Dec 29, 2017 4 min read

AVELLA – In each of Trent Belleville’s first three seasons on the McGuffey boys basketball team, the Highlanders lost in the championship of the Avella Holiday Tournament.

Last year’s was the hardest to swallow when McGuffey lost by one point in triple overtime to Fort Cherry.

Belleville and the other three McGuffey seniors made up for the last three title-game losses Friday night by defeating Avonworth 63-37 to win the tournament championship.

Belleville, who led all scorers with 23 points, understands that the tournament isn’t the most important part of McGuffey’s schedule. But the championship trophy signifies an early season achievement McGuffey didn’t have three years ago when they were 8-14, or last season, when they were 19-7 and played in their first state tournament.

“This is a big one,” Belleville said. “Usually, we come back off a loss after this tournament. So it’s nice to have some momentum heading into section play.”

McGuffey (8-1) head coach Mike Fatigante said Belleville’s consistency is one of the senior’s best traits. The 6-2 forward scored at least four points in each quarter en route to his 23-point effort. He also had 10 rebounds.

“He has been consistent every single game,” Fatigante said. “We know what we’re going to get. Every single game that he plays, he has a double-double. He’s a rock, and he gets it done on both ends of the floor.”

Belleville scored the first four points of the game but it wasn’t just him scoring for the Highlanders. Senior Chase Miller made five baskets in the lane in the first half, several of which came when getting fouled or after the 6-2 forward grabbed an offensive rebound.

“When he’s getting rebounds and he’s finishing at the rim, we’re a really good basketball team,” Fatigante said. “We just talk to him about playing within himself, making the easy plays, getting rebounds and finishing strong, and he did those things tonight. That’s a huge reason why we built a lead early in the game.”

Keeping up with Belleville and Miller was Avonworth junior small forward Tyreek Davis, who used his athletic ability to get open shots and score 12 points in the first half.

Belleville, Miller and Davis scored 37 of the 50 points in the first half as the Highlanders led 32-18.

The second half was a different story, though, as Davis scored only one point and Miller only two. Taking away Davis as a scoring threat was a key coming into the game for Fatigante, and Belleville was tasked with guarding him for most of the game.

“Defense is one of our strengths, not because of our athleticism, but because of our team defense execution. When we play solid team defense we feel like we can play with anyone,” Fatigante said. “We wanted to make sure that we didn’t allow (Davis) any easy baskets or open looks. Trent did a great job defending him most of the game, but the team also had a part in that.”

Avonworth cut the McGuffey lead to nine points in the third quarter, but the Antelopes wouldn’t come any closer.

While the Antelopes virtually lost their top scorer in the second half, Belleville scored another 10 points and another Highlander stepped in for Miller. Sophomore C.J. Cole, who was struggling shooting through three quarters, was on fire in the fourth, scoring 10 straight points, including two three-pointers.

“He’s going to be one of the best high school shooters I’ve seen in the area in a long time,” Fatigante said. “He shows flashes of that at times. … He is one of the toughest kids I know in terms of mental toughness. Nothing rattles him. He just sticks with it. He knows if he’s open he’s allowed to shoot, whether he’s missed them or made them, and they’ll start to fall.”

While some high school teams are dependent on one scorer, Fatigante said it is vital for players like Miller and Cole to step up and score for the Highlanders.

“The other night (against Burgettstown) we had four guys who scored 18 points,” Fatigante said. “We do have a balanced attack. It is hard to game plan when you have three guys who can score it that much. We talk about sharing the basketball. As long as we play team basketball, they’ll all get their points.”