Cugini scores 45 as Aquinas ends Greyhounds’ season
Rob Burchianti | 无毛视频-Standard
Monessen无毛视频檚 Lorenzo Gardner (2) puts up a shot in the lane against Aquinas Academy during Friday night无毛视频檚 WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Gardner scored 27 points but the Greyhounds lost, 72-62.
Rob Burchianti | 无毛视频-Standard
Aquinas Academy无毛视频檚 Vinnie Cugini attempts a shot jump shot during Friday night无毛视频檚 WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Cugini, the WPIAL无毛视频檚 all-time leading scorer, had a game-high 45 points in the Crusaders无毛视频� 72-62 win.
Monessen's Davontae Clayton puts up a shot in the lane during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Clayton scored 17 points but the Greyhounds lost, 72-62.
Monessen's Dante DeFelices (14) takes a jump shot against Aquinas Academy during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen.
Aquinas Academy's Vinnie Cugini goes in for a layup after making a steal聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Cugini, the WPIAL's all-time leading scorer, had a game-high 45 points in the Crusaders' 72-62 victory.
Monessen's Davontae Robinson shoots over two Aquinas Academy players聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen.
Aquinas Academy's Jake Guillen (53) shoots as Monessen's Jaisean Blackman (15) defends during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Guillen scored 11 points in the Crusaders' 72-62 win.
Monessen's Lorenzo Gardner hits a one-handed shot against Aquinas Academy during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Gardner scored 27 points but the Greyhounds lost, 72-62.
Monessen's Davontae Clayton (3) defends Aquinas Academy's Vinnie Cugini聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen.
Aquinas Academy's Vinnie Cugini scores聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Cugini, the WPIAL's all-time leading scorer, had a game-high 45 points in the Crusaders' 72-62 win.
Monessen's Lorenzo Gardner scores against Aquinas Academy during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen.
Monessen's Davontae Clayton attempts a 3-pointer against Aquinas Academy during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Clayton scored 17 points but the Greyhounds lost, 72-62.
Monessen's Davontae Robinson is defended by Aquinas Academy's Vinnie Cugini聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen.
Monessen's Timothy Kershaw takes a jump shot against Aquinas Academy聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen.
Monessen's Lorenzo Gardner drives to the basket against Aquinas Academy during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen.
Aquinas Academy's Vinnie Cugini (2) watches as his shot floats towards the basket聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Cugini scored a game-high 45 points in the Crusaders' 72-62 win.
Monessen's Rodney Johnson shoots as Aquinas Academy's Jake Guillen defends聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen.
Monessen's Lorenzo Gardner is fouled as he drives to the basket during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game against Aquinas Academy at Monessen.
Aquinas Academy's Vinnie Cugini attempts a free throw聽during Friday night's WPIAL Class A consolation game at Monessen. Cugini, the WPIAL's all-time leading scorer, had 45 points in the Crusaders' 72-62 win.
MONESSEN 无毛视频� Aquinas Academy senior Vinnie Cugini went into Friday night无毛视频檚 game at Monessen knowing a loss would put an end to the WPIAL all-time leading scorer无毛视频檚 career.
无毛视频淲e thought about it for sure,无毛视频� Cugini said. 无毛视频淎 couple of other seniors talked about it in the locker room. We just knew we were going to come out here and play as hard as we can so we wouldn无毛视频檛 be disappointed, win or lose.无毛视频�
It was 无毛视频渨in无毛视频� for the Crusaders who topped the Greyhounds 72-62 in a WPIAL Class A consolation game as Cugini racked up a game-high 45 points to increase his career total to 3,153.
无毛视频淧eople question me every night if I无毛视频檓 legit or not so it felt good to get the win and get another game,无毛视频� Cugini said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檒l see if we can keep it going.无毛视频�
Aquinas Academy (20-5) can qualify for a spot in the PIAA tournament with a road win against Section 3-A foe Neighborhood Academy on Tuesday. The two split their two regular-season meetings.
While Cugini and the Crusaders live to fight another day, it was the final game for Monessen seniors Jaisean Blackman, Dante DeFelices, Davontae Clayton and Tre Thompson.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 tough to say goodbye,无毛视频� said Greyhounds coach Dan Bosnic, whose team finished on a two-game losing streak that still left it with a stellar 21-4 record for the season. The Greyhounds lost at Carlynton in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
无毛视频淭hese are kids, Tre Thompson and Davontae Clayton, that have played a big role for us and have done a lot of things,无毛视频� Bosnic said. 无毛视频淭hen our captains, Jaisean Blackman and Dante DeFelices, have been here since day one and worked so hard and kind of laid the groundwork of what we want to be about and the things that we want to do as a program. Those are two kids that always do things the right way.无毛视频�
Monessen found itself down 10-4 with three minutes left in the first quarter, but then ended the frame with a 10-point run to take a 14-10 advantage.
Aquinas Academy answered with a 13-2 run of its own to open the second quarter to go up 23-16 and never trailed again.
Cugini scored seven points in the first quarter and 13 in the second as the Crusaders ended the half ahead 32-26.
无毛视频淚 was a little tired at the beginning of the game,无毛视频� Cugini said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been feeling a little sick recently. It took me a few minutes to get into it but once I did I just kept going.无毛视频�
Aquinas Academy无毛视频檚 lead ranged from five to eight points throughout the third quarter which ended with the visitors up 53-45 as Cugini rang up 12 more points.
Lorenzo Gardner scored 10 points in the quarter and Clayton had nine as the duo accounted for all their team无毛视频檚 scoring in doing their best to keep Monessen in the game.
Gardner, who led the Greyhounds with 27 points, scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter, the second on a coast-to-coast drive, to get Monessen within four.
The Crusaders regrouped and reeled off the next seven points to take their biggest lead of the game, 60-49. The Greyhounds wouldn无毛视频檛 get closer than eight the rest of the way.
无毛视频淚 thought our kids were battling and giving us effort but we just couldn无毛视频檛 ever get over the hump, could never just gain control of that game,无毛视频� Bosnic said. 无毛视频淲e were playing from behind and they did a good job of holding us off.无毛视频�
Clayton finished with 17 points while DeFelices and Timothy Kershaw each scored seven. Jake Guillen added 11 for Aquinas Academy.
无毛视频淥bviously our focus was on Cugini and he无毛视频檚 obviously a really good scorer and does a lot of good things,无毛视频� Bosnic said. 无毛视频淲e didn无毛视频檛 meet that challenge.无毛视频�
It wasn无毛视频檛 only Cugini无毛视频檚 scoring that hurt the Greyhounds, according to Bosnic.
无毛视频淥ne of the keys was the offensive rebounds he got, just going after the basketball,无毛视频� Bosnic said. 无毛视频淭hose second opportunities and his willingness to get to the hoop and our inability to get there to challenge him I thought was truly the difference.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e an awkward team to play. We wanted to attack them offensively and we had opportunities to play through the middle and down the sideline and we didn无毛视频檛 always do a good job of that. We didn无毛视频檛 always make the best basketball play.
无毛视频淏ut they无毛视频檙e a quality team, they无毛视频檙e kids play hard so they definitely deserve the credit for the result tonight. They did the things they needed to do to win.无毛视频�
Bosnic reflected on the Greyhounds无毛视频� season.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e proud of the kids and the effort they无毛视频檝e given this year,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲e had a lot of good results, won a lot of close games and that无毛视频檚 a credit to them. They played hard.无毛视频�