Mustangs ride big third to win
Ringgold's Dakota Browning (34) drives the ball past Laurel Highlands' Chayton Burchick Tuesday during Section 4-AAA basketball action at Ringgold.
Ringgold's Seth Cooper makes a pass around Laurel Highlands' Jake Swartz (13) and Bryce Laskey (1) during Tuesday's Section 4-AAA game at Ringgold.
Holly Tonini
Laurel Highlands’ Daniel Cavinee dribbles the ball past Ringgold’s Trevor Colucci during their Section 4-AAA game Tuesday at Ringgold. Cavinee only scored two points but had nine assists and five steals for LH.
Laurel Highlands' Jake Swartz scores two against Ringgold's Anthony Pampena during Section 4-AAA action at Ringgold on Jan. 19. The fourth-place Mustangs are one game ahead of the Rams in the battle for a WPIAL playoff spot.
CARROLL TWP. — Bryce Laskey scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the third quarter, when Laurel Highlands outscored Ringgold 23-5 en route to a 63-49 win over the Rams Tuesday night.
Hudson Novak added 16 for the game and six in the third quarter, as LH improved to 10-7 overall and 5-4 in Section 4-AAA, while the Rams fell to 7-7 and 3-5. Chayton Burchick came off the LH bench in place of Jake Swartz, who was in foul trouble, to score 13 points and pull six rebounds. Swartz finished with 12 points.
“We came out with good intensity in the third quarter,” LH coach Rick Hauger said. “We changed up our defense in the second quarter and we were pretty happy with the results. We started to get a few things in transition and we did a really good job of finding the the open guy.”
“Daniel Cavinee played his best game of the year,” Hauger added. “He had nine assists and five steals. His passing was spot on.”
Ringgold played pretty well, but only in the first quarter, according to veteran coach Phil Pergola, who was denied his 600th career win for the second consecutive game.
“We had two great games last week, but we played one quarter tonight,” Pergola said.
“Our defense was horrendous. We came out in the third quarter and had a dumb turnover right off the bat. Actually, they came out in the third quarter and we didn’t.”
“How many did they score in the third quarter?” Pergola asked rhetorically. When told the Mustangs put 23 on the board, he replied, “And we got five. It was a two-point game at halftime.”
Indeed, it was. LH had fashioned a 29-27 lead through the first 16 minutes after the Rams had claimed a 15-14 lead through one quarter.
Ringgold didn’t commit any of its 22 turnovers in the first quarter, playing a clean eight minutes, but as clean as the first quarter was, that’s how sloppy the last three were. The Rams committed nine turnovers in the third quarter.
“We’ve gotta play, not exactly a West Virginia-type tempo, but a fast one,” Hauger said in reference to the WVU Mountaineers. “But, Ringgold likes to play a more deliberate style of offense.
“In the third quarter, we finally got the tempo to our liking and our guys really took off then.”
While his team may have found itself Tuesday against the Rams, Hauger in’t sure exactly what that means in the playoff picture, especially in Section 4-AAA.
“There are so many teams jumbled together, I don’t know who is where to be honest with you. All I know is that anytime you can get a win on the road, it’s a good thing.”
Actually, the win puts LH in sole possession of fourth place and final playoff berth, for now. Ringgold fell to sixth.
Anthony Pampena led the Rams with 17 points, including five of the Rams’ 10 three-pointers.
Laurel Highlands travels to Thomas Jefferson Friday, while Ringgold visits Elizabeth-Forward.