In a game billed as a showdown between 2,000-point scorers, the biggest difference maker in Saturday’s Belle Vernon-Avonworth playoff matchup just so happened to be a player who this school year reached a big career milestone in another sport.
Trevor Kovatch, a 5-foot-9 senior guard who scored 100 goals in his soccer career, tallied 12 of his team-high 17 points in the third quarter and added a couple of big assists in the fourth to lift No. 1 Belle Vernon to a thrilling 57-56 win against No. 4 Avonworth in a WPIAL Class 4A semifinal in front of a large crowd at Peters Township.
The win puts Belle Vernon (20-4) into the championship game for the first time since 2020 and has the Leopards a win away from capturing its second title and first since 1978. And it comes in what is the final season for 73-year-old coach Joe Salvino, second all time in the WPIAL in wins, who will look to win his first title at Belle Vernon after claiming six at Monessen.
“It means a lot,” said Salvino, who was overcome by emotion when speaking to reporters afterward. “I just can’t believe my last year I’m going to a championship game. I’ve got to give those kids all the credit in the world.”
The game featured a frantic finish. After Avonworth star Rowan Carmichael scored on an acrobatic drive to the basket to tie the score at 56 with 15 seconds remaining, Belle Vernon’s Tommy Davis was fouled and went to the line for two free throws with five seconds left. Davis, who scored 11 points in the game, misfired badly on the first attempt before swishing through his second attempt to give the Leopards the lead. Avonworth (18-6) quickly moved up the court and Noah Goetz missed a driving layup attempt. However, the ball went out of bounds off of Belle Vernon with one second left, giving Avonworth one final chance. Inbounding from under the hoop, Carson Bellinger passed the ball to a streaking Carmichael, whose off-balance shot from the left side clanged off the back of the rim, allowing Belle Vernon to escape with the win.
“It means everything,” Kovatch said of reaching Thursday’s championship. “Me and my friends have been dreaming about this since we were little.”
Carmichael and Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore, both 2,000-point scorers, were the headliners coming into the game. Carmichael was averaging a WPIAL-best 32 points a game and Moore 26. Carmichael got the best of the matchup, going for 29 points on 10-of-23 shooting, while Moore scored 14 on 5-of-18 shooting.
But it was Kovatch who played the biggest part in the win, as his 12 points in the third quarter helped Belle Vernon rally back from a 32-24 halftime deficit. Kovatch, a Pitt Greensburg soccer recruit, made two 3-pointers in the quarter and accounted for 6 straight points during a 9-0 run that saw Belle Vernon take its first lead since the first quarter.
“It’s actually entertaining because everybody was cheering for [Carmichael and Moore],” Kovatch said. “They would have never thought an underdog would come out and hit a bunch of 3s and all that stuff.”
Added Salvino, “He plays like that constantly. He’s constantly a dog after the ball on defense. He’s a kid that never quits.”
Kovatch scored 2 more points in the fourth before adding a pair of pretty assists to Dom Ghilani on consecutive possessions that gave Belle Vernon a 53-49 lead with 3:20 left. Davis then scored on a follow to make it 55-49, but Avonworth would ultimately cut that lead to 56-54 on Carmichael’s bucket with 44 seconds left. Ghilani and Kovatch both then went 0 for 2 from the line, allowing Carmichael more time for some heroics.
Luckily for Belle Vernon, Carmichael’s final shot rimmed out, putting the Leopards a win away from giving their coach one final WPIAL title.
“He’s never won one for Belle Vernon, so we might as well end it with a bang,” Kovatch said. “We’ve got to win it for him now.”
Other Class 4A semifinal
• Jason Fredericks scored 30 points and Jude Rottmann tacked on 25 to propel No. 2 North Catholic (19-5) into the final courtesy of a 71-42 win over No. 3 Beaver (19-5) at North Allegheny. Fredericks was 9 of 10 from the free-throw line and Rottmann drilled five 3-pointers for the Trojans, who upped their win streak to 10 and will next seek their first title since 2020. The Trojans led, 21-10, after one quarter and held a 36-21 lead at the half. Beaver star Brady Mayo, who ranks among the WPIAL scoring leaders with 27 points per game, was held to 21. He accounted for three of his team’s four 3-pointers. Nick Krzeczowski added 12 points for the Bobcats, who had won eight straight. They were playing in the semifinals for the first time since 2013 and attempting to make it to the final for the first time in program history.
Class 1A semifinals
• Following a lackluster first half, No. 1 Neighborhood Academy (23-1) came alive in the third quarter before going on to capture a 69-33 win against No. 4 Aquinas Academy (18-6) at North Allegheny. Neighborhood Academy, the runner-up a season ago, put itself on the doorstep of its first title after outscoring Aquinas Academy, 30-4, in the third quarter to blow the game open after holding just a 26-21 lead at the half. Courtney Wallace had yet another triple-double for the Bulldogs, his 17th of the season. Wallace finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Syncer Nicholson chipped in 17 points and Shamar Simpson 16 for the Bulldogs, who won their 13th in a row. Jake Guillen led Aquinas Academy with 16 points and Sam Duer added 14. The Crusaders, who won their first-ever WPIAL playoff game just two seasons ago, were making their first appearance in the semifinals.
• Owen Dumbroski scored a game-high 26 points to propel No. 2 Serra Catholic (21-3) into the title game for the first time since 2019 following a 57-45 win against No. 3 Nazareth Prep (18-5) at Peters Township. Serra led, 27-25, at the half and held just a 37-36 lead three minutes into the fourth quarter before going on a 14-4 run to extend its advantage to 51-40 with just under a minute left. Dumbroski was 7 of 8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and scored 16 of his points in the second half. Mark Johnson added 10 points for the Eagles, who have won 11 of 12. Leon Harrison led Nazareth Prep with 12 points and Mikey Keyes chipped in 10, but 6-foot-8 Will Evans, the team’s leading scorer (16 ppg), was held to 7. The Saints, who saw their nine-game win streak come to an end, were hunting their first finals berth since winning the title in 2019.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.