BVA boys blast Uniontown for first win of the season
By Jose Negron
jnegron@yourmvi.com
With a three-week government-mandated shutdown of high school sports now in its rear-view mirror, the Belle Vernon Area boys basketball team was determined to move on from its season-opening loss to Thomas Jefferson.
The Leopards looked unfazed by the long layoff and their less than ideal start to the new campaign as they rolled past Uniontown, 67-41, in Section 3-4A play Friday evening.
BVA (1-1, 1-0) used a stingy defensive effort and a balanced scoring attack to earn its first win of the season and start the section slate off on a high note.
“That’s a good win to start off section play,” BVA head coach Joe Salvino said. “I thought our intensity was a lot better throughout the whole game, whereas in the TJ game we came out strong but didn’t score in the third quarter and our confidence went downhill.
“We stopped playing defense in that one and that’s what really hurt us. In this game here, I thought we played a total four quarters.”
The Leopards held a slim 19-15 lead after eight minutes of play behind a strong first quarter effort by junior Devin Whitlock, who scored 10 of his game-high 23 points. Whitlock, who was limited to just 10 points and four assists against TJ, added six rebounds and five assists.
“I liked the way he took the ball to the hole. He took the ball strong and didn’t settle for the 3-point shot,” Salvino said. “I thought he did that a little bit too much in the TJ game, but he played well in this one.”
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