Feb 21, 2003 By Mike Ciarochi 3 min read

A couple of 1,000-point scorers from Fayette County will go against one another Saturday afternoon at Ringgold High School, but don’t expect Rob Kezmarsky or Joe Lafko to be launching any long-distance three-pointers with this game on the line. Instead, Kezmarsky and Lafko will struggle to keep their seats when Kezmarsky’s Uniontown Red Raiders meet Lafko’s Hampton Talbots in a WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal boys basketball game. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m.

Lafko scored 1,779 points for Frazier High School from 1981-84, including a school record 54, while Kezmarsky got 1,532, including 820 as a senior in 1989-90 at Laurel Highlands. Both are in the coaching ranks now and both have their sights set on a WPIAL semifinal berth.

Not coincidentally, the Red Raiders and the Talbots seem to mirror the playing styles of their coaches, each of whom could bring rain with their sweet jump shots.

“I’ve seen Hampton live (for Wednesday’s first-round win over South Allegheny) and I’ve seen them on film and they are similar to us,” Kezmarasky said. “They shoot the ball well, they put up a lot of three-pointers and they are fundamentally sound. They use a lot of screening and moving without the ball.”

The Red Raiders (20-3) also rely on marksmanship, particularly that of forwards Brandon Duncan, a senior, and Junior Mays, a junior. Uniontown, which as Class AAA’s second seed earned a first-round bye, has a size advantage that it hopes to exploit.

“They are not big, but they are very quick,” Kezmarsky said. “Their point guard, Ryan Hauck, is their leading scorer. He scored 18 of their 41 points the other night and they beat a very good South Allegheny team that was 20-3. He’s about 5-11, but he’ll shoot threes and he’ll post up. Zach Ferguson is probably their second leading scorer. He’s the same type of player Hauck is, but a little bigger.”

Chas Wagner is a 5-9 scrappy guard and forward Jeff Kinder is a three-point shooter, too. Hampton’s center is 6-1 Nolan Patouillet. The Talbots are 18-7.

Uniontown’s other starters are senior Todd Jackson at point guard, with juniors Reese Hodge and Paul Gmutza playing inside.

The Red Raiders haven’t played a game since their regular season finale on Feb. 7, but it hasn’t been exactly down time.

“It has been productive,” Kezmarsky said. “I’m proud of the way the kids handled the layoff. They took it as a challenge and the intensity level at practice has been high. We scrimmaged Connellsville and Jeannette. At this point, they are really anxious to play.

“We can’t change, not after 23 games. We’ve tried to improve, but you’ve got to go with what got you here. At this time of the year, all teams want to do what they do best and you always try to take away what your opponent does best. It’s a matter of trying to take advantage of any weaknesses you might find. We’ll try to do it to them and I’m sure they’ll try to do it to us.”

All in all, Kezmarsky has been pleased with the results in his first season as Uniontown’s coach.

“We’re happy for the kids,” he said. “They’re 20-3 and hoping to go to the WPIAL semifinals. They have a chance to do something great.”

Hampton lost two of their last three regular-season games, but also has beaten Yough, North Catholic and Class AAAA Connellsville. The Talbots (18-7) also lost by two points to North Hills.

In case you were wondering, a Talbot is a large, mostly white hound dog ancestral to the bloodhound.