Lights out: Red Raiders put on shooting clinic in win at AG
YORK RUN 鈥� Spencer Macke was amazed.
The first-year Albert Gallatin boys basketball coach who played under Bob Huggins at West Virginia saw a lot of hot-shooting teams during his playing career, but nothing like what he witnessed on Friday night when his Colonials took on visiting Uniontown.
鈥淚 told our kids in the locker room, their starters were 15 of 25 shooting 3s,鈥� Macke said of the Red Raiders鈥� performance beyond the arc against his squad. 鈥淚n all the levels I鈥檝e played in my life, AAU and Division-1, I鈥檝e never seen a team shoot the ball like that. That鈥檚 60 percent. If they shoot the ball like that they鈥檙e going to kill anybody.鈥�
Isaac Ellsworth swished six 3-pointers for Uniontown which also got four long-range bombs from Calvin Winfrey II, two each from Notorious Grooms and Kelan Milsom and one from Cam Dugan on its way to a 95-65 victory over the Colonials in their Section 1-AAAAA game.
Winfrey rang up a game-high 28 points, Grooms followed with 22 and Ellsworth contributed 20 for the first-place Red Raiders (8-0, 13-3), who also got 12 points from Milsom and 11 from Dugan.
鈥淚t was impressive,鈥� Macke said admiringly of Uniontown. 鈥淚t was fun to watch them, honestly.鈥�
Not that Macke wants to see them again.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad we鈥檙e done with them for the year,鈥� he added.
It was the fifth win in a row for Uniontown and the fifth loss in a row for AG.
Uniontown hit six 3-pointers in the opening quarter in exploding out to a 30-14 lead and made four more in the second in taking a commanding 58-29 halftime advantage.
鈥淲hen we move the ball and make shots, it鈥檚 pretty awesome to see,鈥� Red Raiders coach Rob Kezmarsky said. 鈥淲e have multiple guys scoring the ball, they were making the extra pass, Calvin and Tory played big and Isaac shot the ball so well. Our defense was all over the court, too, give them credit also.鈥�
To Albert Gallatin鈥檚 credit, it trimmed Uniontown鈥檚 29-point halftime lead to 18 at one point in the third quarter before the Red Raiders shifted gears and pulled away again, ending the frame up 84-49.
The Colonials (2-6, 7-8) are still just one game behind McKeesport for the fifth playoff spot in the eight-team section, although Franklin Regional sits in front of them also by one-half game.
Kezmarsky lauded AG after the game.
鈥淲e watched AG play. Coach Spencer is doing a great job,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淚 talk to him a couple times a week. He has the program headed in the right direction, picking up where Shea (Fleenor) left off. Shea always had them playing hard and now he has them and they鈥檙e doing a lot of good things.
鈥淚 wish them nothing but the best in trying to make the playoffs.鈥�
Ethan Kennedy scored a career-high 22 points to pace the Colonials, who also got 16 points from Jason Jackson and 13 from Shymere Wilson
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going the right way,鈥� Macke said. 鈥淲e were doing real well before the Christmas break and then after we鈥檝e kind of spiraled downward. We lost a couple games I felt we should鈥檝e won. I know lately we played Latrobe very tough and I actually think we played pretty well tonight. But you鈥檙e just not going to compete when a team is shooting 60 percent from 3.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e playing their hearts out. They鈥檙e giving me everything they have. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 happy with my guys right now.鈥�
The game was part of a Uniontown at AG girls-boys doubleheader and was packed house, although Kezmarsky said his team is used to that scene.
鈥淭he bigger the crowd the better,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淲henever I played basketball, except for the Roundball Classic, I never played in front of 2,000 people. But a lot of these guys, they鈥檝e had a lot of experience in that type of big-game atmosphere the past few years. We鈥檝e played at Peters Township and venues like that. We draw on that experience.
鈥淥ur fans have been great, too. Every game we鈥檝e had about as many fans if not more than the home team.鈥�
Next up for the Red Raiders is a home game against Latrobe on Tuesday. The Wildcats are one game in back of Uniontown with their lone loss on the season coming at home at the hands of the Red Raiders.
鈥淓veryone is talking about Latrobe but tonight was just as important,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淣ow we can concentrate on Latrobe. These kids are working really hard. We鈥檙e trying to win another section title and trying to get focused for the playoffs.鈥�