Dec 31, 2004 By Rob Burchianti 4 min read

Rodney Turner helped Uniontown take control. Then he combined with teammate Kishaun Cook to put the final nail in the coffin. Turner scored 12 points on four key 3-pointers and Cook scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the third period as the Red Raiders defeated Laurel Highlands, 64-53, in the 84th boys basketball meeting between the cross-town rivals at a packed A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium on Thursday night.

Uniontown now leads the all-time series 51-33. The Red Raiders have taken the last nine meetings in putting together their longest winning streak in the series since stringing 10 victories in a row from 1977 to 1981.

Uniontown (9-2) survived a superior effort by Mustang freshman Kaleb Ramsey, who powered his way to 24 points and 16 rebounds – both game highs – and also blocked three shots.

Gregg Forse followed with 19 points and six assists, but no one else scored more than four points for LH (5-7).

“That’s not what we’re striving for,” Laurel Highlands coach Rick Hauger said his team’s unbalanced scoring. “We went to Kaleb a little bit more than usual tonight because they had a smaller player defending him, so we tried to take advantage of that.

“But, really, we lost by 11 points and Turner hit those four 3-pointers … that was the difference in the game right there.”

There were three lead changes before the first period ended tied, 11-11. Adam Franczyk and Leroy Ingram hit buckets to open the second quarter for the Red Raiders and they never trailed again.

The game was far from over, however.

Uniontown was clinging to a 22-18 lead with just over four minutes left in the first half when Turner entered the game. The 5-foot-10 junior guard swished three consecutive treys in a 9-3 Red Raider run that made it 31-21, and coach Rob Kezmarsky’s squad went on to lead 33-25 at halftime.

“We need Rodney and Steve (Kezmarsky) to come in and hit threes,” coach Kezmarsky said. “That’s their roles. I have to give Rodney a lot of credit. He’s worked so hard and it’s good to see him have the kind of success he had tonight in a game as big as this one.”

The Mustangs kept battling and whittled the gap to 39-34 in the third period thanks to seven points by Ramsey and a basket by Forse.

Cook answered by scoring while being fouled on two straight possessions. He made one of the free throws, and Turner connected on his fourth 3-pointer with 1:25 remaining in the quarter to put Uniontown up 47-34 and force Hauger to use a time out.

Cook finished off the period in dramatic fashion when he grabbed the rebound from Marc Umbel’s driving miss and hammered it home with a two-handed dunk as the final seconds ticked off. The play gave the Red Raiders a 49-34 advantage heading into the final frame and drew an explosion from the Uniontown fans.

“Kishaun asserted himself much more in the third period,” Kezmarsky said. “When he’s on the block, there’s no better player around. He doesn’t have to dunk every time. We just need him put the ball in the basket.

“But that play did fire everyone up and sparked the team.”

Laurel Highlands still continued to fight, and scored the first seven points of the fourth period – five by Forse and two by Ramsey – to make it 49-41.

“Laurel Highlands didn’t quit,” Kezmarsky said. “Kaleb played a great game and they kept coming after us the whole way.”

Umbel came up with a clutch steal and lay-up, though, and Eric Johnson made a pair of free throws with 4:18 left to put the margin back up to 12.

The Mustangs would never get closer than 10 again.

Johnson gave Uniontown three double-digit scorers with 13 points. Quindell Dean chipped in with eight points and Umbel added seven.

“There were a few times we lost our composure,” Hauger said, “but for the most part I thought we handled their pressure pretty well and executed what we were trying to do fairly well.

“Uniontown is a quality team that had been playing at a high level. I thought our kids did a reasonably effective job.”

Kezmarsky is pleased for the most part at his squad’s performance so far this season.

“At the beginning of the year there probably weren’t a lot of people who thought we’d be 9-2 right now,” Kezmarsky said. “Our kids and assistant coaches have been working hard through the holidays, and that’s one of the reasons we’re playing pretty well right now.”