By Andrew Petyak
New Castle News

It took three quarters last night, but the Union High boys basketball team finally showed signs of life.

Coming off a tough loss to WPIAL Section 1-A rival Lincoln Park, the Scotties failed to find a groove through the third three periods against visiting Rochester.

“We were a little sluggish and we struggled throughout the game,” Union coach Dave Smialowski said. “We weren’t executing very well.”

In the fourth frame, the Scotties came alive, dropping 25 points on the Rams to capture their fourth section decision, 60-44.

“The team has to learn that we have a big bull’s-eye on our back every night because of our record,” Smialowski said. “They’ll learn from it. We have to come out and get ready to play against anybody.”

Union (4-1, 12-2) trailed by two at the half, 26-24. The Scotties outshot Rochester (1-4, 5-11) in the third, taking a two-point lead.

With the game still in doubt, Union’s stars shined brightest in the fourth quarter. Markel Peace and Joe Salmen led the way, combining for four 3-pointers in the final quarter. Salmen finished the contest with team-high 16 points while Peace notched 15 with nine rebounds. Benjamin Young had a 15-point effort and pitched in a 3-pointer. Tre Major cleaned up the glass with a team-leading 10 boards and had six points as well.

“We started hitting some shots in the fourth and getting some steals,” Smialowski said. “The only thing I told them after the third was that we had to dig in and play hard. We needed to have some patience offensively.”