Far away
Uniontown boys, LH, Geibel girls face long trips to open PIAA tourney
Belle Vernon’s boys basketball team will enjoy the spoils of winning a WPIAL championship by receiving a home game in the first round of the PIAA tournament.
The other three area teams who have qualified for the state playoffs aren’t so lucky.
Uniontown’s boys, Laurel Highlands’ girls and Geibel Catholic’s girls all face multi-hour trips in the first round.
Red Raiders coach Rob Kezmarsky has no complaints.
“I’m so proud and excited to be playing in this for three years in a row,” Kezmarsky said.
All four teams will deal with an extended layoff as well.
Uniontown and Belle Vernon will both be in action Friday.
The Leopards (21-4) host Farrell (12-11), the fifth-place team out of District 5, at 7 p.m. in the Class 4A bracket.
Uniontown (22-4), the fifth-place out of the WPIAL, faces an approximately two-and-a-half hour trip to District 10 champion Meadville (16-8), also at 7 p.m., in the Class 5A bracket.
The Lady Mustangs and Lady Gators will both play Saturday afternoon.
Laurel Highlands has a slightly longer trip than Uniontown in the girls Class 4A bracket. The Lady Mustangs (19-6) go to District 9 champion Clearfield (18-5) for a 1 p.m. tipoff.
The longest trip among the local foursome was dealt to Geibel, which placed fourth in the WPIAL in Class A. The Lady Gator (22-3) were sent to Otto Eldred (22-5), the second-place team in District 9, for a 2 p.m. game at the Duke Center.
“A four-hour drive for a state playoff game is what we face on Saturday, but we’ll focus on what is within our control and prepare accordingly,” Geibel coach Sara Larkin said.
While this will be a new experience for the Lady Gators’ current players, the Red Raiders’ and Lady Mustangs’ current rosters do have PIAA experience. Uniontown has gone 4-2 in the state playoffs the last two years.
“Two years ago we won three and got to the final four and played for a spot in the state final,” Kezmarsky pointed out. “Last year we lost (in the second round) to Lincoln Park, 66-62, and they went on to win the state final by 30 points.
“The long trip is different but we’re used to it, playing in Florida and playing in this two years ago when we had a couple long bus rides, and that has prepared us. Our school will handle this first class and we’ll have a great fan show-up.
“It’s tough playing on the other team’s home court but this group proved you can win and advance.”
Laurel Highlands, like Uniontown, is coming off back-to-back consolation wins as it heads into the state playoffs. The Red Raiders lost a tight game with Peters Township, 56-52, and the Lady Mustangs fell to top-seeded Blackhawk, 59-32, both in the WPIAL quarterfinals.
“They responded after the Blackhawk game,” said LH coach Stewart Davis, who was suspended for two games following the loss to the Lady Cougars after drawing a pair of technical fouls.
Laurel Highlands assistant coach Ryan Schwertfeger guided the Lady Mustangs to consolation victories at Beaver, 51-49, and at South Park, 55-38.
“Making that trip to Beaver in a must-win game to qualify for the states, they worked hard for a two-day turnaround and were eager to get down there and won it,” Davis said. “South Park was a statement game, saying we shouldn’t have lost there during the regular season. They definitely wanted to win that one as well to prove to themselves that they should’ve been first or second in the section.”
Laurel Highlands wound up third behind Elizabeth Forward and South Park.
Davis gave his team a break following Wednesday’s win at South Park.
“I gave them a leisure, gave them Friday and Saturday off to hit the reset button and didn’t do anything as far as Clearfield prep goes,” Davis said. “Sometimes a mental rest helps, too. I gave them the option to come in and put some shots up and everyone showed and bonded. It was a fun practice. The energy was great.
“Now from Monday until Friday we’ll do everything we need to do to prepare for Clearfield.”
The Lady Mustangs won the program’s first PIAA game last year, winning at Johnstown, 51-48.
“They responded when we went down to Johnstown last year,” Davis said. “It will be an early bus ride. We get on at 9 (a.m.) and I hope the ride is comfortable so they can sit back and relax. Hopefully they’ll be rested and will take that time on the trip to mentally prepare.”
The Lady Gators reached the WPIAL final four but enter the PIAA tournament on a two-game losing streak after falling to Clairton, 52-32, in the semifinals and Aquinas Academy, 65-56, in the third-place consolation game.
“My primary goal this week is to ensure the team stays focused, hydrated and rested,” said Larkin, who has Geibel in the state playoffs for the first time since 1999.
“We will view the four-hour trip as an opportunity to get in the right mindset and prepare for the game. Once we arrive on Saturday, a solid warmup and high energy will set the tone for every player to lock in and leave it all on the court.”
There are no more consolation games at this point.
“It’s win or go home,” Larkin said. “No excuses.”