Late run lifts Scotties over West Allegheny, 50-44
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
West Allegheny’s Andrew Koester (15) is called for a foul as he knocks Southmoreland’s Benjamin Niemiec (15) off his feet as he shot the ball during Friday’s WPIAL Class AAA preliminary round playoff game at Baldwin High School.
Southmoreland's Doug Leighty (33) gets a hand in the face from West Allegheny's Sean Orsini (44) as he attempts a shot during Friday's WPIAL Class AAA preliminary round playoff action at Baldwin High School.
West Allegheny's John McGoran (1) tries to block the shot of Southmoreland's Tommy Pisula (21) during Friday's WPIAL Class AAA preliminary round playoff game at Baldwin High School.
Southmoreland's Jacob Graham (10) drives to the hoop past West Allegheny's Andrew Koester (15) during Friday's WPIAL Class AAA preliminary round playoff game at Baldwin High School.
West Allegheny's Tyler Duffett (13) tries to catch Southmoreland's Zak Leighty (5) as he breaks away with the ball and scores for the Scotties during Friday's WPIAl Class AAA preliminary round playoff game at Baldwin High School.
BALDWIN — After weathering a late comeback by West Allegheny in the final eight minutes, the Southmoreland boys basketball squad ended its WPIAL Class AAA preliminary round game with an 8-3 run to capture a 50-44 victory Friday night at Baldwin High School.
The postseason win is the first for the Scotties (18-5) since the preliminary round of the 2005-06 playoffs. Southmoreland will play third-seeded Hampton on Tuesday at North Hills at 8 p.m.
“This was a special night for our program,” Southmoreland coach Frank Muccino said. “This win is gigantic and it’s a huge confidence booster for our kids. We took care of our match-ups and we played the game with our tempo. These kids put in the hard work and they fought so hard in those final eight minutes to pull off this win.”
Tommy Pisula tallied a team-high 14 points, while Zak Leighty and Charles Mills added nine apiece for the Scotties.
Andrew Koester was the catalyst for the late comeback for the Indians (10-11) with 15 of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter.
After Southmoreland tallied five quick points to start the fourth period to extend its lead to 37-22, West Allegheny responded with a 15-3 run and trimmed the deficit to 42-41 after a free throw with 1:25 left.
Six-foot-seven freshmen center Brandon Stone took over the game from there, completing an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Scotties back the momentum.
“Brandon was a non-factor for us for most of the game,” Muccino said. “He had a huge final minute-and-a-half for us and didn’t play like a freshman tonight. He’s a tall and athletic kid. He is only going to get better for us and we are excited for his future with us. This was a huge night for him, and he has a ton of ability and a ton of fire to win.”
After a pair of free throws by Benjamin Niemiec, Stone scored a breakaway lay-up and a free throw to secure the playoff win for Southmoreland.
Defenses dominated the first quarter, as the Indians held a 7-4 advantage at the end of one quarter.
The Scotties countered the three-point deficit with a 15-10 scoring edge in the second quarter and grabbed a 19-17 lead at halftime after a late trey by Mills.
Southmoreland opened the second half on a 10-2 spree and limited West Allegheny to only five points in the third quarter.
“We had a lot of seniors on our team and they were key for us tonight,” Muccino said. “Kids like Ben and Tommy are warriors and they just will their team to win. They step up in games like this and they are so mentally tough on the court.”
WPIAL Boys Playoff Sum
Class AAA
Preliminary Round
at Baldwin High School
West Allegheny 7-10-5-22 — 44
Southmoreland 4-15-14-17 — 50
West Allegheny: Andrew Koester 19, Tyler Duffett 11. Southmoreland: Tommy Pisula 14, Charles Mills 9, Zak Leighty 9. Records: West Allegheny (10-11), Southmoreland (18-5).