Aliquippa ‘hitting stride,’ defeats Seton LaSalle for 1st-place tie in Section 2
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Wednesday, February 9, 2022 | 12:04 AM
Aliquippa’s D.J. Walker celebrates a traveling call on Seton LaSalle’s John Wilkins during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey drives to the basket past Seton LaSalle’s Michael Canavan during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s D.J. Walker brings the ball upcourt against Seton LaSalle on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s D.J. Walker scores past Seton LaSalle’s Emmett Harris during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey blocks a shot by Seton LaSalle’s Emmett Harris during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s D.J. Walker blocks a shot by Seton LaSalle’s John Wilkins during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey scores past Seton LaSalle’s Pat Weldon during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s Brandon Banks drives past Seton LaSalle’s Connor Spratt during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s D.J. Walker drives past Seton LaSalle’s Connor Spratt during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s D.J. Walker drives to gthe basket against Seton LaSalle on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey drives past Seton LaSalle’s Emmett Harris during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s Damar Freeman scores past Seton LaSalle’s Emett Harris during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s Damar Freeman celebrates after defeating Seton LaSalle on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey battles Seton LaSalle’s Emmett Harris for a rebound during their game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Aliquippa High School.
A young basketball team can age considerably in the short span of 25 days.
Aliquippa had a noticeable growth spurt between its two games against Seton LaSalle, said Quips coach Nick Lackovich, who starts three sophomores and two juniors. About a month after a heart-breaking loss in overtime, Aliquippa played more to its potential Tuesday night and defeated No. 3 Seton LaSalle, 59-46, creating a first-place tie in Section 2-3A.
Quips junior D.J. Walker scored 20 points, sophomore Cameron Lindsey had 16 and the two combined to go 16 for 16 at the foul line.
“That month changed us a lot,” Lindsey said. “We’ve been through some ups and downs, but I feel like we’re hitting our stride.”
When Aliquippa lost to Seton, 77-74, on Jan. 14, the Quips built a 25-point lead in the first half and watched it vanish after halftime. Lackovich said his team played that game like a team trailing on the scoreboard. This time, the Quips had a one-point lead at half, pulled away with strong defense in the third quarter and protected the lead in the fourth.
Aliquippa won the second half, 36-24. Quips junior Damar Freeman scored eight of his 12 points after halftime.
“They weren’t going to let it happen again,” Lackovich said. “They were pretty determined.”
Aliquippa (14-7, 8-1) now has a four-game winning streak which included an impressive 15-point nonsection win over Lincoln Park on Sunday. With the playoffs starting next week, the Quips could be a team peaking at the right time.
“We’re starting to knock off some ranked teams,” Lackovich said. “I’m thinking maybe with the win against Lincoln Park and the win against Seton LaSalle tonight, we should be a two or three seed. We could make a case for it.”
Along with being young, the Quips also had to get past the hangover of celebrating a state football championship. Four of the five basketball starters also started on the football team that won a PIAA title in December, so the transition took time.
Lindsey, Walker and sophomore Brandon Banks are all Division I football recruits.
“It’s been a struggle getting these guys back into basketball,” Lackovich said. “They were still taking victory laps in the middle of January, and you can’t blame them at their age. They did something great, but, man, we have to take care of business in basketball.”
Alex Jones led Seton LaSalle (16-3, 8-1) with 16 points and Connor Spratt had 13. They’d combined for 49 points in the first game against Aliquippa, led by Spratt with 29.
The Rebels didn’t shoot particularly well in the rematch and made only 2 of 12 tries from 3-point range, both in the fourth quarter. Aliquippa made just one 3-pointer, but they were perfect from the foul line, which proved to be the difference.
Walker went 10 for 10 on free throws with eight in the fourth quarter. Lindsey went 6 for 6.
“To their credit, you’re not going to lose many games when you go 16 for 16 from the foul line,” said Seton LaSalle coach Mark Walsh, adding that the free throws were legitimately earned.
“They were fouls,” he said.
Aliquippa finished the third quarter with a 14-4 run that turned the game in its favor. The Quips’ man-to-man defense sparked the run, converting turnovers and blocks into points. Lindsey and Walker each had a block in the run.
Aliquippa led 39-30 after three.
“They made a run on us there in the third quarter and we couldn’t answer,” Walsh said. “We just weren’t able to execute our offense against their man pressure.”
Aliquippa started the game using a zone defense, but Lackovich gave his players a choice at halftime. Did they want to stick with the zone, which he preferred, or go with man to man?
“Everyone said, ‘We want to go man,’” Lackovich said. “There you go. You’ve got it.”
The Quips forced five turnovers in the game-winning run, including a 10-second call.
“The zone wasn’t bad, but we felt like once we got in man they couldn’t do much with the ball,” Lindsey said. “Once we had (Spratt) in check, it was all good for us.”
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Aliquippa, Seton La Salle
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