Lady Raiders finally have depth, experience
Three of the Lady Raiders' top players this season are (from left) Aziriah Wilson, Akira Dade and Summer Hawk.
Uniontown's head coach Penny Kezmarsky (left) is assisted by Michelle Sevcik again this season.
Uniontown's Ava Hair puts up a shot in the lane during practice.
Uniontown's Akira Dade takes a jump shot during practice.
Aziriah Wilson defends Summer Hawk during Uniontown girls basketball practice.
Penny Kezmarsky looked around her and noted the abundance of players her Uniontown girls basketball team had at practice.
无毛视频淲hen we started this we didn无毛视频檛 have nearly enough girls and we struggled,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said as she prepared for her fifth year as Lady Raiders head coach. 无毛视频淲e didn无毛视频檛 have a JV team. I was cancelling JV seasons.
无毛视频淣ow we had 18 girls come out, which is huge for us. The program is growing and people are buying into it. They无毛视频檙e coming in the offseason. I tell them that无毛视频檚 when you decide if you无毛视频檙e going to win in the regular season or not. That无毛视频檚 when you无毛视频檝e got to put the work in.无毛视频�
Uniontown also has some experience and talent among those increased numbers.
无毛视频淚 was just telling my assistant coach (Michelle Sevcik) I feel like every year I say 无毛视频榳e无毛视频檙e young, we无毛视频檙e young, we无毛视频檙e young.无毛视频� We无毛视频檙e finally not young anymore,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said.
无毛视频淲e have three seniors coming back, Summer Hawk, Sophia Friend and Dana Vansickle, that have been with us all four years. We have a huge group of juniors that have really matured and are ready to play. So our outlook is very good.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky无毛视频檚 squad went 3-17, including a playoff loss, during the COVID-19 marred 2020-21 season.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e excited to get back to normal,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淲e got to play summer league this year. We got to do offseason work which was a big issue last year when we came in cold and not really gelling as well. This year there are no excuses. We无毛视频檙e ready to win some games.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky has four of her starting five locked in so far.
无毛视频淪ummer is going to be one to watch for us for sure,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淪he was a captain last year as a junior and I foresee her being a captain again this year. Summer will definitely be our starting four (forward).
无毛视频淎ziriah Wilson is a junior who will be our starting center. She无毛视频檚 as strong as anybody. Those two for sure will be underneath the hoop. We have a transfer junior this year, Ava Hair, who we无毛视频檙e excited to get on the floor. She无毛视频檒l be our three guard. Akira Dade will be one of our guards. She无毛视频檚 got great quickness and speed.
无毛视频淭hat fifth spot is still up in the air. Dana, Mya Harris, Aliyah Saunders and Jersey Greer are all in the running for that. The other girls have to keep working hard, too, to keep them on our radar.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky is looking for Hawk and Dade to be her main scorers to go along with the Lady Raiders无毛视频� usual strong defense.
无毛视频淎kira has been working on her shot and her drive all year long and you can see it in practice,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淗er three ball has improved tremendously and her left hand is getting stronger. So I look for her to put up a lot more points.
无毛视频淪ame thing with Summer. We无毛视频檙e going to rely on Summer for a nice chunk of the offensive points. She无毛视频檚 come into her own as a senior.无毛视频�
Uniontown will use different defenses depending on their opponent.
无毛视频淲e like to mix it up,无毛视频� Kezmarsky explained. 无毛视频淵ears past we无毛视频檇 use a lot of zone defense but I think we have the speed this year to play more man. We have a lot of good guards. A lot of times we like to use a zone because some teams are so used to going against a man and sometimes that throws them off.无毛视频�
Offensively, Kezmarsky would like to see her team play a fast-paced game.
无毛视频淲e want to push the ball and not give defenses time to set up, especially with Akira,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淪he can get down the court fast and not many can keep up with her.无毛视频�
The Lady Raiders are again in Section 3-AAAAA.
无毛视频淲e have the two powerhouses in there with Trinity and Thomas Jefferson,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淥ur first section game is with Trinity so we无毛视频檒l see how good we are right off the bat.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky is happy to have a slate of games against Fayette County foes.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 really nice that we无毛视频檙e able to play the locals, Laurel Highlands, AG, Connellsville, because a lot of these girls know each other and those are good rivalries,无毛视频� she said.
Kezmarsky recalled her playing days at Brownsville and rivalry games against Shawna Little, who played for and now is the coach at Connellsville.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 funny, Shawna and I are good friends but I tell my girls I无毛视频檇 leave those Connellsville-Brownsville games with bruises on me from Shawna,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said with a laugh. 无毛视频淏ut we无毛视频檙e excited to see those schools.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e looking forward to the season.无毛视频�