Duncan, Mays hot as Red Raiders lock up Section 3-AAA title
Most of the faces have changed, but Uniontown’s boys basketball team is again on a level by itself. The Red Raiders clinched the Section 3-AAA title outright with a 75-57 victory over visiting Waynesburg Central at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium on Friday night.
Brandon Duncan scored a game-high 30 points and Junior Mays added 21 as Uniontown improved to 18-3 overall and 11-1 in section play.
“Any time you go into a season with just one returning starter and find a way to win a section championship, you have to be very proud of that,” said Red Raider coach Rob Kezmarsky, who took over for Dave Shuck this season. “This feels pretty good after you see the kids work so hard, practicing and playing through the summer, sticking with the program, and then seeing the results.”
Uniontown was the WPIAL Class AAAA champion and PIAA runner-up last season, but Shuck stepped down and the team actually lost five starters in Terrance Vaughns, Chris Jacobs, Dierre Jenkins, Carl Farrell and David Winfrey last year. Duncan saw plenty of playing time and started occasionally as a sophomore and junior.
Waynesburg, which fell to 16-6 and 7-5 despite a gritty performance, still has a chance to join Uniontown in the postseason.
“It’s in our own hands,” Raiders coach Ed Zelich said. “We still control our own destiny. If we can beat Southmoreland and Brownsville, we’ll finish in second place.”
Waynesburg used three 3-pointers, including two by P.J. Schumacher, to charge out to a 19-18 advantage in a first period that featured five ties and two lead changes. The Raiders led 19-14 after a lay-up by Jason Buter before Duncan threw down a two-handed dunk with 22 seconds left and Kelvin Brown scored with a rebound with one second left.
The Red Raiders pulled even three times in the second period before grabbing the lead for good when Mays saved a loose ball from going out of bounds by batting it to Brown underneath for an easy bucket to make it 28-26.
Uniontown found itself up 40-30 after Duncan, who has tallied 30 or more points in four of the last five games, scored on a pass from Mays with 1.7 seconds left in the half.
The Red Raiders pushed the margin up to 11 twice early in the third period, but Waynesburg responded with a seven-point spurt capped by Scott Cree’s 3-pointer to get back into the game at 43-39.
The Raiders pulled within one twice late in the quarter, but Mays answered both times. Nate Stoner scored back-to-back baskets to make it 49-48, but Mays drained a 3-pointer. Schumacher fired back with a trey of his own to make it 52-51, then missed a runner that would’ve given the Raiders the lead late in the period.
“We wanted to try to set up into a delay, but they didn’t hear us,” Zelich said. “Then Uniontown ended up scoring the last five points of the quarter. That was a big momentum twister.”
Mays scored on a baseline drive and then converted a three-point play to give Uniontown a 57-51 lead after three.
The Red Raider defense took charge at that point, holding Waynesburg scoreless for almost the first five minutes of the fourth period while building a 70-51 lead.
“We really picked it up in the fourth quarter,” Kezmarsky said. “We weren’t gambling, we were sticking to their shooters and we were fighting through screens. We put ourselves in bad situations sometimes, but these kids never fold. That’s been their trademark all year.
“Waynesburg is a very good team. They have first-class kids and Ed works hard with them. He’s been very successful there. This is a tough section, even though we may win it by a couple games. This is very rewarding for me and my assistant coaches, who all do a tremendous job.
“Now we’re playing for playoff seedings, so we can’t let up.”
Schumacher paced Waynesburg with 23 points and Billy Becker added 10.
“Our kids played their hearts out,” Zelich said. “They gave everything they had.
“Uniontown is very well coached and very athletic … and what a great atmosphere to play in. This is good experience for these players.”