BeeGraphix rolls to MVISBL boys crown

By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com
Championship pedigree continues to ooze out of former Vincentian Academy head coach Tim Tyree, former VA player Trey Champine and Laurel Highlands guard Rodney Gallagher III.
The trio added another title to their resumes Thursday night as BeeGraphix used a devastating 18-0 run early in the first half and built an insurmountable lead in topping top-seeded Farmers Insurance, 77-67, to win the inaugural Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League boys division championship.
While Farmers (9-3) claimed two earlier victories over BeeGraphix during the regular season, Tyree and his squad snatched a win in the final and most important matchup of the season.
“When you have players like Rod Gallagher and Brayden Reynolds, those are two guys that know how to win and are going to do whatever is absolutely necessary to win a championship,” Tyree said. “We got off to a fast start and it was good to get ahead and not have to play from behind like we did in the first two meetings against those guys.”
After Farmers’ Tayshawn Levy (Washington) scored the first basket for his team to make it 3-2, BeeGraphix (10-2) just exploded for the big run.
Gallagher, was the unanimous choice for the league’s most valuable player award, started things off with a 3-pointer. Champine, who finished 5 of 6 from 3-point range in the game, hit a pair of threes during the run.
Gallagher finished with a game-high 20 points and completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Champine was right behind him with 19 points.
“We turned the ball over way too many times during that long run they had and we were just sitting around and watching on defense,” Farmers head coach Dana Zajicek said. “It wasn’t even really Gallagher and Reynolds that killed us early. It was Trey.”
After Levy and Palumbo scored for Farmers to make it 21-6, BeeGraphix started rolling again behind another 3-pointer from Champine and baskets by Thomas Jefferson’s Shawn McSwiggen and five points from Belle Vernon freshman-to-be Quinton Martin.
Martin added 11 points for BeeGraphix, but it was his defensive effort that stood out for Tyree.
“Q is wise beyond his years,” Tyree said. “Every single game there’s one or two things he does athletically that are just mind-blowing. I know Coach (Joe) Salvino is going to love having him and he’ll be playing at a real high level.”
BeeGraphix’s lead swelled to 37-18 with three minutes to go in the opening half before Champine hit another three and Gallagher added another. It was just a pure onslaught as BeeGraphix led 51-27 at halftime, leaving the large crowd and Farmers team a little stunned.
“There was just nothing going in for us and they hit all their shots,” Zajicek said. “We had a little foul trouble with Omar (Faulkner) and Rob (Robinson) getting three in the half. So that really hurt us in the interior and cutting them off getting to the basket.”
After 3-pointers Gallagher, Champine and Martin and a pair of free throws from Reynolds, BeeGraphix took a commanding 66-40 lead with 10 minutes to go.
But Farmers and the talent on their roster wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Levy, who finished with 17 points, scored consecutive baskets and Laurel Highlands’ Caleb Palumbo hit a 3-pointer to start the run Farmers needed to get back into the game.
BVA’s Devin Whitlock scored off a pair of steals before Ringgold’s Nick Peccon nailed a 3-pointer to cut the lead down to 66-51.
Faulkner added a basket of a great interior feed from Whitlock and after Gallagher scored on a drive to the basket, Palumbo hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a 70-64 game. As the second hit the bottom of the net, the crowd inside the gym came to life as momentum was clearly on Farmers’ side with just over two minutes to play.
“We did a great job picking up the pressure and our intensity on defense,” Zajicek said of his team’s run. “It was all about our intensity level. It really allowed us to get back into it.”
But Tyree turned to his two big guns, Reynolds and Gallagher to control the ball as Farmers was forced to start fouling and trying to force turnovers.
Reynolds and Champine combined to go 5 for 6 from the line and Martin added a jumper to seal Farmers’ fate and claim the golden ball for BeeGraphix.
“We really just wanted to keep it simple there as they made their run. With guys like Devin and Omar and shooters like Palumbo and Levy, it was inevitable they were going to make a run at us,” Tyree said. “But Rod controls the game for us and we wanted to be true to our spacing and not over-complicate things. And with those guys, I really didn’t want to over coach them either.
“In the end, you come out here to play and win a championship. Our guys knew what was at stake and they played great for two halves. We knew that’s what it was going to take.”
“We just can’t get off to the start we did. They finished with 51 points in the first half, so we held them to 26 points in the second half. That’s good against a group like that,” Zajicek said. “We battled. That’s just the way basketball is sometimes.”
After claiming the title, Tyree said he’s eager to come back next season with most of his roster, including the MVP returning.
“My hat’s off to everyone that’s a part of this league,” Tyree said. “The competition has been phenomenal and it’s second to no one when it comes to high school-level hoops here in the summer. I’m looking forward to seeing the talent level go up even higher and coming to compete again next season.”