Classic clash: Cummings, Thomas star as Lincoln Park again fights off gallant Red Raiders
Perhaps in a different year Uniontown鈥檚 boys basketball team would be celebrating a WPIAL title and a trip to Hershey.
The Red Raiders happened to have one of their all-time great teams at the same time Lincoln Park, and its two NCAA Division-I recruits, occupied WPIAL Class AAAA.
The defending state and two-time WPIAL champion Leopards recovered from an early Uniontown onslaught that resulted in a stunning 19-4 deficit to rally and fight off the gallant Red Raiders for the second time this postseason, 66-62, in a PIAA second-round game at Canon-McMillan High School on Tuesday night.
Lincoln Park (25-3) fended off Uniontown in the district semifinals as well, 74-63 in what was a one-possession game with a minute to play, and eliminated the Red Raiders in a PIAA final four game last year. 85-64.
Senior Pitt commit Brandin Cummings poured in a game-high 33 points, including five 3-pointers, and junior Maleek Thomas tallied 24 points as the Leopards advanced to Friday鈥檚 PIAA quarterfinals against North Catholic.
鈥淲e played as good as we could play for a quarter and a half,鈥� Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a reason those kids are going Division-1.
鈥淲e made runs, we made plays, but they made them, too. We battled and battled. We played good defense. They made some tough, tough shots.鈥�
Lincoln Park鈥檚 big two offset a well-balanced Uniontown attack that saw all five of its starters score in double figures.
Jamire Braxton led the way for the Red Raiders (23-5) with 14 points and K鈥橝drian McLee, who played a stellar game in the post, followed with 13 points. Uniontown also got 11 points apiece from Calvin Winfrey III and Jeremiah Hager, and 10 points from Notorious Grooms.
鈥淚 told these kids how proud I am of them to have back-to-back years like that,鈥� said Kezmarsky, whose squad went 23-6 last season and won back-to-back section titles, Nos. 50 and 51 in program history.
鈥淲e got eliminated by a great team two years in a row, the defending state champion. It鈥檚 tough to swallow. But I couldn鈥檛 be proud of our six seniors (Braxton, McLee, Hager, Eric Townsend, Nick Torbich and Marcus Hice). They all said goodbye to each other but they鈥檙e not going anywhere, they鈥檒l be part of our family forever. All six of them deserve a lot of credit, and I鈥檓 not just talking about the kids that play and start and get all the fame. There鈥檚 six wonderful kids there. We鈥檙e going to miss them.鈥�
Kezmarsky expressed frustration over the layout of the PIAA bracket after the game.
鈥淭his should鈥檝e been for the right to go to Hershey, not a second-round game,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淛ust like I thought if we were seeded correctly in the WPIALs we would鈥檝e been playing Lincoln at The Pete in the final. I thought my kids deserved that chance.鈥�
While there was a faction of people who felt Lincoln Park would have a much easier time in the rematch with Uniontown after their tight battle in the WPIAL playoffs, the Red Raiders showed right off the bat this would be no walk in the park for the Leopards.
Down 4-2, the Red Raiders went on a dazzling 17-point run in the first quarter as it dissected Lincoln Park鈥檚 defense with crisp passes and darts to the basket. The burst included seven points by Hager, four each by Braxton and McLee and two by Winfrey.
Leopards coach Mike Bariski was forced to call a timeout with 2:29 left in the quarter.
鈥淚 was concerned but I was also thinking that we鈥檝e got a lot of time left,鈥� Bariski said.
Thomas, who is considered one of the top juniors in the nation, felt the same way.
鈥淚t was still early,鈥� said Thomas, who scored all but two of his team鈥檚 points in the opening frame. 鈥淚t was just stay patient, don鈥檛 panic, keep the team together and weather the storm.鈥�
The Leopards got within 10 but a basket by McLee and two free throws by Winfrey put the Red Raiders up 23-9 after the first quarter.
Lincoln Park began changing up its defense in the second quarter and the Leopards鈥� offense started to hit its stride as it gradually cut into the deficit but Uniontown still led 32-28 as the final seconds of the first half ticked off. Cummings managed to slice the gap to one point, 32-31, when he banked in an off-balance, buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
鈥淐ummings鈥� shot before the half, you can鈥檛 play better defense and he still somehow gets it to go in,鈥� Kezmarsky said.
Lincoln Park grabbed the lead for the first time since it was up 4-2 in the first quarter when Cummings drilled another 3-pointer early in the third quarter.
Uniontown wasn鈥檛 about to cave in, though, as Grooms answered with a 3-pointer to put the Red Raiders back on top 37-36.
That sparked a back-and-forth third-quarter battle that had seven lead changes and two ties.
鈥淲e kept answering,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭here was no quit.鈥�
McLee scored six straight points midway through the quarter, two on passes from Winfrey, that gave Uniontown a 43-30 advantage but Cummings and Thomas spearheaded a seven-point burst to put the Leopards ahead 47-43.
Undaunted, the Red Raiders pulled even on a driving basket by Braxton and a fast-break layup by Winfrey as the quarter ended with the score knotted at 47-47.
McLee gave Uniontown its last lead with he made one of two free throws to open the fourth quarter but a basket by Thomas put Lincoln Park ahead to stay and Cummings followed with a long 3-pointer to make it 52-48.
The Red Raiders got within two twice more on a basket by Braxton and two free throws by Grooms but a three-point play by Cummings and a bucket by Thomas off a rebound gave the Leopards a 59-52 advantage with 1:29 left.
Uniontown couldn鈥檛 get closer than four the rest of the way. Thomas scored nine points and Cummings had eight in the final frame.
鈥淚 was thinking money time,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 make the plays, do what we have to do to finish the game and get out of here with a win.鈥�
Bariski and Thomas commended the Red Raiders.
鈥淲e held our composure tonight,鈥� Bariski said. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 a great team. Rob does a good job with them.鈥�
鈥淭hey鈥檙e very well coached and have very good guards,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e just a good team. They play together well. They compete. They鈥檙e the hardest team we played all year other than those (non-WPIAL) teams we lost to.鈥�
Kezmarsky thought his team made a statement in defeat.
鈥淲e had a great team but unfortunately it was at the same time as Lincoln Park,鈥� he said. 鈥淭heir coach was very respectful and said some nice things about our players after the game.
鈥淓very kid wants to play at a high (collegiate) level. We have kids that have a lot of Division III schools looking at them. Well, they proved tonight that they could play at a very high level. We proved we could play with them.
鈥淟ooking ahead, we do have four of our top six coming back, and we have some really good young kids in the program. So we鈥檒l be back strong again next season.鈥�