Raining 3s: Early long-range barrage propels Lincoln Park past Red Raiders
Jim Downey | 无毛视频-Standard
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Calvin Winfrey III (2) hits a jump shot over the outstretched arm of Lincoln Park无毛视频檚 Vinnie DePaula (11) in the first quarter of Monday无毛视频檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School.
Jim Downey | 无毛视频-Standard
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Notoroius Grooms (00) scores a layup in the third quarter of Monday无毛视频檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game against Lincoln Park at Charleroi High School.
Lincoln Park's Brandin Cummings (3) snaps a pass to Meleek Thomas (5) during Monday night's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal game against Uniontown at Charleroi High School. The duo combined for 47 points in the Leopards' 85-64 win with Cummings scoring a game-high 25 and Thomas tallying 22.
Uniontown's Jamire Braxton (34) is fouled by Lincoln Park's Dorian McGhee (21) in the second quarter of Monday's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School. Braxton made the layup and foul shot for a three-point play.
Jim Downey | 无毛视频-Standard
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Levi Garner (11) shoots over Lincoln Park无毛视频檚 Dontay Green for two points in the second quarter of Monday无毛视频檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School.
Jim Downey | 无毛视频-Standard
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Bakara Wallace (5) slices through the Lincoln Park defense for a field goal in the first quarter of Monday无毛视频檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff at Charleroi High School.
Lincoln Park's Dorian McGhee (21) blocks a shot by Uniontown's K'Adrian McLee in the first period of Monday's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School.
Uniontown's Tanner Uphold (23) scores two points in the third quarter of Monday's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game against Lincoln Park at Charleroi High School.
Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky directs his team during Monday night's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal game against Lincoln Park at Charleroi High School.
Uniontown's K'Adrian McLee controls the opening tip away from Lincoln Park's Dorian McGhee in Monday's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School.
Uniontown fans pack the stands at Charleroi High School to show support for the Red Raiders in their PIAA Class AAAA semifinal game against Lincoln Park Monday night.
CHARLEROI 无毛视频� Uniontown was hoping Lincoln Park would have an off shooting night when the two met in Monday无毛视频檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal basketball game.
Just the opposite happened.
The WPIAL champion Leopards came out sizzling hot, raining in six 3-pointers in the first quarter to build a big early lead, and stayed in control the rest of the way in defeating the Red Raiders, 85-64, in front of a jam-packed crowd at Charleroi High School.
Lincoln Park无毛视频檚 Brandin Cummings made three from outside the arc in the first three minutes and added another later in the quarter on his way to a game-high 25 points.
Lincoln Park (29-1) hit eight of 17 3-point attempts in the first half, including six of 12 in the opening frame, as it advanced to Thursday无毛视频檚 state final in Hershey against Neumann Goretti (26-3).
无毛视频淲henever you watched the games that they played like against Laurel Highlands and North Catholic, they don无毛视频檛 always shoot like that,无毛视频� Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淭hat had to be one of their better shooting games, for sure in the first quarter.无毛视频�
The Red Raiders began the game in a zone defense but were forced to go back to their usual man-to-man after Lincoln Park exploded to a 27-14 lead in the first quarter.
无毛视频淲hen they come out and they无毛视频檙e making all those long shots it really put us in a tough spot and it无毛视频檚 tough to play catch-up with a team like that,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said.
无毛视频淲e were ready for a 2-3 and a 3-2 and we shot very well,无毛视频� Leopards coach Mike Bariski said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e a team that can shoot it 无毛视频� one game this year we made 16 threes 无毛视频� but a team that can shoot it sometimes doesn无毛视频檛 make them. That无毛视频檚 the old live by the three, die by the three. But we无毛视频檝e been shooting the ball pretty well against the zone.无毛视频�
DeAndre Moye and Vinnie DePaula each also drained a 3-pointer in the first quarter.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e been a good zone team but when they无毛视频檙e hitting 25-footers there无毛视频檚 not much you can do,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淲hen they shoot like that you无毛视频檙e in trouble. We were in their face a couple times and it didn无毛视频檛 matter.无毛视频�
The Red Raiders led 2-0 after a basket by Jamire Braxton and 5-3 when Notorious Grooms answered Moye无毛视频檚 trey with one of his own but Cummings hit two 3-pointers in a row and Lincoln Park never trailed again.
K无毛视频橝drian McLee无毛视频檚 three-point play got Uniontown within one before baskets by Dorian McGhee and Meleek Thomas and another 3-pointer by Cummings made it 16-8.
The Red Raiders无毛视频� Calvin Winfrey III sank consecutive jump shots to slice the gap to four but Lincoln Park ended the quarter on an 11-2 run that included yet another 3-pointer by Cummings and one by DePaula.
The long-range barrage eventually pulled Uniontown out of its zone defense.
无毛视频淲e forced them to go man and that无毛视频檚 tough for guys to play us man,无毛视频� Bariski said.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e been a really good man-to-man team all year but just physically we couldn无毛视频檛 play them man,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淲e played hard. They kept trying. We give up a lot of size to their guards though, and they use their body so well. They got by us a little bit and then started getting to the foul line.无毛视频�
Cummings and Thomas combined for 13 points in the second quarter, sinking all nine of their free throws, and DePaula and Rashan Russel each made a 3-pointer as the Leopards expanded their advantage to 53-29 by halftime.
The Red Raiders kept battling and actually outscored Lincoln Park in the second half, 35-32, but the huge early deficit was too much to overcome.
无毛视频淭hey were scrappy and we knew they would be,无毛视频� Bariski said of Uniontown. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e like an Aliquippa team, very physical, very tough, they guard well. Their defense was great, it really was, but when you无毛视频檙e behind you无毛视频檝e got to play differently and we were able to take them out of what they wanted to do.无毛视频�
Bakari Wallace and Winfrey led the Red Raiders with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Braxton followed with nine points, Grooms added seven and Jeremiah Hager scored six. Taevian Richardson and McLee each chipped in with five points, Tanner Uphold tossed in four and Levi Garner had two to round out Uniontown无毛视频檚 scoring.
无毛视频淏oth of our big guys got in foul trouble and that didn无毛视频檛 help us,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said.
McLee fouled out with 4:30 left in the third quarter and Garner drew his fifth foul 53 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Thomas wound up with 22 points and Moye added 15 for the Leopards, who made 27 of 33 free throws while Uniontown converted four of 10 attempts.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e just a really good team,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淵ou have a kid that signed with Pitt (Cummings, whose brother Nelly was in the stands after helping the Panthers win a pair of NCAA tournament games) and one, Thomas, from what I hear is a future NBA player maybe. That无毛视频檚 how good he is.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a tough game but it无毛视频檚 a learning experience. Our kids did play hard the whole time. I told them they were one game from Hershey and how proud we were of them and that we love them.无毛视频�
The Red Raiders were urged on by a huge mass of Uniontown fans on hand.
无毛视频淭he crowd was phenomenal,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淵ou see them cheering for the kids all the way up until the end, which is great. There were Laurel (Highlands) fans here, too, pulling for us. Our fans support each other.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky commended his senior class of Wallace, Garner, Uphold, Richardson and Devin Sykes.
无毛视频淭he seniors have been loyal to this program and contributed to a team that won a co-section championship, played 29 games and got to the final four in the state,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淭he seniors are going to be successful in life. I无毛视频檓 excited about what they无毛视频檙e gong to do after high school.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky also lauded his coaching staff.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 so lucky to have three coaches like this,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淐oach (Warare) Gladman, Coach (Calvin) Winfrey and Coach (Ray) Robinson, they worked hard all year long and they无毛视频檝e been great.无毛视频�
With four starters returning, expectations will be high next season for the Red Raiders.
无毛视频淭his will help us next year,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said of his team无毛视频檚 extended postseason. 无毛视频淎 majority of our team is coming back so it was great to experience this. Not too many teams get to this point, especially a sixth seed (from the WPIAL).
无毛视频淥ur underclassmen worked as hard as they possibly could in the offseason and we无毛视频檒l definitely start that again. There无毛视频檚 still a lot we can improve so we can无毛视频檛 get complacent, we无毛视频檝e got to keep working hard and I think they will.无毛视频�