Hempfield boys hold off rally by Laurel Highlands to win at Greensburg Salem tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, December 27, 2018 | 8:54 PM

It was no surprise to Bill Swan his team’s seemingly comfortable lead against winless Laurel Highlands was dwindling.

The Hempfield boys basketball coach never underestimates the Mustangs because he has played and coached against them for much of his life.

“I don’t care if they haven’t won a game. They’re LH kids,” said Swan, a graduate of nearby Connellsville. “They’re not going to fold. You’ve got to put them away.”

Finally, on Thursday night at the Greensburg Salem Holiday Tournament, the Spartans did.

Marcus McCarthy scored 16 points to lead Class 6A Hempfield over Class 5A Laurel Highlands, 61-44, in the opener of a tripleheader on the tournament’s first night. Hempfield (6-3) used a 17-6 fourth-quarter advantage to run away after Laurel Highlands (0-7) closed the third quarter on a 10-2 run to pull within 44-38.

“I’ve played against them my whole life,” Swan said. “They’re never going to quit.”

Jules Nicholls added 12 points, and Drew Coletta 11 chipped in 11 for Hempfield, which won its second in a row after a two-game skid.

Timmy Smith paced Laurel Highlands with 11 points.

After Hempfield settled for a 16-14 lead after the first quarter — the Spartans briefly trailed near the end of the period — a second-quarter surge led to a 30-19 halftime edge.

But Laurel Highlands, which lost four starters from last season’s WPIAL playoff qualifier, cut into the deficit and trailed by just eight heading to the fourth quarter. Smith scored six during the Mustaings’ run.

A 3-pointer by Coletta to start the fourth sparked Hempfield’s final rally as the Spartans pulled away by limiting Laurel Highlands to two field goals in the final eight minutes.

The key loss from last year’s team for Laurel Highlands, which lost to West Allegheny in a first-round playoff game, was guard Bryce Laskey, the school’s second all-time leading scorer, who is a freshman at St. Francis (Pa.).

“He had the ability to change a game,” said Swan, whose Spartans were beaten by Laurel Highlands last season at this tournament.

“Obviously, these games all feature nice teams,” Laurel Highlands coach Rick Hauger said. “What we can get out of this tournament is some exposure to those good teams, even if it means we come out on the short end.

“We’re pretty much an inexperienced team.”

Westinghouse will face Hempfield at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The City League’s Bulldogs join Bishop Guilfoyle as the only teams scheduled to play just one game. They were late replacements for Greensburg Central Catholic, which pulled out of the event.

“It’s a great tournament. We’ve enjoyed coming here, and Greensburg Salem does a fantastic job with it,” Swan said.

Greensburg Salem will face Connellsville on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Hempfield, Laurel Highlands