Red Raiders pull away for 69-52 playoff victory
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
The Red Raiders鈥� Jamire Braxton (34) pulls up for a baseline jumper to score two of his 14 points in the second quarter of Monday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA first-round playoff game against Avonworth at Uniontown.
The Red Raiders鈥� Levi Garner (11) scores despite the defensive effort of Avonworth鈥檚 Austin Johncour in the second quarter of Monday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA first-class boys basketball playoff game at Uniontown. Garner scored 12 points in Uniontown鈥檚 69-52 victory.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
The Red Raiders' Calvin Winfrey III (2) passes to teammate Levi Garner around Avonworth's Austin Johncour (0) in the second quarter of Monday's WPIAL Class AAAA first-round boys basketball playoff game at Uniontown.
The Red Raiders' Notorious Grooms lays in two of game-high 17 points in the third quarter of Monday's WPIAL Class AAAA first-round boys basketball playoff game against Avonworth at Uniontown.
Avonworth's Joel Sommers (21) defends Uniontown's Notorious Grooms in the fourth quarter of Monday's WPIAL Class AAAA first-round boys basketball playoff game at Uniontown.
The Red Raiders' Bakari Wallace (10) scores a field goal in the middle of the Avonworth defense in the fourth quarter of Monday's WPIAL Class AAAA first-round boys basketball playoff game at Uniontown. Wallace scored 16 points in the Red Raiders' 69-52 victory.
Avonworth sliced Uniontown鈥檚 lead to 40-34 with 5陆 minutes left in Monday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA first-round playoff game at Uniontown.
The Antelopes would draw no closer, however, as the Red Raiders answered for a 69-52 home victory and a berth into Thursday鈥檚 quarterfinals.
鈥淚鈥檓 just happy with this one,鈥� said Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky. 鈥淭his is a character win for us.
鈥淭here are eight teams playing basketball (Thursday) and we鈥檙e one of them.鈥�
Kezmarsky continued the thought, adding, 鈥淲e started April 3 last year. The future is now. These seniors have stuck with us through the rebounding years.鈥�
Kezmarsky wasn鈥檛 expecting a first-round rollover despite the Antelopes鈥� 8-13 record.
鈥淚 watched 16 of their games. Whoever thought I looked past them, they don鈥檛 know basketball,鈥� explained Kezmarsky.
The third-seeded Red Raiders (19-3) will play North Catholic in the quarterfinals. The Trojans (17-6) defeated Montour, 53-41.
Uniontown closed out the third quarter with a 51-40 lead after Avonworth cut an 11-point halftime deficit (38-27) to six points 2陆 minutes into the quarter.
The Red Raiders slowed the ball down in the fourth quarter and finished with an 18-12 advantage.
鈥淐alvin and Notorious, they controlled that ball the whole fourth quarter,鈥� said Kezmarsky.
The Red Raiders鈥� Levi Garner benefitted from some nifty interior passing, plus an offensive rebound or two, to score eight points in the fourth quarter and finish with 12 points.
鈥淟evi Garner is our sixth man. I couldn鈥檛 be more pleased with Levi,鈥� praised Kezmarsky.
Bakari Wallace converted 5-of-8 foul shots in the quarter to finish with 16 points.
Uniontown seemed poised to run away with the playoff game in front of its home crowd by sprinting out to a 21-10 lead in the first eight minutes.
Jamire Braxton hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Notorious Grooms, Calvin Winfrey III, and Wallace all made one as the Red Raiders found the range early. Grooms finished with a game-high 17 points.
Braxton led the early charge with five eight points. Grooms scored five and Winfrey added four points.
With Colen Crawford on the bench with three first-quarter fouls, Avonworth point guard Rowan Carmichael took over the offense for the visitors in the second quarter by scoring 10 of the Antelopes鈥� 17 points. Carmichael finished with a game-high 24 points.
Braxton added six of Uniontown鈥檚 17 points in the second quarter. Braxton, however, did not return for the second half because of an injury and finished with 14 points.
鈥淛amire should be okay for the next game. We played without our top scorer in the second half and guys stepped up,鈥� said Kezmarsky.