Turnovers lead to Ringgold falling to Uniontown
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Ringgold’s George Martin tries to get around Uniontown during the game Tuesday, December 22.
Ringgold’s Octavious Vassar passes to a teammate during the first half of the Rams’ game against Uniontown Tuesday night.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Ringgold’s George Martin shoots for two points during the first half of Tuesday night’s game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Uniontown’s Phil Mosley steals a pass for Ringgold’s Ryan Varley in the first half of Tuesday night’s game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Ringgold’s head coach Phil Pergola watches his team play against Uniontown on Tuesday, December 22.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Ringgold’s head coach Phil Pergola instructs his team before the start of Tuesday’s game against Uniontown.
MONONGAHELA – Winning with an in-your-face full-court press defense and athleticism are the foundation which Uniontown’s boys basketball program is built.
The forumla often overwhelms opponents into mistakes, allowing for easy points in transition.
Ringgold head coach Phil Pergola knows the Red Raiders’ system well. He saw the Rams break Uniontown’s press on the road last season, but time after time, they missed layups or made critical offensive errors in a 31-point loss.
The narrative was different Tuesday night, but the end result was the same. Uniontown forced 17 turnovers in the first half and overcame a poor shooting performance to defeat Ringgold, 63-48, in a Section 4-AAA game.
The Rams (2-2, 5-2) committed 13 turnovers in the first quarter to allow the Red Raiders to grab a 22-8 lead. Ringgold, which entered the game with the fourth-lowest point total of any WPIAL team with a winning record, continued to struggle on offense, scoring just 19 points in the first half.
They faced a 14-point deficit at halftime after shooting just 7 of 17 from the field in the first 16 minutes.
“We aren’t shooting the ball well and we’re not making free throws at all,” Pergola said. “We were 8-17 tonight at the line and that’s probably one of our better percentages. I don’t have an answer (for the offensive struggles), really. We didn’t play well and I don’t think they did anything to not make us play. They didn’t even score a lot of points.”
What was more frustrating for Pergola were the unforced turnovers against a zone defense and the inability to take advantage of the Red Raiders’ mistakes on offense. Uniontown (3-1, 5-2), which is playing five new starters, committed five consecutive turnovers midway through the second quarter.
The problem for Ringgold: it also committed five consecutive turnovers. Though the Red Raiders attempted 52 shots and made eight three-pointers, including five by senior guard Phil Mosley, they had 16 turnovers and forced shots from the perimeter.
Mosley led Uniontown with 17 points, Armani Williams had 16 and Lorenzo Oden chipped in 15.
“We’re sky high right now,” Uniontown head coach Rob Kezmarsky said. “I thought maybe we got a little bit tired and started forcing some shots. It’s not easy playing on a big court like this. Our kids play so hard, but we don’t have a lot of experience yet and we don’t have a lot of depth. That’s a big win for our program.”
Uniontown led by 24 points midway through the third quarter, but its inexperience began to show with unforced turnovers against Ringgold’s 3-2 zone defense. The Rams narrowed the deficit with a 12-2 run behind junior forward George Martin, who finished with a team-high 15 points, but it was too late.
Dakota Browning added 14 points for Ringgold, which also missed several layups.
Pergola, who is three wins away for 600 in his career as a head coach, could not put a finger on why the Rams started slow and never found a rhythm.
“We didn’t come to play. I don’t know what it was,” Pergola said. “There were too many unforced turnovers, especially from our guards. They’re quick, but that’s not a normal Uniontown team. They’re quick, but they’re not in your face and all over you like they typically are at times.”
The Red Raiders were in the first quarter. Using a full-court press, Uniontown went on an 18-3 run, which included two three-pointers by Mosley and three easy layups.
The Rams pulled to within 10 early in the second quarter with the help of their zone defense, but Mosley and the Red Raiders quickly answered while their defense continued to give Ringgold issues despite using more zone and less pressure to avoid foul trouble.
“We start four juniors and three lettered as freshmen, so they have the experience,” Pergola said. “What are you going to do? You are hoping it catches up to them, but I’m not sure if it does or it doesn’t.”