Zion 2K: Moore scores 37 to hit 2,000

The Leopards star scored 29 points in the second half of Friday’s win over East Allegheny.

Needing 36 points to eclipse the 2,000-point mark, Belle Vernon Area’s Zion Moore had only eight points at the half and the Leopards were up by 11 over visiting East Allegheny.

It was almost a blessing in disguise.

With the Wildcats hanging around, head coach Joe Salvino’s top unit was more involved throughout the contest allowing Moore to make his push.

The talented scorer did just that, scoring 29 of his gamehigh 37 points in the second half to eclipse the milestone and lead the Leopards to a 76-49 win over East Allegheny.

He is only the second Belle Vernon player to hit the mark, joining all-time leading scorer Vinnie Graham.

“It was a real blessing. Everyone was rooting for me to get it and most importantly, my teammates were pushing for me to get it,” Moore said. “I was just going to let it come to me because I didn’t want to rush it.”

Late in the game, the Wildcats (5-14, 2-8) did everything they could to stop Moore’s quest. They were double, even triple teaming him every time he touched the ball. Then they even tried a patient, slow offense. But BVA’s pressure defense was too much.

Needing just one point, Moore took a pass in the left corner and darted between a pair of Wildcat defenders on his way to the bucket for an easy layup with 1:28 remaining.

“I’m really glad for him, he deserves that,” Salvino said. “He’s worked really hard and I made my mind up that I was going to let him try to get it tonight. It’s great for the fans, his family and it was a great atmosphere.

“In the first half I was thinking to myself, ‘Well, there’s no way he’s going to get it.’ I just wanted to win the game. In the second half, he came through and was hitting his shots. I have to give a lot of credit to his teammates. They knew what he was up against and they gave him the ball as much as possible. I think the issue we had in the first half is that we were just trying to force it too much and pressing a little bit.”

For Moore, now the milestone is out of the way and it’s all about making a run to a WPIAL title.

“It feels good to get it and it feels good that I don’t have to worry about it anymore,” he said. “It’s about going out and beating other teams and take it as far as we can. Hopefully to the WPIAL championship. I really do think we’re the best out there.”

With Moore starting out slow, his teammates picked him up early. The opening quarter was back and forth until the final three minutes when the Leopards went on a 12-0 run to take a 20-6 advantage.

Moore did have six of those points, but Trevor Kovatch added six of his 11 points in the opening eight minutes and had four of his eight assists in the frame.

“I think if we would have just run the offense, it was set up to get Zion the ball,” Salvino said. “They broke our press a few times and started getting easy baskets in the second quarter.”

The Wildcats won the second frame, 16-13, as Jayden Patterson started coming to life on the offensive end. He scored 13 of his team-high 25 points in the first half as East Allegheny cut it to 33-22 at the break.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Moore came to life and set his sights on his target mark. He buried a pair of 3-pointers as the Leopards (17-1, 10-1) scored 18 of the first 22 points of the quarter.

Moore finished with 14 points in the third as the lead increased to 55-32.

“I think the first half we weren’t putting as much effort in as we needed to against a team like that,” Salvino said. “We beat a lot of good teams last week, I don’t know if it was just us knowing that we beat them by 25 points the last time we played them.

“You’re supposed to just go out there and play like it’s the best team you’ve played all season.”

After putting up 22 points in the third quarter, BVA put up 21 more in the fourth as Moore scored five points in a 7-0 run to open up the frame.

After the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run to make it 62-40, Moore scored the next 10 points for the Leopards, including eight straight, which ended with his milestone layup.

“I think it really showed tonight how much the chemistry with this group has improved,” Salvino said. “They were getting him the ball to help him out, and they weren’t forcing anything. They did it together.

“When you play teams like we did the last couple of games, I think we’ve finally come together as a team. Plus, I think they’re believing in the system, what works and what doesn’t. The chemistry is what’s going to be important as we head into the playoffs.”

The Leopards will close the regular season Tuesday on the road at Greensburg Salem.