late in the fourth quarter.

“It came down to who was going to be the one to break at the end and unfortunately we had two or three key turnovers. We had some missed opportunities and did not shoot well from the foul line. We had the opportunity to get the ball inside and didn’t.

“I’m proud of my girls. They played really hard, and you have to give credit to Mount Pleasant.”

Mount Pleasant coach Scott Giacobbi said Szelong “has the capability to take over a game. But she’s also selfless and distributes the ball to other people.”

He said Fearer’s 3-point baskets late in the first half and early in the second half “were big ones. She’s a senior and understands the flow of the game. She saw the opportunity and capitalized.”

Giacobbi said his team didn’t panic in the first half. “We’ve been there before,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t come out well at the beginning of games because of jitters and nerves.”