Leopards rally in second half to fend off Uniontown
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Belle Vernon蘑菇视频 Devin Whitlock drives into the lane between Uniontown蘑菇视频 Tanner Uphold (23) and Christian Perkins (00) during Wednesday night蘑菇视频 game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Whitlock scored 26 points in the Leopards鈥� 77-68 win.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Uniontown蘑菇视频 Bakari Wallace (5) drives around Belle Vernon蘑菇视频 Daniel Gordon during Wednesday night蘑菇视频 game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Wallace scored a game-high 30 points but the Red Raiders lost, 77-68.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Belle Vernon蘑菇视频 Quinton Martin puts up a shot between Uniontown蘑菇视频 Brian Sykes (10) and Christian Perkins during Wednesday night蘑菇视频 game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis emerges with the ball after a scrum underneath the Red Raiders' basket during Wednesday night's game against Belle Vernon at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Belle Vernon's Daniel Gordon hits one of the three 3-pointers he made against Uniontown聽聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Gordon scored 15 points in the Leopards' 77-68 win.
Uniontown's Christian Perkins (00) pulls down a rebound despite being surrounded by Belle Vernon players聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Bakari Wallace (5) puts up a shot in the lane against Belle Vernon聽聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Wallace scored a game-high 30 points but the Red Raiders lost, 77-68.
Belle Vernon's Devin Whitlock is defended by Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis (3)聽during a game on Feb. 3. Whitlock and Lewis were both named to the 蘑菇视频 All-Area Boys Basketball Team "Top 10."
Uniontown's Brian Sykes puts in two of his 10 points against Belle Vernon聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis shoots while being defended by Belle Vernon's Quinton Martin聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Bakari Wallace slices between Belle Vernon's Quinton Martin (5) and Devin Whitlock during a game last season at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium. Wallace, a junior, is the Red Raiders' top returning scorer.
Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis drives and scores just before the third-quarter buzzer聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Belle Vernon's Devin Whitlock dribbles the ball between his legs while Uniontown's Tanner Uphold (23) defends聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Da'marr Lewis shots a baseline jumper in front of Belle Vernon's Quinton Martin聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino talks to his players during a timeout in a game against Uniontown last season.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Uniontown蘑菇视频 Da鈥檓arr Lewis jumps up to make a pass while Belle Vernon蘑菇视频 Jake Haney (13) and Daniel Gordon (20) defend during a game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 3. Lewis and Haney were chosen to play in this year蘑菇视频 Roundball Classic.
Uniontown's Tanner Uphold sinks a 3-pointer from the corner as Belle Vernon's Joe Klanchar defends聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown's Bakari Wallace shots from the baseline against Belle Vernon聽聽during Wednesday night's game at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Uniontown played an almost flawless first half against visiting Belle Vernon on Wednesday night.
To beat the WPIAL蘑菇视频 No. 1 ranked Class 4A team, though, the Red Raiders needed a repeat performance in the second half.
The Leopards didn鈥檛 allow that to happen and rallied from an eight-point deficit to defeat Uniontown, 77-68, in a Section 3-AAAA boys basketball battle at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium.
Devin Whitlock, who played most of the game in foul trouble, scored a 26 points to lead the way for the first-place Leopards (6-0, 7-1) and offset a game-high 30-point performance by Uniontown蘑菇视频 Bakari Wallace.
The game was a far cry from their first meeting in Belle Vernon on Jan. 8, which the Leopards won 67-41, invoking the mercy rule in that contest.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e better now and I knew they would be,鈥� Leopards coach Joe Salvino said. 鈥淎nd you鈥檙e playing at Uniontown, which is a hard place to play at and always has been.鈥�
Wallace scored 12 points in the first quarter, which ended in a 19-19 tie, then added 11 more, including his third 3-pointer of the night, in the second as the Red Raiders (4-3, 4-6) moved out to a surprising 42-34 halftime lead.
While Wallace was pouring in the points, the lanky Da鈥檓arr Lewis was running the offense and racking up assists.聽
鈥淭he first half we came out flat and we cried a little bit because they were calling fouls,鈥� Salvino said. 鈥淏ut then in the second half we came out and played our type of basketball.鈥�
Whitlock and Uniontown蘑菇视频 Brian Sykes traded baskets to start the second half but Red Raiders鈥� forward Christian Perkins then drew his fourth foul and was forced to the bench.
Shortly after, Belle Vernon began a 15-point run to take a 51-44 lead.
Uniontown蘑菇视频 Brian Sykes thought he had a basket midway through the Leopards鈥� run but was called for a charge on the play. Sykes scored again with 2:27 left in the quarter but at that point his team had gone through a dry spell of 4:34 and the momentum had completely shifted.
Belle Vernon took a 58-50 lead into the fourth quarter and kept the Red Raiders at bay the rest of the way.
Despite his torrid first half, Wallace did not start the second half and wasn鈥檛 as effective when he did re-enter the game.
鈥淏akari was a little dinged up so he didn鈥檛 even start the third quarter but when he went back in he kept battling,鈥� Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said.
鈥淲e played a perfect first half. They鈥檙e the No. 1 ranked team in 4-A and we had a lead on them. In the second half, they made some really good plays and unfortunately Perkins picked up his fourth foul and when he went to the bench it changed things a little bit.鈥�
Kezmarsky wasn鈥檛 down on his team after the loss.
鈥淲e made them earn it tonight,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淚t was much better than the first time we played them.
鈥淏ut, having said that, we鈥檙e not here for moral victories. This is Uniontown basketball. We did tell the kids if that蘑菇视频 the No. 1 team then we鈥檝e got about three weeks to get ready for the playoffs and if we can start to put together two halves like we played in the first half tonight then I like our chances.鈥�
Whitlock drew three first-half fouls and picked up his fourth in the third quarter but still played a majority of the game.
鈥淚 trust him to be out there,鈥� Salvino said. 鈥淗e knows what to do and what not to do at those particular times.鈥�
Whitlock got plenty of offensive support from his teammates. Daniel Gordon made three 3-pointers in scoring 15 points while Jake Haney and Joe Klanchar both tallied 10 points. Quinton Martin added eight points.
Salvino is hoping his team can break a recent negative trend.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 been starting quick lately,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been a bit lackadaisical. I don鈥檛 know what蘑菇视频 causing it but we can鈥檛 keep doing that. We鈥檙e trying to prepare ourselves for the playoffs.
鈥淲e play New Castle on Saturday (5 p.m. at North Allegheny). If we come out flat like that against them we鈥檒l get embarrassed.鈥�
Uniontown also put four players in double figures. Following Wallace were Lewis with 12 and Sykes and Josh Curry Jones with 10 apiece.
鈥淚鈥檒l give Belle Vernon credit because Da鈥檓arr played a great first half but they were putting more pressure on him bringing up the ball in the second half and we weren鈥檛 coming back quick enough to help,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 as successful in handling the ball and ended up with a lot of turnovers, many of them unforced, in the second half.
鈥淥ur kids playing really well overall, though. They鈥檙e continuing to improve. Now we鈥檝e got to work on being more consistent.鈥�