It's been almost two weeks since the Class AA Monessen boys' basketball team blew a 14-point lead in the third quarter before losing to Class AAAA No. 1 Upper St. Clair, 59-53.

Even now, long-time Greyhounds coach Joe Salvino doesn't know what to make of the game.

On the one hand ...

"I'm proud of my team and the way it competed against Upper St. Clair," Salvino said.

But ...

"I don't want to compete. I want to win. No doubt about it, we should have won."

Monessen was 5-6 overall, but 5-0 in Section 5-AA play heading into this past Friday's home game against Brownsville. The Greyhounds knocked off arch-rival Charleroi, 64-33, Tuesday.

With his squad in contention for a second consecutive section title, Salvino is anxious to see what his players learned from their wasted chance at a victory against Upper St. Clair.

"We showed we can play with teams like that," he said. "But Upper St. Clair shifted gears against us and went to a higher level. We didn't do the same ... that hurt us.

"To do more than just compete, we have to push ourselves to get to the next level. Double-A is loaded with good teams. Beaver Falls [currently ranked No. 1 in Class AA by the Post-Gazette] is very athletic and a good team. There's another level of playing we have to reach to [compete] against those teams."

Monessen returned four starters from last season's team, which finished 19-7 overall, 13-1 in section play and advanced to the quarterfinals of the WPIAL playoffs and the first round of the PIAA tournament.

That group includes 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Terrance Stepoli, the team's leading scorer at 15 points per game, 6-1 senior guard Matt Wall, 6-2 senior forward Kevin Parker and 6-2 senior forward Telly Clark.

Joining the Greyhounds' lineup this season is 5-10 sophomore guard Nick Bolias, a transfer from Greensburg Central Catholic. Junior guard/forward Sheldon Miller and sophomore forward Cam Johnson also have had spot starts for Salvino, who uses an eight- to nine-player rotation.

Monessen, which employs an up-tempo, motion offense, has averaged a little more than 63 points in its five section games, the second-best total in the section.

But besides Stepoli, the Greyhounds have no other player who averages more than 10 points per game. Salvino said he is hoping for a second scoring threat to emerge as his team goes deeper into section play.

"We do like to push the ball up the floor," he said. "We need more scoring out of some people. It's one of the things I hope changes."

Monessen took a three-game losing streak into its game against Charleroi. Along with the loss to Upper St. Clair, the Greyhounds also fell to Class AAAA Bethel Park, 65-55, and Class AAA No. 5 Uniontown, 91-41.

Salvino said his team will benefit from its games against higher-classification teams.

"I see the talent my team has," he said. "Those games pushed them a little bit.

"Those games told us what we can and cannot do as a team. Against Bethel Park, we started out sluggish and came on strong at the end. With Uniontown, we just didn't play well."

A strong non-section schedule has been a staple for Monessen under Salvino, who has led the Greyhounds to three WPIAL titles and two PIAA titles in 24 seasons.

"In basketball, if I have five good athletes I can play against almost anybody," he said. "I've won [PIAA] championships and WPIAL titles with schedules that were never easy. My [non-section schedule] has always been strong."