Uniontown too much for Super Bowl champs
Uniontown Area Senior High School’s A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium has had many sellouts and exciting games over the years. On Friday, it had both as a team composed of former Uniontown Red Raider basketball players and current faculty members nipped the Pittsburgh Steelers 98-96 in a thriller that wasn’t decided until the final seconds.
Overall, Uniontown’s long-range shooting proved to be too much for the Steelers. The former Red Raiders hit 26 three-pointers while the Steelers found the mark on 10 treys.
Leading all scorers was the Steelers’ defensive lineman Brett Keisel with 32 points. He hit a pair of 3-pointers and had the crowd jumping with numerous slam dunks. Defensive back Deshea Townsend had 24 points, including four 3-pointers, and linebacker James Harrison followed with 17 points. Wide receivers Cedric Wilson and Lee Mays followed with 15 and nine points, respectively. Former Steeler Edmund Nelson was the tireless team’s only sub and he headed back to the bench after several enthusiastic but scoreless minutes.
Leading Uniontown were several members of its famed 2002 squad which won the WPIAL Class AAAA Championship and bravely battled Harrisburg in the PIAA state championship game before losing in the final minute. They included Chris Jacobs, 19 points; David Winfrey, 18 points on six three-point shots; Dierre Jenkins, 15 points on five 3-point shots; Terrance Vaughns, 10 points with a pair of treys, and Brandon Duncan, 8 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Donavan Wright, a three-year starter in the late 1990s, tossed in 11 points followed by Ricky Wilson with four points, Adam Checton, Harry Kaufman, Reese Hodge and Jason Dunham with three points each and Aaron Scott with two points. Also playing were Mark Kampert and Todd Jackson, both members of the 2002 squad.
While Uniontown won the game, the real winners were the Uniontown Area Senior High School Lady Raiders Baskeball Boosters Club, which sponsored the contest. It certainly was a top-notch, well-run affair that will have those in attendance remembering the outstanding play by both teams for a long time to come.