Mustangs, Red Raiders to meet again on basketball court
It’s no secret Uniontown and Laurel Highlands have an intense boys basketball rivalry. Maybe something local fans don’t know, though, is that after playing twice during the regular season, these two have one more meeting left.
The Red Raiders and Mustangs will meet today in the boys Class AAAA-AAA final of the Laurel Highlands Undergraduate Tournament.
Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at Laurel Highlands Junior High School’s gymnasium. Tickets are $1 for students and $2 for adults.
Uniontown won both thrilling clashes during the 2002-03 high school basketball season. The Red Raiders won a shootout at Laurel Highlands, 94-91, with Junior Mays’ 38 points leading the way. The Mustangs led most of the way in the second contest at Uniontown, but the Red Raiders rallied late behind Brandon Duncan to win 91-88.
Mays’ total in the first game tied for the third most points in the series’ history. Uniontown’s Bill Emmett holds the single-game record with 41 in 1968. Laurel Highlands’ Nick Bosnic poured in 39 in 1993 and the Mustangs’ Rueben Davis tallied 38 in 1984. Ironically, Mays bumped current Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky down to fifth on the list. Kezmarsky scored 37 for LH in 1990.
Two other LH Undergrad championship games will take place today. In another area rivalry, Geibel Catholic will play Carmichaels in the boys Class AA-A final at 6 p.m. Rockwood and Southern, Md., will meet in the girls Class AA-A final at 7 p.m.
Three titles were decided on Friday, highlighted by the boys junior varsity final in which Albert Gallatin upset Uniontown, 46-34. Norwin defeated Elizabeth-Forward in the girls junior varsity final, 39-31, and Norwin also took the girls Class AAAA-AAA crown with a 45-41 victory over Trinity in overtime.