Lincoln Park snaps two-game skid in dominant fashion, defeating North Catholic, 72-58

PITTSBURGH — Lincoln Park has played its fair share of big games this season so far as the Leopards returned to Pittsburgh after playing in a tournament in Portland, Oregon.

Lincoln Park found itself in yet another high-profile game as the Leopards took on North Catholic in the Pittsburgh Holiday Hoops Classic and looked to bounce back after dropping two games in Portland. They did just Wednesday night as the Leopards easily handled the Trojans defeating them by a final score of 72-58.

Lincoln Park head coach Mike Bariski does not take playing in these types of environments for granted and was excited for the opportunity to have his team play on this stage at PPG Paints Arena.

“You do not get to coach a team that is this dominant as much as you would like,” Bariski said following the game. “So when you get the opportunity to play in these types of games you have to take advantage of it for the kids. We wanted to go out to Oregon because we have played in other places like Florida and other tournaments down south so it was a unique experience playing California and Oregon teams. We had this particular game circled on our calendar for a long time in the fall because this is our big rival and we like to compete against one another. Playing this team is a unique experience because you can’t just defend the Trojans just like any other team.”

Lincoln Park dominated in all facets of the game and pushed the pace on North Catholic right from the jump.

After dropping two games in Portland, it was important for the Leopards to get off to a fast start. They did just that as Lincoln Park went on a 23-point outburst in the opening quarter to create separation between them and the Trojans.

“In a section game like this, it is unbelievably important to start fast,” Bariski said. “We came in here to make a statement to the section that even though we lost a couple of games, that does not mean anything. We are back in Pennsylvania and we wanted to pick up where we left off.”

The three-point shooting for the Leopards was red hot as Lincoln Park used a smooth stroke to hit eight three-point field goals.

University of Pittsburgh commit and Lincoln Park guard Brandon Cummings led the three-point barrage knocking down three triples of his own in the winning effort.

On the evening, Cummings led all scorers with 23 points in the winning effort as he used his nice stroke from beyond the arc along with his shiftiness on the inside to wreak havoc on the North Catholic defense.

“Being focused was the biggest thing for me with my ability to make plays tonight,” Cummings said after the game. “Over the Christmas break, I was getting shots up and just trying to stay focused on the task at hand and get into this game.”

Along with the three-point effort from the Leopards, Lincoln Park also used its athletic lineup to put on a show for the crowd Wednesday evening capping off multiple fast breaks with emphatic two-handed jams and alley-oops.

The transition game was on point for Bariski and his squad as it is always a point of emphasis for his team when they hit the hardwood as they look to convert on the fast break and tire teams out.

“A set three is what we do, but playing in transition is really what we do as a team,” Bariski said. “Sixty-five to 70 percent of what we do should be working off of transition. Whether it is a rebound, steal, or a stop, we just have to play downhill. The athleticism that we have, sometimes we play out with the ball a little too much but we just want to make a move and go because is very tough to stop when you are moving downhill.

Lincoln Park improves to 6-2 on the season and 1-0 in section play and will now set its sights on a matchup with Belle Vernon before traveling up to Erie to compete in the Burger King Classic Tournament to begin the new year.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Lincoln Park boys snap two-game losing streak, defeat North Catholic