Feb 12, 2005 By Mike Ciarochi 6 min read

Three area teams – two boys and one girls – will be in action Saturday, as the WPIAL basketball playoffs move into the first round of play after staging 10 preliminaries last night. Section 1-AAAA boys co-champions Uniontown and Albert Gallatin both face 2:30 p.m. games. Uniontown (15-7) meets Mount Lebanon (18-6) at Ringgold High School, while the Colonials (17-6) face New Castle (19-5) at Ambridge High School.

Section 3-AAA girls second-place finisher Southmoreland (16-7) will meet Montour (15-6) just prior to the Uniontown-Mount Lebanon game at Ringgold. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

Uniontown vs. Mt. Lebanon

Red Raiders coach Rob Kezmarsky doesn’t waste any energy worrying about where his team is seeded. Nor will he play the lack-of-respect card with his players. He’s content to let his players do their own thinking. He’s just as content putting those players on the floor and testing their talents against the Blue Devils.

“I never believed in getting upset about an opponent or a seeding, but our kids felt slighted,” Kezmarsky said. “They said, ‘We won our section. Why are we seeded so low?’ I think because of that they are determined to go out and play our game and give it everything they have to pull us through this game.”

After viewing game film of the Blue Devils, Kezmarsky is convinced it will take all of that for the Red Raiders to win.

“They are a very talented basketball team,” he said. “Geoff Kessler is a very good scorer, plus they have two other kids who can score. They have three good three-point shooters in Kessler, Brett Stokar and Babe Brandon. Plus they are 6-5 and 6-4 inside. We really need to do a good job of defending them.

Defensively, Kezmarsky expects Mount Lebanon to switch frequently from a variety of alignments, including a full-court 1-2-1-1 and a 2-2-1 press.

“No question, we have to play a very good basketball game to win,” Kezmarsky said. “But I feel that if we play our game, we have a good chance to win it.”

Uniontown has received solid play all season from seniors Kishaun Cook and Eric Johnson, but Kezmarsky didn’t stop there in assessing who needs to play well for Uniontown to advance.

“Kishaun is playing pretty well right now, but so are the rest of our players,” he said. “We need them all to step up, including our kids coming off the bench. We can’t go to Ringgold and expect to win with Kishaun leading us or Eric leading us. We need everybody to step up and do his part.”

One certainty about this game is that neither team will sneak up on the other.

“There are no secrets,” Kezmarsky said. “Mount Lebanon knows as much about us as we know about them. It will all come down to our kids stepping up and playing our game. I expect a close game, so we’ll need to make our foul shots when we get opportunities to shoot them. We’ve played a lot of close games this year, so this shouldn’t be anything new or different for us.”

Albert Gallatin vs. New Castle

Colonials coach Dan Andria believes his team is better prepared for playoff basketball this season than it was a year ago, when AG surprised a lot of people by making the field with a pair of freshman starters.

“Last year, they were just happy to get there,” Andria said. “This year, they were in the section race all the way and I think they’re a little more mentally prepared for a playoff game. Physically, though, that’s another matter. We’re still battling injuries.”

Sophomore Nate Turner still isn’t 100 percent after suffering a knee injury late in the football season and senior Jarrod Lint is hampered by a hamstring injury that limited his minutes and effectiveness in AG’s last two games.

Last year, the Colonials lost to Central Catholic in the first round, but this time around they face a New Castle team that is a perennial WPIAL playoff participant.

“Getting into the playoffs last year helped a lot,” Andria said. “These kids know what to expect now. I hope they’re not starry-eyed at this point.”

The Colonials have put together back-to-back successful seasons and are a young team on the rise. That bodes well for the future and speaks well of Andria’s decision to return to the bench in 2002. He had coached the Colonials from 1995 through 1997. He posted three winning seasons in the late 1990s and made the playoffs in 1997. The Colonials upset defending WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair in the first round of the playoffs that season.

“When I came back, a lot of people thought I was crazy,” Andria said. “I knew it would be two tough years to start with, but the first season was better than expected. Last year, we thought we might start a turnaround, but making the playoffs was a big surprise.

“We had some talent, but we were counting so heavily on freshmen and sophomores I wasn’t sure we’d be able to do what we did.”

Even with that experience from last year, this season hasn’t exactly been a day at the beach.

“Yeah, we had a very good season, but it hasn’t been easy,” Andria said. “It was a grind and we’ve had four or five different key players out with injuries or the flu. But I’m proud of the kids. They won a section championship and they’re in the playoffs again.”

And hoping to take another giant step forward against New Castle.

Southmoreland vs. Montour

Last year, coach Brian Pritts brought his Lady Scots to the WPIAL Class AAA girls basketball playoffs as a low seed. This year, they have moved into the middle of the bracket, up with the big girls, so to speak.

Asked what he saw on film of first-round foe Montour, Pritts didn’t mince words.

“They are big, very big,” he said. “I’m certain they are going to try to use that size to their advantage.”

The Lady Scots have average size, but can run the floor well. Point guard Vanessa Abel is a sophomore who plays with senior savvy and senior Kelly Rollinson can score from anywhere on the floor.

“Last year has really helped us,” Pritts said. “It was a new experience for all of us. Everybody was antsy. This year, we’re more focused. We watched film together and the girls are more interested. It’s every coach’s goal to continue to win, but it’s very pronounced with this group.

“Last year, we weren’t sure what to expect. Our thought process has changed. There is more confidence.”

Confidence alone, however, will not allow the Lady Scots to advance. They must face their taller opponent and keep the game played at their pace.

“The team that establishes control and dictates the pace will come out on top,” Pritts said.

While it would appear as though the Lady Scots want to run early and often, Pritts said that may not be the case.

“We want to play up-tempo, but only to an extent,” he said. “We want to slow them down and force them away from the basket, then we want to go.”