Family feat
Jenkins joins dad as 1,000-point scorers at Uniontown
YORK RUN 鈥� Dierre Jenkins remembers when he scored his 1,000th career point while playing for Uniontown.
鈥淭hree in the corner against Woodland Hills,鈥� said the 2002 Uniontown graduate, who finished his Red Raiders career with 1,244 points. 鈥淚 remember Mr. (Dave) Shuck came and told me there鈥檚 a good chance you might get your 1,000th tonight. That game I was hot, I think I had like 25.鈥�
Thursday night might be even more embedded in Jenkins鈥� memory from now on.
Now the head coach of Uniontown鈥檚 girls basketball team, he had the opportunity to watch his daughter, Lady Raiders senior Aierra Jenkins, match him with her 1,000th career point.
Aierra needed just four points to reach the milestone in her team鈥檚 Section 4-5A opener at Albert Gallatin and took care of business quickly, scoring Uniontown鈥檚 first two baskets. Points No. 999 and 1,000 game on a shot inside with 6:17 left in the first quarter. Play was stopped and Aierra posed with a group of teammates, coaches, relatives and friends behind a banner noting her achievement.
She finished the night with a game-high 21 points as Uniontown fought off the gritty Lady Colonials, 48-18, to extend its winning streak to four.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to do it like my dad did and at the same school,鈥� Aierra Jenkins said. 鈥淚 was proud of myself. I鈥檝e been pushing myself for this moment.鈥�
Jenkins is the first Lady Raider to reach 1,000 points since Mya Murray during the 2019-20 season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible,鈥� Dierre said. 鈥淵ou have your moments, you have your battles, but that right there is something I鈥檒l never ever forget, me being on the sidelines watching her do that.
鈥淵ou remember the journey, taking her to all the workouts and all those things, watching her continue to grow as a player and a person. Then seeing her score 1,000 鈥� it鈥檚 a special moment and I鈥檓 really proud of her.鈥�
Another subplot to Thursday鈥檚 game was a third relative mixed into the occasion as Lady Colonials coach Shandon Marshall pointed out.
鈥淒ierre is my uncle and Aierra happens to be my little cousin,鈥� Marshall said with a smile. 鈥淗e had Aierra and those girls ready to play.鈥�
Both are first-year coaches although uncle Dierre has a bit more talent and experience than nephew Shandon.
Uniontown (1-0, 4-1) jumped out to a 19-2 lead midway through the second quarter but Albert Gallatin (0-1, 1-4) out-scored the Lady Raiders 8-4 the rest of the half and then pulled within 10 at 23-13 after Paiton Lovis was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws early in the third.
鈥淲ith us, we鈥檙e just figuring it out still some games it seems like,鈥� Dierre said. 鈥淪ometimes we shoot too fast when I want to get the ball moving, get the defense moving and then get a good shot.
鈥淕ive AG credit. My nephew is doing a great job over there. They鈥檙e a scrappy team, they鈥檝e got their hands out causing trouble. They鈥檙e getting in the passing lanes. He鈥檚 got those girls feisty.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy with the way my girls played tonight in the first half,鈥� Marshall said. 鈥淵ou honestly thought it was going to be a different ballgame.鈥�
Uniontown regrouped, however, and went on a 20-point run that extended into the fourth quarter for a commanding 43-13 lead. Aierra tallied 12 of those points.
鈥淭here are times where I can tell we鈥檙e down a little and then that鈥檚 when I know I really have to up my game to get us going again,鈥� Aierra said.
鈥淭hat was an important part of the game,鈥� Dierre said of when the Lady Colonials whittled the gap to 10 points. 鈥淵ou give a team hope and that鈥檚 when you can get in trouble so we had to stop that.鈥�
Dierre commended his daughter for taking charge out on the floor.
鈥淲hen she wants to, she鈥檚 a powerful force that not too many people can stop,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s we鈥檙e playing, everything is going to go through her. The way we play, everything is going to feed off of her. When she gets going, the other girls start making layups and shots and then everything starts clicking.鈥�
Uniontown limited AG to just eight points in the second half, all by Lovis with a 3-pointer and a five-for-five showing at the foul line.
鈥淪he鈥檚 coming into her own,鈥� Marshall said of Lovis, a sophomore guard who finished with a team-high 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 play much last year but now that she鈥檚 getting back into the flow of things she鈥檚 actually starting to really enjoy it. I love her because she鈥檚 our only 3-point shooter most of the time.鈥�
Albert Gallatin鈥檚 only other scorers were Mikayla Shea with three points and Korina Samuel with two.
鈥淢ikayla is our only senior and she is our leader,鈥� Marshall said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 our most experienced player. They follow her.鈥�
Lyric McLee followed Aierra in scoring for Uniontown with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Ambree Long added six points.
Aierra has altered her style of play since transferring from Laurel Highlands, where she was a three-year starter.
鈥淚 knew coming into this season that I had to change my game,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ost people know me for being in the paint. To help this team I had to really work on my outside game and do a lot more different things than I did before.鈥�
Marshall is upbeat despite having a very young roster that consists of one senior, one junior, five sophomores and three freshmen.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a blessing to be able to coach these girls really,鈥� Marshall said..鈥� We鈥檙e taking it step by step, having a little trouble only because we鈥檙e so inexperienced. We鈥檙e getting better each game and each individual step that we take is a step towards positivity.
鈥淎ll my girls are really bought in and we get along very well. I have five that have never really played basketball before but they鈥檙e learning. We just have to keep playing together. That鈥檚 the best thing we can do.鈥�