Eye on the prize: Lincoln Park jumps on Uniontown early, punches ticket to Hershey
CHARLEROI — It took the Lincoln Park boys’ basketball team over an hour and a half to travel to its PIAA Class 4A semifinal game Charleori High School.
Then it took them less than six and a half minutes to build an insurmountable lead over Uniontown in front of a standing room only crowd. The Leopards earned a spot in the PIAA Championship game against Neumann-Goretti Thursday at 8 p.m. with an 85-64 win. That game will be played at Hershey’s GIANT Center.
“They weren’t happy with the travel but they stayed focused,” said Lincoln Park coach Mike Bariski. “They kept their eye on the prize and shot the ball well.”
In fact, the Leopards, now 30-1, shot even better than well – scoring 27 in the opening frame with four different players connecting on three-pointers in the opening eight minutes.
One of those three-pointers came from Vinnie DePalma, who came off the bench and hit his first attempt. He hit another in the second frame as well.
“When the shot is there. I can take it and we were all engaged early,” DePalma said. “We’re all in this together. In practice, I get to work with the first team some but I get to go against them a lot, too.
“I recognize the look in the eyes of our opponents when they have to play us but I actually enjoy it. I love playing against the first team.”
After one quarter, Uniontown wasn’t necessarily enjoying the experience as Lincoln Park led 27-14 and, by halftime, it was 53-29.
“I told them at halftime that we had to keep playing like it was 0-0,” Bariski said. “We’re a tough team to match up with in a man-to-man defense because we do shoot well. Give all the credit to the kids."
The Leopards did continue to play like it was 0-0 but, midway through the final quarter, the mercy rule kicked in at 79-49 and Lincoln Park’s starters soon came out. Junior Brandin Cummings, a Pitt recruit, led Lincoln Park with 25 points and sophomore Meleek Thomas had 20 points and 12 rebounds. DeAndre Moye added 15 points, Dorian McGhee eight and DePalma and Rashan Farrow-Russell six each as every player in uniform got in.
When the clock hit zeroes, everyone participated as well, as fans threw Hershey chocolates onto the floor (they’re never supposed to but always do). The players celebrated as well.
‘This feels great,” Cummings said. “I’ve gone two seasons without going to the state championship so this feels really special.
“We didn’t really think it was ideal that we had to travel this far but you can’t change that. We’ll play wherever and whenever. We had the intensity from the start.”
While Lincoln Park had the intensity from the start of the game this time out, they’ve had the intensity to go for the state championship all season. It’s been a goal they weren’t afraid to talk about and now, they’ll have their chance.
“I feel like whatever we’ve had to face, we’ve done it together and we’ll keep doing that, whatever it takes,” said DePalma. “Whatever we do, we’ll do it together.”
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Eye on the prize: Lincoln Park jumps on Uniontown early, punches ticket to Hershey
