Plenty was on the line Friday night at Westmont Hilltop High School. 

Not only were Richland and Westmont Hilltop battling for first place in Section 2 of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference, but both squads sit near the top of the District 6 Class AAA standings as well. 

It was a game that could very well have further meaning down the line, as Westmont Hilltop took first meeting by a 62-54 tally.

 

The hype leading up to the game proved to be well warranted, as the two teams were in a 43-all deadlock heading into the final frame. It might have been right where Westmont Hilltop wanted the game. The Hilltoppers held Richland scoreless in the final 2 minutes, while making seven of eight free throws in that span to seal the victory.

Westmont Hilltop coach Dave Roman Jr. pointed out that finishing games was an emphasis at practice recently. 

“We worked on it for about 30 minutes (Thursday) night,” Roman said. 

“We worked on every situation that could possibly come up, and part of that is making your foul shots.”

While the loss stung, Richland coach Greg Burke saw the good for his upstart squad. 

“It was a great high school atmosphere, both teams played really hard,” Burke said. “When you have two teams battling it out like that, it comes down to execution. 

“Our effort was there. There were a couple times where the execution wasn’t there. We have all young kids, so this is a game that will make us better later in the season in the Laurel Highlands and in District 6. 

“Give Westmont credit, they made free throws and kept their lead. I still think it’s a great game for us to build on.” 

The game opened with a flurry of baskets. Richland got off to a quick 8-0 start thanks to 3-pointers from Tyler Zimmerman and Trevy Hardison. 

Westmont Hilltop managed to weather the storm, however and hung in the game early. With the clock ticking down at the end of the first period, Hilltoppers guard Ian Valente drilled a half-court shot to cut the Rams’ lead to 18-17. 

“I practice those in practice and get yelled at,” Valente joked. “But I got to set my feet and made the shot.”

The pace slowed some in the second period, with the Hilltoppers’ inside presence able to take control. Westmont Hilltop senior forwards, Jake Elders and Justin Bulas combined for nine points in the frame and controlled the paint on defense as well, allowing just three Richland field goals in the period. Westmont Hilltop was able to convert that to a narrow 31-28 lead at the break.

Richland trailed  to start the second half, but it did not seem to alter their game plan. Tyler Paul and Zimmerman combined hit three 3-pointers to open the half. Zimmerman finished with a game-high 22 points, while Paul had nine all by way of the 3-point shot.

 

“Tyler Paul had a great game,” Burke said. “He hit a lot of big shots for us. He was our leader (Friday). He did a great job.” 

As the game tightened, Westmont Hilltop turned to Valente to get things on track. 

He scored six of his team-high 16 points in the third quarter to keep pace with the Rams. His coach took notice of his strong play.

“He made a lot of great decisions with the ball tonight,” Roman said. “When we didn’t have things he didn’t force it and brought it back out.”

The fourth quarter opened with back and forth action. The Rams started the period strong once again with hot perimeter shooting from Paul and Zimmerman, but the Hilltoppers matched the outside display with some big shots of their own from Ben Molchany and Matt Rodacay.

Richland held a slim 54-53 lead with 2 minutes remaining. Westmont Hilltop went ahead 55-54 when Molchany found Elders for a back door alley-oop. The Hilltoppers never looked back.

It was yet another close game in the highly competitive Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference this season. It was also a game of great importance, and Roman knew what was at stake. 

“We knew we didn’t want to get two games behind on Richland, because that’s tough to come back from in our league,” Roman said. “We knew being at home, we had to get this one.”

Valente said: “We were circling this one for about a week. We just wanted to come out and get a big win, and we did.”