Raining 3s: Early long-range barrage propels Lincoln Park past Red Raiders
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Uniontown鈥檚 Calvin Winfrey III (2) hits a jump shot over the outstretched arm of Lincoln Park鈥檚 Vinnie DePaula (11) in the first quarter of Monday鈥檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Uniontown鈥檚 Notoroius Grooms (00) scores a layup in the third quarter of Monday鈥檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game against Lincoln Park at Charleroi High School.
Lincoln Park's Brandin Cummings (3) snaps a pass to Meleek Thomas (5) during Monday night's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal game against Uniontown at Charleroi High School. The duo combined for 47 points in the Leopards' 85-64 win with Cummings scoring a game-high 25 and Thomas tallying 22.
Uniontown's Jamire Braxton (34) is fouled by Lincoln Park's Dorian McGhee (21) in the second quarter of Monday's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School. Braxton made the layup and foul shot for a three-point play.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Uniontown鈥檚 Levi Garner (11) shoots over Lincoln Park鈥檚 Dontay Green for two points in the second quarter of Monday鈥檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Uniontown鈥檚 Bakara Wallace (5) slices through the Lincoln Park defense for a field goal in the first quarter of Monday鈥檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff at Charleroi High School.
Lincoln Park's Dorian McGhee (21) blocks a shot by Uniontown's K'Adrian McLee in the first period of Monday's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School.
Uniontown's Tanner Uphold (23) scores two points in the third quarter of Monday's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game against Lincoln Park at Charleroi High School.
Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky directs his team during Monday night's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal game against Lincoln Park at Charleroi High School.
Uniontown's K'Adrian McLee controls the opening tip away from Lincoln Park's Dorian McGhee in Monday's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at Charleroi High School.
Uniontown fans pack the stands at Charleroi High School to show support for the Red Raiders in their PIAA Class AAAA semifinal game against Lincoln Park Monday night.
CHARLEROI 鈥� Uniontown was hoping Lincoln Park would have an off shooting night when the two met in Monday鈥檚 PIAA Class AAAA semifinal basketball game.
Just the opposite happened.
The WPIAL champion Leopards came out sizzling hot, raining in six 3-pointers in the first quarter to build a big early lead, and stayed in control the rest of the way in defeating the Red Raiders, 85-64, in front of a jam-packed crowd at Charleroi High School.
Lincoln Park鈥檚 Brandin Cummings made three from outside the arc in the first three minutes and added another later in the quarter on his way to a game-high 25 points.
Lincoln Park (29-1) hit eight of 17 3-point attempts in the first half, including six of 12 in the opening frame, as it advanced to Thursday鈥檚 state final in Hershey against Neumann Goretti (26-3).
鈥淲henever you watched the games that they played like against Laurel Highlands and North Catholic, they don鈥檛 always shoot like that,鈥� Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭hat had to be one of their better shooting games, for sure in the first quarter.鈥�
The Red Raiders began the game in a zone defense but were forced to go back to their usual man-to-man after Lincoln Park exploded to a 27-14 lead in the first quarter.
鈥淲hen they come out and they鈥檙e making all those long shots it really put us in a tough spot and it鈥檚 tough to play catch-up with a team like that,鈥� Kezmarsky said.
鈥淲e were ready for a 2-3 and a 3-2 and we shot very well,鈥� Leopards coach Mike Bariski said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a team that can shoot it 鈥� one game this year we made 16 threes 鈥� but a team that can shoot it sometimes doesn鈥檛 make them. That鈥檚 the old live by the three, die by the three. But we鈥檝e been shooting the ball pretty well against the zone.鈥�
DeAndre Moye and Vinnie DePaula each also drained a 3-pointer in the first quarter.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been a good zone team but when they鈥檙e hitting 25-footers there鈥檚 not much you can do,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淲hen they shoot like that you鈥檙e in trouble. We were in their face a couple times and it didn鈥檛 matter.鈥�
The Red Raiders led 2-0 after a basket by Jamire Braxton and 5-3 when Notorious Grooms answered Moye鈥檚 trey with one of his own but Cummings hit two 3-pointers in a row and Lincoln Park never trailed again.
K鈥橝drian McLee鈥檚 three-point play got Uniontown within one before baskets by Dorian McGhee and Meleek Thomas and another 3-pointer by Cummings made it 16-8.
The Red Raiders鈥� Calvin Winfrey III sank consecutive jump shots to slice the gap to four but Lincoln Park ended the quarter on an 11-2 run that included yet another 3-pointer by Cummings and one by DePaula.
The long-range barrage eventually pulled Uniontown out of its zone defense.
鈥淲e forced them to go man and that鈥檚 tough for guys to play us man,鈥� Bariski said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been a really good man-to-man team all year but just physically we couldn鈥檛 play them man,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淲e played hard. They kept trying. We give up a lot of size to their guards though, and they use their body so well. They got by us a little bit and then started getting to the foul line.鈥�
Cummings and Thomas combined for 13 points in the second quarter, sinking all nine of their free throws, and DePaula and Rashan Russel each made a 3-pointer as the Leopards expanded their advantage to 53-29 by halftime.
The Red Raiders kept battling and actually outscored Lincoln Park in the second half, 35-32, but the huge early deficit was too much to overcome.
鈥淭hey were scrappy and we knew they would be,鈥� Bariski said of Uniontown. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e like an Aliquippa team, very physical, very tough, they guard well. Their defense was great, it really was, but when you鈥檙e behind you鈥檝e got to play differently and we were able to take them out of what they wanted to do.鈥�
Bakari Wallace and Winfrey led the Red Raiders with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Braxton followed with nine points, Grooms added seven and Jeremiah Hager scored six. Taevian Richardson and McLee each chipped in with five points, Tanner Uphold tossed in four and Levi Garner had two to round out Uniontown鈥檚 scoring.
鈥淏oth of our big guys got in foul trouble and that didn鈥檛 help us,鈥� Kezmarsky said.
McLee fouled out with 4:30 left in the third quarter and Garner drew his fifth foul 53 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Thomas wound up with 22 points and Moye added 15 for the Leopards, who made 27 of 33 free throws while Uniontown converted four of 10 attempts.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just a really good team,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淵ou have a kid that signed with Pitt (Cummings, whose brother Nelly was in the stands after helping the Panthers win a pair of NCAA tournament games) and one, Thomas, from what I hear is a future NBA player maybe. That鈥檚 how good he is.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough game but it鈥檚 a learning experience. Our kids did play hard the whole time. I told them they were one game from Hershey and how proud we were of them and that we love them.鈥�
The Red Raiders were urged on by a huge mass of Uniontown fans on hand.
鈥淭he crowd was phenomenal,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淵ou see them cheering for the kids all the way up until the end, which is great. There were Laurel (Highlands) fans here, too, pulling for us. Our fans support each other.鈥�
Kezmarsky commended his senior class of Wallace, Garner, Uphold, Richardson and Devin Sykes.
鈥淭he seniors have been loyal to this program and contributed to a team that won a co-section championship, played 29 games and got to the final four in the state,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭he seniors are going to be successful in life. I鈥檓 excited about what they鈥檙e gong to do after high school.鈥�
Kezmarsky also lauded his coaching staff.
鈥淚鈥檓 so lucky to have three coaches like this,鈥� he said. 鈥淐oach (Warare) Gladman, Coach (Calvin) Winfrey and Coach (Ray) Robinson, they worked hard all year long and they鈥檝e been great.鈥�
With four starters returning, expectations will be high next season for the Red Raiders.
鈥淭his will help us next year,鈥� Kezmarsky said of his team鈥檚 extended postseason. 鈥淎 majority of our team is coming back so it was great to experience this. Not too many teams get to this point, especially a sixth seed (from the WPIAL).
鈥淥ur underclassmen worked as hard as they possibly could in the offseason and we鈥檒l definitely start that again. There鈥檚 still a lot we can improve so we can鈥檛 get complacent, we鈥檝e got to keep working hard and I think they will.鈥�