Leopards rally in second half to fend off Uniontown
Rob Burchianti | 无毛视频-Standard
Belle Vernon无毛视频檚 Devin Whitlock drives into the lane between Uniontown无毛视频檚 Tanner Uphold (23) and Christian Perkins (00) during Wednesday night无毛视频檚 game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Whitlock scored 26 points in the Leopards无毛视频� 77-68 win.
Rob Burchianti | 无毛视频-Standard
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Bakari Wallace (5) drives around Belle Vernon无毛视频檚 Daniel Gordon during Wednesday night无毛视频檚 game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Wallace scored a game-high 30 points but the Red Raiders lost, 77-68.
Rob Burchianti | 无毛视频-Standard
Belle Vernon无毛视频檚 Quinton Martin puts up a shot between Uniontown无毛视频檚 Brian Sykes (10) and Christian Perkins during Wednesday night无毛视频檚 game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis emerges with the ball after a scrum underneath the Red Raiders' basket during Wednesday night's game against Belle Vernon at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Belle Vernon's Daniel Gordon hits one of the three 3-pointers he made against Uniontown聽聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Gordon scored 15 points in the Leopards' 77-68 win.
Uniontown's Christian Perkins (00) pulls down a rebound despite being surrounded by Belle Vernon players聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Bakari Wallace (5) puts up a shot in the lane against Belle Vernon聽聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Wallace scored a game-high 30 points but the Red Raiders lost, 77-68.
Belle Vernon's Devin Whitlock is defended by Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis (3)聽during a game on Feb. 3. Whitlock and Lewis were both named to the 无毛视频-Standard All-Area Boys Basketball Team "Top 10."
Uniontown's Brian Sykes puts in two of his 10 points against Belle Vernon聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis shoots while being defended by Belle Vernon's Quinton Martin聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Bakari Wallace slices between Belle Vernon's Quinton Martin (5) and Devin Whitlock during a game last season at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Wallace, a junior, is the Red Raiders' top returning scorer.
Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis drives and scores just before the third-quarter buzzer聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Belle Vernon's Devin Whitlock dribbles the ball between his legs while Uniontown's Tanner Uphold (23) defends聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis shots a baseline jumper in front of Belle Vernon's Quinton Martin聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino talks to his players during a timeout in a game against Uniontown last season.
Rob Burchianti | 无毛视频-Standard
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Da无毛视频檓arr Lewis jumps up to make a pass while Belle Vernon无毛视频檚 Jake Haney (13) and Daniel Gordon (20) defend during a game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 3. Lewis and Haney were chosen to play in this year无毛视频檚 Roundball Classic.
Uniontown's Tanner Uphold sinks a 3-pointer from the corner as Belle Vernon's Joe Klanchar defends聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Bakari Wallace shots from the baseline against Belle Vernon聽聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown played an almost flawless first half against visiting Belle Vernon on Wednesday night.
To beat the WPIAL无毛视频檚 No. 1 ranked Class 4A team, though, the Red Raiders needed a repeat performance in the second half.
The Leopards didn无毛视频檛 allow that to happen and rallied from an eight-point deficit to defeat Uniontown, 77-68, in a Section 3-AAAA boys basketball battle at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Devin Whitlock, who played most of the game in foul trouble, scored a 26 points to lead the way for the first-place Leopards (6-0, 7-1) and offset a game-high 30-point performance by Uniontown无毛视频檚 Bakari Wallace.
The game was a far cry from their first meeting in Belle Vernon on Jan. 8, which the Leopards won 67-41, invoking the mercy rule in that contest.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e better now and I knew they would be,无毛视频� Leopards coach Joe Salvino said. 无毛视频淎nd you无毛视频檙e playing at Uniontown, which is a hard place to play at and always has been.无毛视频�
Wallace scored 12 points in the first quarter, which ended in a 19-19 tie, then added 11 more, including his third 3-pointer of the night, in the second as the Red Raiders (4-3, 4-6) moved out to a surprising 42-34 halftime lead.
While Wallace was pouring in the points, the lanky Da无毛视频檓arr Lewis was running the offense and racking up assists.聽
无毛视频淭he first half we came out flat and we cried a little bit because they were calling fouls,无毛视频� Salvino said. 无毛视频淏ut then in the second half we came out and played our type of basketball.无毛视频�
Whitlock and Uniontown无毛视频檚 Brian Sykes traded baskets to start the second half but Red Raiders无毛视频� forward Christian Perkins then drew his fourth foul and was forced to the bench.
Shortly after, Belle Vernon began a 15-point run to take a 51-44 lead.
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Brian Sykes thought he had a basket midway through the Leopards无毛视频� run but was called for a charge on the play. Sykes scored again with 2:27 left in the quarter but at that point his team had gone through a dry spell of 4:34 and the momentum had completely shifted.
Belle Vernon took a 58-50 lead into the fourth quarter and kept the Red Raiders at bay the rest of the way.
Despite his torrid first half, Wallace did not start the second half and wasn无毛视频檛 as effective when he did re-enter the game.
无毛视频淏akari was a little dinged up so he didn无毛视频檛 even start the third quarter but when he went back in he kept battling,无毛视频� Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said.
无毛视频淲e played a perfect first half. They无毛视频檙e the No. 1 ranked team in 4-A and we had a lead on them. In the second half, they made some really good plays and unfortunately Perkins picked up his fourth foul and when he went to the bench it changed things a little bit.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky wasn无毛视频檛 down on his team after the loss.
无毛视频淲e made them earn it tonight,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淚t was much better than the first time we played them.
无毛视频淏ut, having said that, we无毛视频檙e not here for moral victories. This is Uniontown basketball. We did tell the kids if that无毛视频檚 the No. 1 team then we无毛视频檝e got about three weeks to get ready for the playoffs and if we can start to put together two halves like we played in the first half tonight then I like our chances.无毛视频�
Whitlock drew three first-half fouls and picked up his fourth in the third quarter but still played a majority of the game.
无毛视频淚 trust him to be out there,无毛视频� Salvino said. 无毛视频淗e knows what to do and what not to do at those particular times.无毛视频�
Whitlock got plenty of offensive support from his teammates. Daniel Gordon made three 3-pointers in scoring 15 points while Jake Haney and Joe Klanchar both tallied 10 points. Quinton Martin added eight points.
Salvino is hoping his team can break a recent negative trend.
无毛视频淲e haven无毛视频檛 been starting quick lately,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e been a bit lackadaisical. I don无毛视频檛 know what无毛视频檚 causing it but we can无毛视频檛 keep doing that. We无毛视频檙e trying to prepare ourselves for the playoffs.
无毛视频淲e play New Castle on Saturday (5 p.m. at North Allegheny). If we come out flat like that against them we无毛视频檒l get embarrassed.无毛视频�
Uniontown also put four players in double figures. Following Wallace were Lewis with 12 and Sykes and Josh Curry Jones with 10 apiece.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檒l give Belle Vernon credit because Da无毛视频檓arr played a great first half but they were putting more pressure on him bringing up the ball in the second half and we weren无毛视频檛 coming back quick enough to help,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淲e weren无毛视频檛 as successful in handling the ball and ended up with a lot of turnovers, many of them unforced, in the second half.
无毛视频淥ur kids playing really well overall, though. They无毛视频檙e continuing to improve. Now we无毛视频檝e got to work on being more consistent.无毛视频�