North Catholic’s Andrew Maddalon shows his emotions after Uniontown hit a three-pointer at the end game to defeat the Trojans, 55-54, in a PIAA Class 4A boys basketball quarterfinal playoff game at Charleroi High School Friday night. Justin Guido/Butler Eagle

NORTH CHARLEROI, Washington County — North Catholic was on such a roll, it seemed only something dramatic would knock the Trojans out of the running for a state championship.

Uniontown’s final shot in Friday’s Class 4A boys basketball quarterfinal certainly qualifies.

Moments after Andrew Maddalon’s two free throws put North up 54-52 with just 2.5 seconds left in the game, Uniontown senior Bakari Wallace drove a stake through the hearts of the Trojans and their fans, draining a 3-pointer from three steps behind the arc and the Red Raider faithful flooded the court at Charleroi High School to celebrate a 55-54 victory.

“Uniontown has some really good players,” said North coach Jim Rocco. “We just made a mistake at the end and one of their kids got loose.”

The Red Raiders (23-5) had inbounded the ball to Calvin Winfrey short of midcourt. He side-stepped a North defender before passing the ball to Wallace, who had just enough time to lean forward to retrieve the ball, take a step back and square up for his game-winning shot.

“For Bakari, a senior, to make that, it was really special,” said Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky. “It goes in and I thought: ‘We’re playing Monday for the right to go to the state championship!”