UNIONTOWN — Crest High boys’ head coach Travis Hermreck had reason to fret about Friday’s contest at Uniontown High.
After all, the Lancers already had secured the top seed in next week’s Class 1A regional playoffs, regardless of how Friday’s contest wound up. And after a long and grueling season, the players’ minds can winder in the final game before playoffs, Hermreck noted.
“And the other thing is that it’s against Uniontown,” he said.
Sure enough, the two squads slugged it out through four quarters before Crest emerged with a 38-32 win.
The victory assures Crest (16-3) of a third straight Three Rivers League championship.
“The guys have a lot of pride,” Hermreck said. “Our battle cry all season was ‘if you want the league crown, come and get it.”
Crest’s TRL rivals will have to wait another year.
But it didn’t come easily. Crest didn’t secure the lead until a 14-5 third-quarter run. Until then, Uniontown led 22-17.
Bryan Newton led the Lancers with 13 points, followed by Zach Stinnett with 11 and Kyle Hammond with nine.
DuShuan Robinson scored 13 to pace the Eagles.
“It looked to me like there were two tired teams battling it out,” Hermreck said. “Mentally, we’re just shot right now.”
The Lancers’ six-day break couldn’t have come at a better time, Hermreck noted. Crest, the top seed in the Pleasanton regional, gets a first-round bye. The Lancers will host the winner of Pleasanton and Hartford next Thursday.
Uniontown gets an even longer break. They don’t begin the Class 2A substate playoffs until March 1.
Crest (14-3-14-7—38) (FG/3pt): Wiley 0/1-0-0-3, Stinnett 4/1-0-4-11, Hammond 0/2-3-1-9, Newton 5-3-1-13, Ramsey 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 10/4-6-6-38.
Uniontown (15-7-5-5—32) (FG/3pt): Travis 1/1-0-0-5, Hall 0-0-3-0, Dixon 3-1-4-7, Labbe 0-0-1-0, Esslinger 1-0-2-2, Johnson 0/1-2-4-5, Robinson 5/1-0-0-13. TOTALS: 10/3-3-14-32.
Lancers beat Eagles
