Aquinas Academy’s Vinnie Cugini climbs WPIAL scoring list with 48 points in win over Leechburg

By: George Guido
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 | 10:38 PM

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Vinnie Cugini took some giant leaps among the WPIAL’s all-time scoring leaders Tuesday night.

The Aquinas Academy senior went from 20th to 14th on the all-time list with 48 points.

But it was a freshman that keyed a strong fourth quarter, allowing the Crusaders to improve to 5-0 with a 95-92 victory over Leechburg in a nonsection shootout.

Sam Duer nailed a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws as Aquinas withstood a Blue Devils’ late rally. Duer’s two free throws with 4 seconds left gave the Crusaders their final margin. Jake Guillen’s free throw with 16 seconds left gave Aquinas the lead for good.

“It was going to come down to who would score at the end,” said Aquinas coach George Yokitis. “It just as easy could have been them as us. Both teams played so hard.”

Cugini started the night with 2,237 points. During the game, he passed Lance Jeter (Beaver Falls), James Hairston (Connellsville), Allan MacQuarrie (Pine-Richland), Dante Calabria (Blackhawk), Micah Mason (Highlands) and Brandon Fuss-Cheatham (Blackhawk) on the hit parade.

Cugini, who’s headed for Pitt-Johnstown, put on a show before his future college coach, Riverview graduate Bob Rukavina, hitting an assortment of shots from various ranges.

“I don’t really have a set number of shots I practice every day,” Cugini said. “I practice every type of shot. I probably shoot pull-up jumpers the most. I really improved on my 3-pointers this year. I got a lot of criticism for that in the past, and I’ve been able to knock down a few of those.”

Leechburg (2-4) trailed 77-66 early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Guillen, but the Blue Devils worked their way back.

Owen McDermott, who led Leechburg with 30 points, hit a pair of 3-pointers in the period and Braylan Lovelace scored eight to help pace the comeback.

Marcus Cleveland’s steal and a basket with 27.5 seconds to go tied the game at 92.

“We like playing against coach Yokitis’ teams like this,” said Blue Devils coach Damien Davies. “When he was at Vincentian, it was 106-104 once. He likes to go fast, and I said why not play that way?”

With 16 seconds to go, Guillen missed his second free throw attempt. Lovelace collected the rebound. Tyler Foley’s shot missed, and there was a battle for the rebound with Duer emerging with the ball, forcing Leechburg to foul.

Cleveland finished with 25 points; Lovelace, 24.

With the Blue Devils down by double digits, history teacher Davies reached down for a Martin Luther King quote: “He said, ‘A true test of your character is how you respond when times are tough and the water’s choppy.’ The highlight for me was when we got engaged in the fourth quarter. We got back to pressure and playing with a sense of urgency. And we did that. We had some chances.”

McDermott hit six 3-pointers, three in the second period, that allowed Leechburg to take a 46-45 lead at the half.

Cugini poured in 20 points in the third period.

“Damien’s one of the finest coaches in the WPIAL and ran his team correctly and adjusted to what we tried to do,” Yokitis said.

Guillen had 13 points for Aquinas, and Jude Truschel added 10.

Tags: Aquinas Academy, Leechburg