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Ringgold looks inside, finds win over Belle Vernon

4 min read
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BELLE VERNON – An identity hasn’t been hard to find over the last four years for both the Ringgold and Belle Vernon girls basketball teams. Those separate, yet similar, identities came from notable, highly regarded players.

Belle Vernon was looking to replace Kaitlyn Slagus, a two-time Most Valuable Player in Section 4-AAA and an all-state player in her senior season after averaging 22 points and 16 rebounds a game. Slagus, who eclipsed both the 1,000-point and rebound mark as a Leopard, already is in the starting lineup at Bucknell University.

Ringgold, meanwhile, was in search of an inside presence this season following the graduation of 6-6 Marlena Schmidt, who is being redshirted at West Virginia.

Rebounding and inside play wasn’t an issue for Ringgold Thursday night as it pulled down 44 boards compared to only 18 for the Leopards, ultimately leading to a 54-44 victory for the Rams in a Section 4-AAA game.

Belle Vernon’s sophomore-dominated starting lineup was exposed with its size issues, as it’s tallest player is only 5-8.

“Last year, we relied on (Slagus) to be able to pull down rebounds and control the paint,” said Belle Vernon head coach Lisa Fairman. “Rebounding is something that we focus on in practice, boxing out constantly. It’s a mental state that these girls have to work for inside position.”

Leading the effort on the glass for the Rams was sophomore forward Ashley Briscoe, who had 12 points to go along with 22 rebounds.

“Every game I go into it telling them if we don’t outrebound the other team, then we will lose the game,” said Ringgold first year head coach Erika McCarthy. “I told Ashley (Briscoe) at the beginning of the season that if she comes out and plays like she can then she will dominate. That’s what we need from her in order for us to win.”

The dominance on both the offensive and defensive boards was an attitude that spilled over as the game progressed.

Two technical fouls from Ringgold (6-1, 9-5) near the end of the first half allowed for five consecutive points at the free-throw line from Belle Vernon’s Caitlyn Trombley, cutting the Rams’ lead to 23-20.

However, a 15-point run starting at 3:15 left in the third quarter gave Ringgold a 40-22 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“We’ve got a little bit of a different game plan than in past years, when we had a size advantage,” Fairman said. “When you can’t get rebounds it makes it hard to control the tempo of the game. If we play four full quarters of basketball, then we put ourselves in a position to win. Unfortunately, we played three out of four tonight.”

Ringgold’s big third quarter lead was nearly erased as Belle Vernon’s Taylor Kovatch hit a baseline three to cut the Rams’ advantage to seven. Belle Vernon followed that with a four-point run in the waning moments of the quarter to diminish Ringgold’s lead to 49-44.

However, Ringgold guard Kara Barner connected on two free throws with 36 seconds remaining to put the Rams up 51-44.

Leading the way for Belle Vernon was Trombley, who scored 13 points, the only player for the Leopards to score in double-figures.

Despite being issued one of Ringgold’s technical fouls, which sidelined her until the middle of the third quarter, senior Bailey Cooper scored a game-high 20 points.

“Going into the year, I had to run things that fit the personnel this season,” said McCarthy. “We are faster, smaller and more guard-oriented. Our mental toughness is an ongoing battle that we continue to fight. In every game, and even in practice, we struggle with that.”

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