Monessen sets WPIAL playoff mark
CANONSBURG – Suffocating, stifling, disruptive.
That’s the way the Monessen High School boys basketball team wants to play defense, with a full-court press that overwhelms and wears out opponents.
The Greyhounds, however, are more than just their full-court press. They can beat you with offense.
You want fast-break layups? The Greyhounds can get them in lightning-quick fashion. You want strong drives to the basket? Monessen can spin and win with the best of them. You want picture-perfect three-point shots? The Greyhounds have about seven players who have accuracy and range.
When Monessen’s offense and defense come together, like it did Friday night in the WPIAL Class A playoffs, the result can be impressive.
Monessen scored 57 first-half points, had four players score at least 22 points and forced 34 Union turnovers as the Greyhounds rolled to an easy 112-62 victory in a quarterfinal game at Canon-McMillan High School. Monessen’s point total is a WPIAL playoff record, breaking the previous record of 110 set two years ago by the Greyhounds.
“Monessen is very good,” Union coach Mark Stanley said. “You know about their speed, and that they’re going to be well-coached, but what gets lost in the shuffle is how well they shoot the basketball. They all can shoot the three-pointer and they’re so unselfish that they don’t care which guy is shooting them.”
That unselfishness was on display throughout the game. Jaden Altomore scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the first half, which ended with Monessen (21-3) leading 57-34.
Dwight Moore, Justice Rice and Lavalle Rush each scored 22 points, giving Monessen 91 from their Big Four.
“Our offense is pretty good, when we’re scoring,” Monessen coach Joe Salvino said. “We consider our defense to be the start of our offense. We might not get a steal but the press constantly works on you. The cumulative effect of the press adds up on the opponent.”
That’s what happened to Union (12-11). The Scotties fell behind 8-0 in only 91 seconds but battled back and pulled to within 15-12. That’s when Monessen’s press took over. It started forcing turnovers and sparked a 10-0 run. Monessen led 28-16 after one quarter.
“I thought we withstood the initial hit and adjusted, but they just keep coming at your in waves,” Stanley said. “It’s a 32-minute wave with them. Nobody else plays at that pace. I haven’t seen any team push the ball up the floor at that pace.”
Union was still within striking distance at 34-26 in the second quarter but a rare five-point trip swung the momentum back to Monessen and the Greyhounds never looked back. Rice made a three-pointer from the right wing and was fouled after the shot. He then converted two free throws to make it 41-26 and the Greyhounds pushed their lead to 23 points by halftime.
“At halftime, I said to my assistants that I thought we played pretty well in the first half, and we were still down by 20,” Stanley said. “Their press got the pace moving.”
Union had 19 first-half turnovers to Monessen’s three.
“I liked the way we played defense, though we slacked off at times” Salvino said. “Our individual quickness was the key for us.”
Monessen made three three-pointers in its 32-point third quarter.
The win advances top-seeded Monessen to the semifinals Tuesday against North Catholic, which defeated Clairton, 56-38. It will be a rematch of a game played in December, when the Greyhounds won 75-72 on their home court.
“In the playoffs, you’re not going to walk through people,” Salvino said. “It was tough back in December. The kids are handling this a lot better than I am. The kids are thriving on all of this.”
Trevon Charles led Union with 20 points. Garrison Bell had 13 points, many coming off strong drives down the lane, and Constantin Padure scored 12.