Basketball Recap: Laurel Highlands Mustangs vs. Belle Vernon Leopards
The Laurel Highlands Mustangs's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their 15th straight defeat. They took a 75-56 bruising from Belle Vernon. While losing is never fun, Laurel Highlands can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 553rd, while the Leopards are ranked 131st).
Laurel Highlands' loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Jaden Ringer, who scored 14 points, and Aiden Black who scored 14 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ringer has scored all season. Sevi Vecchiolla was another key contributor, scoring six points.
Laurel Highlands' loss was their seventh straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-18. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.1 points per game. As for Belle Vernon, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season.
Laurel Highlands will head out on the road to challenge the Scotties at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Southmoreland knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past four contests -- so hopefully the Mustangs like a good challenge. As for Belle Vernon, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against the Gators at 1:30 p.m. on February 3rd.
