Basketball Ghosts of Christmas Past
The holiday sports season has always been a time for Christmas high school basketball tournaments.
Let鈥檚 take a trip back in time to a glorious period in Uniontown High School basketball history when the Red Raiders had a holiday tournament streak that was truly remarkable.
Uniontown was a staple at the prestigious Farrell Lions Club Invitational Basketball Tournament in the early 1960s.
Let鈥檚 give some historical background. Farrell, led by Brian Generalovich and Willie Somerset, ended Uniontown鈥檚 1959-60 season when the Steelers defeated the Red Raiders, 59-54, at Pitt鈥檚 Fitzgerald Field House to capture the WPIAL Class A title in front of a sellout crowd of 4,701 fans.
Uniontown was invited to participate in the ninth annual Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament for the first time during the 1960-61 season.
鈥淭he thing I remember was the loss to Farrell in the WPIAL final and that was when I was a sophomore,鈥� remembered Red Raider star Don Yates. 鈥淭hat one broke my heart, that was a great game.鈥�
鈥淲e traveled to Farrell by car, we didn鈥檛 take a bus,鈥� former Uniontown great Ron Sepic recalled. 鈥淲e took three cars, Coach Abe Everhart鈥檚 old Packard and two other cars. We just packed in and drove up.鈥�
Uniontown beat Martin鈥檚 Ferry (Ohio), 78-65, and Farrell routed highly-regarded Camden (N.J.), 83-53, snapping Camden鈥檚 51-game winning streak. That set up a rematch of the WPIAL championship game.
The Red Raiders trailed 30-26 at the intermission, but put together a 22-point third quarter and took a 48-44 lead. Uniontown prevailed 60-57 to win the tournament championship and snap Farrell鈥檚 22-game winning streak. Don Yates paced the Red Raider attack with 17 points and was named the tournament鈥檚 most valuable player.
鈥淚 remember the crowds,鈥� Sepic said. 鈥淭he place was packed.鈥�
鈥淔arrell had a great coach and great players,鈥� Yates said. 鈥淭hey had a great team. They were one of the best teams in the state that year.鈥�
Farrell鈥檚 great coach Ed McCluskey commented on Uniontown鈥檚 dominance of the Farrell Tournament that would unfold following the Red Raiders鈥� win in 1960.
鈥淚f we had to lose,鈥� McCluskey stated. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad it was to Abe Everhart鈥檚 team.鈥�
The following year in 1961-62, Uniontown returned to defend its Farrell Tournament championship on the Red Raiders鈥� way to a 29-2 record and WPIAL and PIAA titles. The Farrell Tournament featured four unbeaten quintets. The Red Raiders and Farrell were 7-0 coming into the tournament, Liberty (Ohio) was 5-0 and Adelphi Academy, from Brooklyn N.Y., was 3-0.
鈥淚 give Farrell credit,鈥� Sepic stated. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 stack the tournament for Farrell to win. They brought in great competition from in state and out of state.鈥�
On Dec. 28, 1961, the Red Raiders beat Liberty (Ohio), 56-53, to forge their ticket to the championship game against Farrell after Steelers had dispatched Adelphi Academy, 48-37.
Uniontown won their second straight Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament, downing the host Steelers, 57-47.
Yates led the way with 17 points and junior center Ron Sepic captured the tourney MVP award for his tremendous play and outstanding rebounding. Sepic had 15 points in the championship game and Tom Fee added 10. Jack Marin tallied 13 points for Farrell.
鈥淭here was great intensity,鈥� Yates said. 鈥淭hat gym reminded me of the gym in Charleroi. It was like a little box. It was like our junior high school gym. It was crowded and you were right up against the crowd. It was a great scene.鈥�
The Red Raiders made it three in a row when they returned to the Farrell Tournament during the 1962-63 campaign. Uniontown got by Warren (Ohio), 54-48, in the first round and Farrell downed Mercer, 54-52. Then, in the championship game on Dec. 28, 1962, the Red Raiders beat Farrell, 67-50.
The Uniontown Evening Standard lauded Sepic鈥檚 performance, noting, 鈥淩on Sepic voted the Most Valuable Player in the tourney was unstoppable in last night鈥檚 game.鈥�
Sepic hit a career-high with 30 points and hauled down 26 rebounds. That was one less rebound than entire Farrell team captured.
鈥淚t was always a great springboard for us going into section play,鈥� Sepic said. 鈥淲e knew if we could do well at Farrell we had a great chance in section play, and a great chance to possibly win the WPIAL and the state championship.鈥�
The Red Raiders domination of the Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament continued in 1963-64. Uniontown defeated Youngstown Cheney (Ohio), 71-57, and Farrell beat Howland, 81-57. Farrell and Uniontown butted heads for the fourth straight year in the Farrell Tournament championship game on Dec. 27, 1963.
After trailing at the end of the first quarter and playing to deadlocks at halftime and the end of the third quarter, the Red Raiders outscored Farrell 17-10 in the fourth quarter to notch their fourth straight Farrell Tournament Championship with 65-58 victory. Sophomore Ray Parson led Uniontown with 17 points and was named tournament MVP.
That was just the prelude to Uniontown winning the WPIAL and PIAA titles and posting 28-0 record.
鈥淲e had a great team at that time,鈥� Parson explained. 鈥淭hat was our 1964 team. Farrell played us all the way to the end.鈥�
The final chapter of the Uniontown-Farrell saga in the Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament occurred during the 1964-65 season.
Uniontown routed host Farrell, 78-57, in the first round and Cleveland East (Ohio) got by New Kensington, 30-27. The Red Raiders captured their fifth straight Farrell Tournament championship with a 74-58 dismantling of Cleveland East. It was the 36th win in row for Uniontown, matching the streak rolled up by the 1961-62 and 1962-63 clubs. The only defeat in the last 73 games for the Red Raiders was the 61-50 upset by Norwin in the WPIAL quarterfinals at Pitt鈥檚 Fitzgerald Field House on March 4, 1963.
Pat Yates scored a career-high 30 points against Cleveland East and was named tourney MVP.
鈥淚 still remember the crowds and the intensity,鈥� Parson said. 鈥淭he gym almost reminded me of Lafayette Junior High. The crowd was right on the court they could almost touch us.鈥�
Farrell was getting tired of losing its own tournament and, despite McCluskey鈥檚 statement way back when the Red Raiders鈥� streak started in 1960, Uniontown was not invited back to the Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament the following season in 1965-66. Instead, the Red Raiders played in the Midland Holiday Tournament and continued their winning ways with another tournament title by downing Midland, 54-39.