Jan 29, 2019 4 min read

MONONGAHELA – Ringgold came out of the gates swinging, but Uniontown showed why it is the class of Section 3-AAAA in a 72-57 victory on Tuesday.

The Red Raiders improved to 8-0 in section and clinched the section title. Uniontown, which is 13-3 overall, won the 48th section championship in the history of its program.

“Ringgold is a good team and has 12 wins,” Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said. “(Chris) Peccon played an exceptional game. He shot the ball well with a hand in his face.

“It is an honor to coach this team, and I want to thank the players. They are the ones that won it. We want to do everything we can to get a high seed in the playoffs. This is my ninth section title coaching Uniontown. I am so glad to be able to work with Coach (Warare) Gladman.”

The Rams (5-3, 12-5) can still finish second in the section and veteran coach Phil Pergola’s team had the Red Raiders in a spot they haven’t been too familiar with – down 7-0 three minutes into the first quarter.

Peccon, who had 18 points on eight field goals, including two three-pointers, made a three and a two-point basket and Demetrius Butler scored two of his five points for the early advantage.

“We went on a 7-0 run and we were probably two-for-three from the field,” Pergola said. “Then we finished up four-for-18 in the first quarter, and you’re only down four points. I thought we did a much better job on the boards tonight. A lot better than we did up there.

“Uniontown is a good team and definitely the class of the section. We had a lot better game this time around than the first time we played them. I am not disappointed. We played hard, and if you play hard, you have a chance to win. If you don’t play hard, you are not going to win.”

Uniontown responded with a run of its own to take an 8-7 lead after Caleb Palumbo made a three-pointer for a one-point edge. Palumbo, a sophomore who comes off the bench, had seven points.

The Red Raiders had a 15-11 lead after the first quarter.

Uniontown outscored Ringgold, 16-13, in the second for a 31-24 halftime advantage. The Rams’ Luke Wyvratt had seven of his 13 points in the second on three field goals in the post and one free throw. Peccon had Ringgold’s other six points in the period.

Red Raiders leading scorers Billy DeShields only had eight points through the first half, but made one three-pointer. Teammate Isaiah Melvin, who is mostly known for his inside game, made one of his four three-pointers in the second period. Melvin had 18 points.

“(Billy) DeShields is very good,” Pergola said. “They didn’t shoot the ball well, but they shot it well from three-point range.”

DeShields started to find his touch in the third quarter, and the junior guard scored 11 of his game-high 27 in the period. He made four field goals, including two three-pointers, and was one of two at the foul line.

Uniontown outscored the Rams 25-15 in the third for a 56-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Andre Ash came off the bench to scored 12 points for the Red Raiders on four field goals and was 4 of 4 at the line.

The Rams’ Jeremiah White-Johnson had seven points on three field goals, including one 3-pointer. Teammate Jaden Taylor had six on three field goals.

Ringgold has section games left at Belle Vernon on Friday before hosting South Park in the section finale next Tuesday. The Rams defeated the Eagles in the first meeting, 56-49, and will most likely need to sweep the season series to finish second in the section.

“If you are intelligent enough to know what’s going on, second place was the goal to begin with,” Pergola said. “Uniontown is just too experienced and too tough for us right now.”