Red Raiders roll by Waynesburg, 87-51
Holly Tonini
Waynesburg Central’s Darton McIntire leads the break against Uniontown during a game last season at Waynesburg Central High School.
Holly Tonini
Uniontown’s Kamron Fitzgerald (5) scores on a layup past Waynesburg’s Caleb Shriver (35) during non-section action Tuesday at Waynesburg Central High School.
Waynesburg Central's Lucas Garber (22) dribbles the ball around Uniontown's Lorenzo Oden (3) during non-section play Tuesday at Waynesburg Central High School.
WAYNESBURG — Leading 13-7 midway through the opening quarter in Tuesday night’s Section 3-AAAA boys basketball game, Uniontown tallied 14 unanswered points to end the quarter and rolled to an 87-51 victory over Waynesburg Central.
The Red Raiders (5-6, 2-5) were led by four players in double figures and had 12 players reach the score sheet in the section victory.
“Our kids have been through a lot this season,” Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said. “Uncharacteristically, we have lost a couple of close games and that one against first-place Belle Vernon still stings. I’m just happy that we put together a total team effort tonight and the kids played great Uniontown basketball.”
Kamron Fitzgerald scored a team-high 16 points off the bench for Uniontown, while Anthony Brown and Lorenzo Oden added 14 apiece. Billy DeShields scored 11 points, as the visitors’ bench held a 43-14 scoring advantage against Waynesburg.
Darton McIntire poured in a game-high 22 points for the Raiders (1-13, 0-7).
“Everybody knows that Uniontown will throw a press at you and we worked on it a lot in practice over the last couple of days,” Waynesburg coach Kirk King said. “They throw multiple looks at you and we were not composed against it. They dictated the pace of the game and we got out of sync in the first quarter. We have to start games better and it was very disappointing .”
Uniontown scored the opening five points of the contest and scored eight of the next 14 points for a 13-6 lead.
After a free throw by Waynesburg’s Avery McConville, the visitors steamrolled to 14 straight points for a 27-7 lead at the end of one. Fitzgerald had nine points in the opening eight minutes.
“We were relaxed in the opening eight minutes and played our game,” Kezmarsky said. “Our defense looks a lot better when we are putting the ball in the basket. We have struggled at times on offense, but tonight we were hitting a lot of 3-pointers and got some lay-ups from our press.”
In the second quarter, the squads exchanged points and rallies, but Uniontown held a 22-15 scoring edge in the frame and carried a 49-22 lead into halftime.
Uniontown jumped out with a 10-3 run to start the third quarter and stretched its lead to 59-25, but Waynesburg countered with a 9-2 rally to make it 61-34.
The visitors responded with a 9-6 spurt to end the third and held a 70-40 lead going into the final eight minutes of play.
After McIntire opened the fourth quarter with four straight points, Uniontown ended the game on a 17-7 run, as both teams went to their benches in the waning minutes of the contest.
”We are still in the playoff race and I’m just happy for our young kids,” Kezmarsky said. “I think 85 percent of our kids will be back next year and they are gaining valuable experience on the court. Our bench was strong tonight. Lorenzo played a complete game and Kam is a special player. Our younger kids are getting confidence every game.”
Uniontown hosts South Park on Friday, while Waynesburg travels to non-section foe Charleroi today and ventures out to Elizabeth Forward on Friday.
“It’s been frustrating for us,” King said. “We have the physical talent, it’s just the mental side of things are not going our way. I don’t want to use our youth as an excuse. They have to learn from their mistakes and we have to grow as a team. I want to get some wins and be competitive the rest of the season. We have to stop making excuses.”