Basketball Ghosts of Christmas Past
The holiday sports season has always been a time for Christmas high school basketball tournaments.
Let无毛视频檚 take a trip back in time to a glorious period in Uniontown High School basketball history when the Red Raiders had a holiday tournament streak that was truly remarkable.
Uniontown was a staple at the prestigious Farrell Lions Club Invitational Basketball Tournament in the early 1960s.
Let无毛视频檚 give some historical background. Farrell, led by Brian Generalovich and Willie Somerset, ended Uniontown无毛视频檚 1959-60 season when the Steelers defeated the Red Raiders, 59-54, at Pitt无毛视频檚 Fitzgerald Field House to capture the WPIAL Class A title in front of a sellout crowd of 4,701 fans.
Uniontown was invited to participate in the ninth annual Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament for the first time during the 1960-61 season.
无毛视频淭he thing I remember was the loss to Farrell in the WPIAL final and that was when I was a sophomore,无毛视频� remembered Red Raider star Don Yates. 无毛视频淭hat one broke my heart, that was a great game.无毛视频�
无毛视频淲e traveled to Farrell by car, we didn无毛视频檛 take a bus,无毛视频� former Uniontown great Ron Sepic recalled. 无毛视频淲e took three cars, Coach Abe Everhart无毛视频檚 old Packard and two other cars. We just packed in and drove up.无毛视频�
Uniontown beat Martin无毛视频檚 Ferry (Ohio), 78-65, and Farrell routed highly-regarded Camden (N.J.), 83-53, snapping Camden无毛视频檚 51-game winning streak. That set up a rematch of the WPIAL championship game.
The Red Raiders trailed 30-26 at the intermission, but put together a 22-point third quarter and took a 48-44 lead. Uniontown prevailed 60-57 to win the tournament championship and snap Farrell无毛视频檚 22-game winning streak. Don Yates paced the Red Raider attack with 17 points and was named the tournament无毛视频檚 most valuable player.
无毛视频淚 remember the crowds,无毛视频� Sepic said. 无毛视频淭he place was packed.无毛视频�
无毛视频淔arrell had a great coach and great players,无毛视频� Yates said. 无毛视频淭hey had a great team. They were one of the best teams in the state that year.无毛视频�
Farrell无毛视频檚 great coach Ed McCluskey commented on Uniontown无毛视频檚 dominance of the Farrell Tournament that would unfold following the Red Raiders无毛视频� win in 1960.
无毛视频淚f we had to lose,无毛视频� McCluskey stated. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 glad it was to Abe Everhart无毛视频檚 team.无毛视频�
The following year in 1961-62, Uniontown returned to defend its Farrell Tournament championship on the Red Raiders无毛视频� way to a 29-2 record and WPIAL and PIAA titles. The Farrell Tournament featured four unbeaten quintets. The Red Raiders and Farrell were 7-0 coming into the tournament, Liberty (Ohio) was 5-0 and Adelphi Academy, from Brooklyn N.Y., was 3-0.
无毛视频淚 give Farrell credit,无毛视频� Sepic stated. 无毛视频淭hey didn无毛视频檛 stack the tournament for Farrell to win. They brought in great competition from in state and out of state.无毛视频�
On Dec. 28, 1961, the Red Raiders beat Liberty (Ohio), 56-53, to forge their ticket to the championship game against Farrell after Steelers had dispatched Adelphi Academy, 48-37.
Uniontown won their second straight Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament, downing the host Steelers, 57-47.
Yates led the way with 17 points and junior center Ron Sepic captured the tourney MVP award for his tremendous play and outstanding rebounding. Sepic had 15 points in the championship game and Tom Fee added 10. Jack Marin tallied 13 points for Farrell.
无毛视频淭here was great intensity,无毛视频� Yates said. 无毛视频淭hat gym reminded me of the gym in Charleroi. It was like a little box. It was like our junior high school gym. It was crowded and you were right up against the crowd. It was a great scene.无毛视频�
The Red Raiders made it three in a row when they returned to the Farrell Tournament during the 1962-63 campaign. Uniontown got by Warren (Ohio), 54-48, in the first round and Farrell downed Mercer, 54-52. Then, in the championship game on Dec. 28, 1962, the Red Raiders beat Farrell, 67-50.
The Uniontown Evening Standard lauded Sepic无毛视频檚 performance, noting, 无毛视频淩on Sepic voted the Most Valuable Player in the tourney was unstoppable in last night无毛视频檚 game.无毛视频�
Sepic hit a career-high with 30 points and hauled down 26 rebounds. That was one less rebound than entire Farrell team captured.
无毛视频淚t was always a great springboard for us going into section play,无毛视频� Sepic said. 无毛视频淲e knew if we could do well at Farrell we had a great chance in section play, and a great chance to possibly win the WPIAL and the state championship.无毛视频�
The Red Raiders domination of the Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament continued in 1963-64. Uniontown defeated Youngstown Cheney (Ohio), 71-57, and Farrell beat Howland, 81-57. Farrell and Uniontown butted heads for the fourth straight year in the Farrell Tournament championship game on Dec. 27, 1963.
After trailing at the end of the first quarter and playing to deadlocks at halftime and the end of the third quarter, the Red Raiders outscored Farrell 17-10 in the fourth quarter to notch their fourth straight Farrell Tournament Championship with 65-58 victory. Sophomore Ray Parson led Uniontown with 17 points and was named tournament MVP.
That was just the prelude to Uniontown winning the WPIAL and PIAA titles and posting 28-0 record.
无毛视频淲e had a great team at that time,无毛视频� Parson explained. 无毛视频淭hat was our 1964 team. Farrell played us all the way to the end.无毛视频�
The final chapter of the Uniontown-Farrell saga in the Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament occurred during the 1964-65 season.
Uniontown routed host Farrell, 78-57, in the first round and Cleveland East (Ohio) got by New Kensington, 30-27. The Red Raiders captured their fifth straight Farrell Tournament championship with a 74-58 dismantling of Cleveland East. It was the 36th win in row for Uniontown, matching the streak rolled up by the 1961-62 and 1962-63 clubs. The only defeat in the last 73 games for the Red Raiders was the 61-50 upset by Norwin in the WPIAL quarterfinals at Pitt无毛视频檚 Fitzgerald Field House on March 4, 1963.
Pat Yates scored a career-high 30 points against Cleveland East and was named tourney MVP.
无毛视频淚 still remember the crowds and the intensity,无毛视频� Parson said. 无毛视频淭he gym almost reminded me of Lafayette Junior High. The crowd was right on the court they could almost touch us.无毛视频�
Farrell was getting tired of losing its own tournament and, despite McCluskey无毛视频檚 statement way back when the Red Raiders无毛视频� streak started in 1960, Uniontown was not invited back to the Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament the following season in 1965-66. Instead, the Red Raiders played in the Midland Holiday Tournament and continued their winning ways with another tournament title by downing Midland, 54-39.