Laskey leads Mustangs past Red Raiders, 74-63
Jonathan Guth | Herald-Standard
Laurel Highlands’ Bryce Laskey is guarded by Uniontown’s Trenton Uphold during Monday’s non-section game between the cross-town rivals at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Laurel Highlands' Bryce Laskey drives to the basket while being guarded by Uniontown's Trent Uphold during the first quarter of Monday's non-section game in the cross-town rivalry at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Laurel Highlands' Bryce Laskey drives to the basket against Uniontown's Trent Uphold during Monday's non-section game in the cross-town rivalry at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Billy DeShields is about to put up a layup against Laurel Highlands' Richie Mehall during Monday's non-section game in the cross-town rivalry at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. The Red Raiders are seeded 12th in Class 4-A in the WPIAL basketball playoffs while the Mustangs are seeded 10th in Class 5-A.
Uniontown's Trent Uphold puts up a shot in front of Laurel Highlands' Bryce Laskey during Monday's non-section game in the cross-town rivalry at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Laurel Highlands' Malik Ramsey brings the ball up the floor as Uniontown's Ray Robinson stays in his defense stance during Monday's non-section game in the cross-town rivalry at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Laurel Highlands' Greg Lancaster is about to receive a pass while being watches by Uniontown's Ray Robinson (12) and Melo Grooms during Monday's non-section game in the cross-town rivalry at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Kam Fitzgerald is about to throw a pass while being defended by Laurel Highlands' Greg Lancaster during Monday's non-section game in the cross-town rivalry at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. The Mustangs' Bryce Laskey watches the play develop.
Uniontown's Kam Fitzgerald drives to the basket against Laurel Highlands' Conner Basinger during Monday's non-section game in the cross-town rivalry at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Laurel Highlands senior Bryce Laskey still has some business to take care of before he heads off to play at Saint Francis University.
Laskey poured in 38 points and grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds to lead the Mustangs to a 74-63 non-section victory over cross-town rival Uniontown on Monday at AJ Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Laskey made 16 field goals, including one 3-pointer, and was 5 of 11 at the foul line. Laskey’s point total is tied for the third highest in the rivalry’s 109 meetings with Laurel Highlands’ Reuben Davis (1983-84) and the Red Raiders’ Junior Mays (2002-03).
Uniontown’s Bill Emmett holds rivalry’s scoring record with 41 points in the 1967-68 season, and the Mustangs’ Nick Bosnic is second with 39 in the 1992-93 campaign. Red Raiders coach Rob Kezmarsky scored 37 in the 1989-90 season while playing for Laurel Highlands. Uniontown, who defeated LH, 61-57, on Dec. 27 at Harold “Horse” Taylor Memorial Gymnasium, holds a 64-45 lead in the series.
“We are a really hard team to beat whenever I’m on, and when my teammates are all contributing and doing what they do,” Laskey said. “When I look back on this being my last regular season game and against Uniontown, it will probably be a little emotional, but I was just trying to play basketball and focusing on getting a win today.”
Laskey has 737 points this season in 22 games for an average of 33.5. He has 1,635 career points.
“We will just go play whoever they tell us to play in the playoffs,” Laskey said.
Laskey and the Mustangs find out their WPIAL Class AAAAA playoff opponent and date tonight in the WPIAL Playoff Pairings Meeting at 7 p.m.
“Tomorrow we find out who we play, then we go there and see what we can do,” Laurel Highlands coach Rick Hauger said.
“In spurts in the last two games, we have played our best basketball, but we always seem to have a lapse, and it is kind of as much mentally a lapse as a physical lapse, and we have to overcome that. In the playoffs, you don’t have time for those.”
The Red Raiders (9-5, 13-9) are headed to the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs, but couldn’t overcome a 10-1 deficit in the first quarter of Monday’s game, despite cutting it to two points late in the second.
“Laurel Highlands is a good team,” Kezmarsky said. “We beat them on Dec. 27, and we knew they would come down with intensity. We knew they were going to stay in their 2-3 zone, force you to make shots, and unfortunately we didn’t make as many.
“When we attacked it, we did a little bit better, but again, you don’t play many teams that have a Division I player. We wish Laurel Highlands nothing but the most respect in the playoffs.
“We are so excited and happy for our player to be in the playoffs. We will give the kids tomorrow off, and Wednesday, we will be excited about who we are going to playoffs.”
Laurel Highlands (8-4, 14-8) held a 19-12 lead after the first, and despite Uniontown making a run in the second, outscored the home team, 25-22, in the second for a 44-34 halftime advantage. Laskey had 24 of his 38 in the first half.
“I thought we did a good job of contesting their shots,” Hauger said. “Then, rebounding was pretty good after that. Bryce (Laskey) was getting to the basket a little bit. They started out flat tonight, similar to what we started up at our place when we played them. I don’t know if it was home court or what.”
The Mustangs pushed their lead to 49-34 early in the third when Malik Ramsey converted a three-point play, and added another layup before Uniontown’s Kam Fitzgerald stopped the run with a layup of his own for a 49-36 Laurel Highlands advantage.
“Malik (Ramsey) is a good sophomore and a good player,” Kezmarsky said. “Our kids are trying to help on Bryce and he (Ramsey) makes them. I thought they rebounded the ball really well against us, but they are a lot bigger. We made a couple of runs to get into it, but they answered.”
Ramsey scored 15 points on six field goals, and was 3 of 4 at the line, while Fitzgerald had 11 on three field goals, including one 3-pointer, and was 4 of 5 at the line.
The Red Raiders’ Billy DeShields made 1 of 2 at the line for one of his team-high 12 points to cut the deficit to 49-37, but Ramsey’s jumper gave the Mustangs a 51-37 lead with 4:19 left.
DeShields made four field goals, including one 3-pointer, and was 3 of 6 at the line.
Laskey pushed Laurel Highlands’ advantage to 54-37 when he made a layup and added a free throw, but Uniontown went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 54-46 heading into the fourth.
The Red Raiders’ Melo Grooms made two of his 11 points at the foul line before DeShields scored on a layup for a 54-41 LH advantage.
Grooms fouled out with 25 seconds remaining in the third. He made three field goals and was 3 of 6 at the line.
Fitzgerald converted on two fouls shots and DeShields hit an NBA-range 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“I knew they were going to make a run,” Hauger said. “They have been playing really well and shooting the ball really well. We didn’t want to give them any clear looks, and I thought our guys did a pretty good job in that regard.”
The Mustangs went on a 6-0 run in the fourth to put the game out of reach when Ramsey and Laskey made layups, and Junior Salauca scored inside for a 60-46 lead.
Both teams brought in their reserves in the final half of the fourth.
“I was happy all the seniors got some playing time,” Hauger said. “They emptied their bench, then I started to do the same a little bit.”
Uniontown was 18 of 25 at the foul line, while Laurel Highlands was 9 of 24.
“We won’t do a whole lot tomorrow, other than work on foul shooting,” Hauger said. “Then, we will get ready to go full speed ahead on Wednesday.”