Nusser’s 37 lead Leopards to 80-71 road win
CARROLL TWP. ëƵ Cam Nusser scored a career-high 37 points and set two school records as he propelled Belle Vernon to an 80-71 win at Ringgold in Section 3-AAAA action Friday night.
The senior, who set school records with five 3-pointers in the first quarter and nine in the game, said he ëƵfelt onëƵ early.
ëƵI am glad we got the win and was happy to make plays early with the hot hand,ëƵ he said. ëƵThe rim felt big and the shots kept coming and flowing.ëƵ
NusserëƵs 37 points topped his previous career-high of 36 last season, which also took place against Ringgold.
Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino said NusserëƵs hot start took a loud and vociferous Ringgold crowd out of the game early.
ëƵIt was tremendous for him to be able to do that and any time someone can shoot like he did in the first half, it brings a lot of intensity on the defensive end,ëƵ said Salvino. ëƵWhen you beat a team like Ringgold three times, it is a positive.
ëƵWe have to keep it going because we want a good seed in the playoffs.ëƵ
Ringgold coach Phil Pergola said NusserëƵs shots werenëƵt normal threes.
ëƵHe was hitting them from deep, 24, 25 feet out,ëƵ Pergola said. ëƵWe were playing from behind all night because of him.
ëƵYou donëƵt want to get behind on them.ëƵ
Not to be outdone, RinggoldëƵs Luke Wyvratt finished with 33 points and 11 rebounds.
ëƵLuke scored too many points on us in the first half,ëƵ Salvino said. ëƵWe extended up defensively in the second half.ëƵ
Nusser scored 17 points in the first quarter as he made 5-of-6 attempts from behind the arc. Belle Vernon (15-5, 7-2) opened the game on a 10-0 run and took an 18-4 lead before Ringgold (11-8, 4-6) settled in.
Belle Vernon led 27-18 after one quarter, but Ringgold battled back in the second.
The Rams closed the Belle Vernon lead to five points with under a minute to go before the intermission, but Nusser hit his seventh and eighth 3-pointers in the final 25 seconds of the half, with the last coming from 30 feet out.
Nusser finished with 26 points in the first half, while Wyvratt had 24.
Ringgold trailed by as many as 15 in the second half, but thanks to its defense holding Belle Vernon without a point for almost four minutes to start the fourth quarter, it cut the Belle Vernon lead to six twice within the closing minutes but could get no closer.
Belle Vernon (30-of-66) and Ringgold (28-of-61) both shot 46 percent from the floor. The Leopards, however, made 10-of-24 3-point attempts, while Ringgold hit 5-of-12.
Mitch Pohlot finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Belle Vernon, while Devin Whitlock had 10 points and Hunter Ruokonen had 10 rebounds.
Chris Peccon hit four 3-pointers for Ringgold and joined Wyvratt in double figures with 19 points.
Both teams return to section play Tuesday as Belle Vernon hosts Elizabeth Forward, while Ringgold heads to South Park.


