300: Red Raiders hold off Yough, give Kezmarsky milestone win
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky talks to his players during a timeout in Friday night鈥檚 game against Yough at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Uniontown鈥檚 Bakari Wallace scores while being fouled against Yough during Friday night鈥檚 game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Wallace, who had 16 points in the Red Raiders鈥� 66-61 win, made the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky poses with (clockwise) his wife Cortney, his daughter Kiley and his son J.J. after the Red Raiders鈥� 66-61 victory over Yough Friday night. It was Kezmarsky鈥檚 300th career coaching win.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Uniontown鈥檚 Damarr Lewis hits a driving shot during Friday鈥檚 win over Yough at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Lewis scored 15 points Tuesday night as the Red Raiders extended their winning streak to three with a 66-44 win at Southmoreland.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Uniontown鈥檚 Christian Perkins attempts a shot over Yough鈥檚 Austin Mathews during Friday night鈥檚 game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky directs his team while Yough coach Jim Nesser (in background) reacts during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Yough's Terek Crosby takes a jump shot against Uniontown聽during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Crosby scored 17 points but the Red Raiders won, 66-61.
Uniontown's Brian Sykes hangs in the air as he drives into the lane against Yough聽during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Damarr Lewis (3) surveys Yough's defense聽during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniointown's Evan Townsend hits one of his three 3-pointers against Yough during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Damarr Lewis puts up a shot as Yough's Terek Crosby defends during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Yough's Gamal Marballie (3) goes in for a layup against Uniontown during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Marballie scored a game-high 24 points but the Red Raiders won, 66-61.
Uniontown's Josh Curry Jones (12) shoots a jump shot against Yough during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Bakari Wallace dribbles the ball while Yough's Terek Crosby (4) defends聽during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Yough's Terek Crosby sizes up the situation against Uniontown聽during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Yough's Gamal Marballie (3) looks to pass the ball while being defended by Uniontown's Evan Townsend during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Yough coach Jim Nesser urges his team on during a timeout in Friday night's game against Uniontown at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Josh Curry Jones swats away a shot by Yough's Gamal Marballie (3) during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Damarr Lewis (left) saves the ball from going out of bounds and throws if off of Yough's Tyler Zerone (0) during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Josh Curry Jones sets up the offense against Yough during Friday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarky was sitting on 299 career coaching wins although he had a different number on his mind going into Friday night鈥檚 Section 3-AAAA game against Yough.
鈥淲e wanted to get to 2-2 in the section,鈥� Kezmarsky said.
Uniontown did just that, building a 16-point halftime lead and holding off a fourth-quarter charge by the Cougars to earn a 66-61 victory at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
It was the Red Raiders鈥� second win in a row after an 0-4 start to the season and it gave Kezmarsky coaching win No. 300.
鈥淲e knew,鈥� Uniontown鈥檚 Tanner Uphold said of the milestone win. 鈥淐oach didn鈥檛 stress it that much. He said it was just another game and we wanted to be 2-2 in the section.
鈥淏ut it made us feel good to be the ones to get him 300.鈥�
Damarr Lewis led the Red Raiders (2-2, 2-4) with 23 points in a strong all-around performance and Dakari Wallace added 16 points. Evan Townsend hit three deep 3-pointers in contributing nine points and Josh Curry Jones also had nine.
鈥淚t was a total team win,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭he kids did a good job. They deserve a lot of credit. Damarr really exploded to the basket tonight which is what we鈥檝e been trying to get him to do.鈥�
Yough took an early 8-4 lead before Uniontown countered with a 20-6 run that included two 3-pointers by Townsend and one by Lewis for a 24-14 advantage after one quarter.
Wallace rang up 10 points in the second quarter as the Red Raiders extended their lead to 42-26 by halftime.
Cougars coach Jim Nesser wasn鈥檛 pleased with his team鈥檚 effort over the first two quarters.
鈥淚 was disappointed with how we played in the first half. They made some shots but I felt our defensive effort wasn鈥檛 good enough, especially on the road,鈥� Nesser said.
鈥淭his is Uniontown. They鈥檝e got tradition here. They win all the time. They鈥檙e not going to let Yough come in here and win the game. If we want it we have to take it. Uniontown came out and played their butts off, and I knew they would.鈥�
Yough gathered itself and fought back gallantly in the second half.
The Cougars (1-3, 2-4) got two 3-pointers from Christian Park and one each from Terek Crosby and Gamal Marballie in out-scoring Uniontown 20-15 in the third quarter to slice the gap to 57-46.
Another 3-pointer by Park and two free throws by Marballie, who scored a game-high 24 points, pulled Yough to within 57-52 with 4:09 left in the game.
The Red Raiders answered not long after a Kezmarsky timeout with consecutive baskets from Curry Jones on an assist from Lewis, Brian Sykes and Wallace. to go up 63-52 with 2:52 remaining.
From there Uniontown effectively ran its delay offense and hung on for the win.
鈥淚 liked the way we handled the ball the last five minutes,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 two games in a row now where we did a pretty good job at that.
鈥淵ough is going to beat a lot of teams. They didn鈥檛 quit. I have a lot of respect for Coach Nesser. He鈥檚 been coaching since I was playing.鈥�
Crosby scored 17 points for the Cougars and Park added 11.
鈥淚 thought in the second half we played with a lot of heart,鈥� Nesser said. 鈥淏ut we played two solid quarters. Against a team like that it takes four solid quarters to win.
鈥淲e had a hard time guarding their tall kid (Lewis). He got to the rim on us a little bit. His length hurt us.鈥�
Kezmarsky had been urging Lewis to attack the basket more.
鈥淚鈥檓 a pass-first type of guy but Coach has been saying if I have an opening I should shoot it, so I was trying to do that a little more tonight,鈥� said Lewis, who was happy to be part of Kezmarsky鈥檚 300th win.
鈥淛ust knowing what a great coach he is, it felt good we could get that one for him.鈥�
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 make a big deal of it,鈥� Wallace said. 鈥淏ut 300, that鈥檚 a lot.鈥�
Wallace is hoping his team can add many more wins to that total this season.
鈥淲e feel we鈥檙e getting better, learning something every game,鈥� Wallace said. 鈥淭onight it was not to let up when you have a big lead.鈥�
鈥淏akari played so well, especially in the first half, and Josh Curry Jones played a great floor game. That was his best game of the year,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淎nd Evan Townsend, another kid with a wonderful attitude, made some huge shots in the first half.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see the confidence pick up in those guys. That鈥檚 a good win.鈥�
Kezmarsky improved his career record, which includes 21 wins at Albert Gallatin, to 300-189 and his mark with the Red Raiders to 279-138.
鈥淐ongratulations to Robbie,鈥� Nesser said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a great coach. He has a great program. They鈥檝e won for years. I鈥檓 trying to get Yough to go in that same direction.鈥�
When prodded to finally talk about his milestone win, Kezmarsky thought back No. 1.
鈥淚t was against Carlynton when I was at Albert Gallatin,鈥� Kezmarsky recalled with a smile. 鈥淣o way back then did I think I鈥檇 ever get anywhere near 300.
鈥淏ut listen, I鈥檓 the Uniontown basketball coach. I mean, it can鈥檛 be any better than that. It鈥檚 an honor. We鈥檝e had great players.鈥�
Kezmarsky posed for photos with his team and then with his wife Cortney, daughter Kiley and son JJ to celebrate No. 300.
鈥淭he players are the ones who did it, not me,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭o have my family out there, that meant a lot to me.聽I only wish my mom and my brother could鈥檝e been here with me.
鈥淚 was really trying to downplay it. I鈥檝e been blessed to coach a long time, most of it here at Uniontown with my best friend, coach (Warare) Gladman next to me. He鈥檚 played a huge part in this. The relationships I鈥檝e made with the players and their families is something I always cherish.鈥�
Kezmarsky was then ready to turn the page.
鈥淣ow that鈥檚 over,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have two important section games and a rivalry game next week (at Laurel Highlands on Wednesday) so we need to keep getting better, and I think we are.鈥�