Boys Basketball: Piedmont Uses Big Third Quarter to Turn Tight Game Into Runaway Win

Piedmont 62, Lick-Wilmerding 44

The Star: Piedmont senior guard Miller Lyssikatos scored a team-high 12 points, including 10 in the first half when he hit a pair of 3-point shots.

The Turning Point: The Highlanders outscored the Tigers 16-3 in the third quarter, turning a five-point halftime lead into a commanding 49-31 advantage entering the final period.

The Quote: "What we're really happy about is the way they're playing together. They're very supportive of each other. They're extremely coachable. They listen really well. They have a high basketball aptitude," Piedmont coach Chris Lavdiotis said of his 6-1 team.

What's next? The Highlanders advanced to a championship bracket game Friday night at 8 p.m. in their own tournament, the 22nd annual Otis Spunkmeyer Invitational. Piedmont will face Berean Christian, which defeated Camberwell, a team from Australia.

Bottom Line: Piedmont used its superior quickness, defense and rebounding to run away from the Tigers in the third quarter.

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When the first half ended Thursday night, owned a smaller-than-expected 33-28 lead over Lick-Wilmerding in an opening-round game of the 22^nd annual Otis Spunkmeyer Invitational.

Six-foot-six center Max Elliott, the Highlanders' leading scorer this season, had just two points. So did sharp-shooting guard Matt Ching, returning to action after missing three games with the flu.

Piedmont was struggling on its own court in its own tournament.

Then the third quarter began, and it was as if the Highlanders hit the switch into overdrive. They dominated on the boards. They clamped down on defense. They streaked up and down the court, fast-breaking at every opportunity.

Piedmont outscored the Tigers 16-3 in the quarter, building a 49-31 lead and turning a tight game into a blowout.

"During halftime we really decided to step up our game a little bit and kind of figured out what they were doing on offense, figured out the screens and such and decided to push the ball a little more," said senior guard Miller Lyssikatos, who scored a team-high 12 points.

"That was really the difference, getting turnovers and pushing it up as fast as we could."

Well, that, and turning the backboards on both ends of the court into their personal property. Elliott finished with just eight points – two of them on a rim-rocking jam – but he was a monster on the boards in the second half, and his teammates followed suit.

"We were outrebounding them 15-10 (at halftime), which was OK," said Piedmont coach Chris Lavdiotis, whose team improved to 6-1. "But guys are killing themselves for playing time, and we're telling them if you go get rebounds you're going to get out there, and you saw the second half.

"Everybody was going to the glass, both ends. We're not that big, but if we can keep it alive, we've got a chance. So I think that was the biggest thing to all the coaches."

The Highlanders made a few adjustments at halftime, some strategic and some motivational.

Tigers senior forward Kishan Jay had scored 12 points in the first half and junior guard Isaiah Boone eight. So Lavdiotis put Truman Purnell, his best lock-down defender, on Jay with instructions to deny him the ball. He also had his players force Boone to his left.

Jay didn't score in the third quarter and had just two points in the half. Boone had one point in the third and five in the second half.

It wasn't all about Xs and Os at halftime. Lavdiotis implored his team to hit the boards harder.

"He was pretty animated, definitely," Lyssikatos said of his coach. "Definitely focusing on rebounding. I think we pretty much destroyed them on the boards in the second half."

Piedmont opened the second half with a 12-1 run. Guard Alex Bonacum started the run with back-to-back baskets, scoring inside with an assist from Lyssikatos then hitting from the key after a Tigers turnover.

Lyssikatos' driving lay-in pushed Piedmont's lead to 41-29, and Elliott made it 43-29, establishing position on the low left block and scoring inside. When Purnell drove hard for a lay-in after another turnover, the Highlanders' lead was 45-29.

Lyssikatos scored 10 of his points in the first half when his team was struggling.

"He is a really good all-around player," Lavdiotis said of Lyssikatos. "He doesn't get a lot of love because he's short. He's only 6-feet tall on his best day, but the kid has got every skill because he works and works and works.

"He never takes a day off. He's always doing something to add to his game. He's very coachable. He's really a good athlete. I just love him. It was nice to see him have a decent game."

Lavdiotis had nice games from a long list of players. Bonacum scored nine points, and so did Jake Hubert, coming off the bench. Elliott and Dylan James-Kavanaugh had eight apiece, while Purnell added six.

"A lot of guys grew up tonight," Lyssikatos said.

The Highlanders will likely need contributions across the board when they face Berean Christian, with a trip to the finals on the line.

"Big team," Lavdiotis said. "Different than Lick. Presents a whole host of different problems."

Nothing a 16-3 third-quarter run couldn't solve.

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Piedmont 62, Lick-Wilmerding 44

Piedmont (6-1) 16 17 16 13 – 62

Lick-Wilmerding (4-3) 11 17 3 13 – 44

INDIVIDUALS

Piedmont (fg ftm-fta tp) –  Lyssikatos 4 2-4 12, Hubert 2 4-4 9, Bonacum 4 0-0 9, Elliott 3 2-6 8, James-Kavanaugh 3 0-0 8, Purnell 1 4-4 6,  Slabaugh 2 0-0 4, Welch 1 2-3 5, Ching 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 14-21 62.

Lick-Wilmerding (fg ftm-fta tp) – Jay 6 1-1 14, Boone 5 3-4 13, Tripp 3 0-0 8, Baldocchi 1 2-4 4, Faustine 1 0-1 2, Schneider 1 0-0 2, Stone 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 7-12 44.

3-point goals: Piedmont 6 (Lyssikatos 2, James-Kavanaugh 2, Bonacum, Hubert). Lick-Wilmerding 3 (Tripp 2, Jay).

Fouled out: None.

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