VALLEY SPORTS HISTORY
2013
2013
• Kaitlyn Slagus led Belle Vernon Area to the title in the Laurel Highlands Holiday Basketball Tournament. Slagus poured in a game-high 37 points and ripped down 18 rebounds in the Leopards’ 66-54 victory over the hosts. Coach Lisa Fairman said, “I talked to her in the off-season and tried to prepare her for what she’d see more of this season. With her sister (Jessica) not there this year, she’s going to see more double teams and triple teams. To this point in the season, it is amazing and outstanding to see the dominant, all-around player she’s become.”
• Three Belle Vernon Area wrestlers ranked in the top five at the prestigious Powerade Tournament. Sophomore Austin Bell came back to earn a fourth place in the 160-pound bracket, while junior Pat Mayernick (220) and sophomore Mick Hartman (126) earned fifth-place finishes. The two-day tournament featured 45 schools from six states and is considered one of the top high school tournaments in the country. It included more than two dozen nationally ranked grapplers. The Leopards finished tied with Burrell for 13th in the tournament.
2004
• The 2004 Monessen Holiday Invitational Tournament is beginning to lot an awful lot like the 2003 tourney. For the second year in a row, Monessen will host Uniontown in the finals. The Greyhounds advanced with a 70-42 victory over Belle Vernon Area, while Uniontown downed Cornell 56-34 in the opener. Monessen coach Major Corley explained the win over BVA, saying, “We came out smoking from the outside. We got it rolling from there.” Alicia Stein led the Greyhounds with 15 points with four other players in the double digits.
• Yough rebounded from a morning 55-47 loss to Masillon- Jackson to best Blackhawk 60-54 in the seventh-place consolation contest. Ben McCauley had 38 points and 20 rebounds as Yough snapped a three game losing streak.
Craig Sedunov added 18 points for the Cougars.
1993
• For nearly 32 minutes, Duquesne played its patented man-to-man defense against Monessen. But with just 16 seconds to play and the score tied 59-59 in the third place game of the Pepsi-Cola Blackhawk Holiday Tournament, Dukes’ coach Rich Moran ordered his team into a zone. Monessen’s Cameron Madison dished off to an open Brett Kerns under the basket for a layup that gave the Greyhounds a 61-59 win. Jeff Gagatko led Monessen with 18 points including five three-pointers. He scored 15 of his points in the second half.
