What Yellow Jackets' coach Mike Glick didn't know after junior guard Eric Batts suffered a season-ending injury in December was who would step up and fill the role of the team's third scorer.

In Gwynn Park's 76-62 win Wednesday at No. 2 seed Glenelg in a 2A South Region semifinal, senior guard Daniel Henry filled that void. It couldn't have come at a better time.

Henry led the No. 3 seed Yellow Jackets (16-8) with 20 points and spurred an 11-5 run to end the third quarter that allowed Gwynn Park to regain the lead. He then added two critical driving layups in the fourth quarter to help the Yellow Jackets extend their advantage and advance to the 2A South Region final, set for 7 p.m. Friday at Oakland Mills High in Columbia. Top-seeded Oakland Mills remained undefeated (25-0) with a 55-42 victory against Frederick Douglass in the other 2A South semifinal on Wednesday.

"It's hard to beat us when we have three scorers you can't stop," Henry said. "Ever since [Batts] went down, I've tried to step up."

Ford and Barnes finished with 18 and 16 points, respectively. But it was Henry who provided Gwynn Park's most steady offensive effort. The Yellow Jackets dominated the first quarter and led 25-14 after eight minutes. But the Gladiators (16-8) slowly inched to within three points by halftime.

Ford, a Howard University recruit, is one of Prince George's County's top scorers, averaging 18.3 points per game. Barnes, a 6-foot-5 forward, averages 15.4 per contest. Ford had just three points in the first half, while Barnes had nine, and Glenelg's emphasis on stopping those two was evident.

It remained so in the opening minutes of the third quarter, when the Gladiators opened with an 11-4 run to take a 42-38 lead. With three minutes left and the momentum now firmly with Glenelg, Henry made a layup, then a put back attempt on the possession after a Ford basket. The game was tied and the Yellow Jackets slowly rebuilt their lead until Henry spun to the basket and scored to give Gwynn Park a commanding 64-56 advantage with 1:36 left in the game.

"The kid was able to come in and spark us offensively," Glick said. "We've struggled this year when we haven't scored the ball. We've been a pretty good defensive team. We took the best that Glenelg had and that's the best we've responded to adversity all year."

It was an especially satisfying performance for Henry, who averaged less than seven points in the Yellow Jackets' last five regular season games.

"I didn't want to lose and I didn't want to leave anything out on the floor," Henry said. "I just played hard. If we're down five or up five in the second half, that's our game. So if we just keep playing, we'll get the win."

Gwynn Park 76, Glenelg 62

Gwynn Park 25 9 16 26 - 76

Glenelg 14 17 16 15 - 62

Gwynn Park (16-8): Daniel Henry 20, Brandon Ford 18, Tion Barnes 16, Brian Hall 13, Nick Walton 4, Jarvis Hawkins 2, Hershel Grant 2, Terrence Johnson 1.

Glenelg (16-8): Shane Kellaher 18, Troy Spurrier 15, Joe Tolbert 14, Jake True 5, Ryan Griffin 3, Erik Sigfried 3, Robbie Mullinix 2, Matt Hyer 2.

The Yellow Jackets (15-8) will advance to the 2A South Regional Semifinal on Wednesday when they will travel to second-seeded Glenelg High School in Howard County to face what should be tougher competition than they encountered Monday night. Glenelg was a 72-58 winner against Marriotts Ridge in another regional quarterfinal on Monday.

From the opening minutes, Gwynn Park dominated Long Reach (3-21). The Yellow Jackets jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first three minutes of the contest, forcing two turnovers, and blocking a shot as they ran the floor in a fast-paced game.

"We really wanted to make them play at our tempo," said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. "We wanted to push it and force the issue - and I think we did a great job of that. I felt like our guys really executed the game tonight."

Long Reach was virtually powerless to do anything against the Yellow Jackets' press and committed 14 turnovers in the first half as Gwynn Park took a 49-12 lead into halftime.

"A team from Howard County is not used to the press out here, so we wanted to use that to our advantage," said Gwynn Park guard Daniel Henry, who led the team with 22 points.

The Yellow Jackets dominated the second half as well, eventually hitting the 100-point mark for the second time this season.

"It felt good," said Henry. "It was the seniors' last game at home so we wanted to come out and play hard. It's the playoffs so we didn't want to lose."

The Yellow Jackets will face a much more challenging Glenelg team on Wednesday night, but plan to prepare like they would for any other game.

"We are going to prepare the same way we always do," said forward Tion Barnes who had 20 points against Long Reach. "We're just going to work harder. We'll forget this game and come out and practice hard."

One thing Gwynn Park will need to address in practice is free-throw shooting. The Yellow Jackets shot just 41 percent from the line against Long Reach - a low percentage that could come back to haunt them against more rigorous competition.

"It has been our greatest weakness the whole entire year," said Glick of the Yellow Jackets' free-throw shooting. "That's something we will have to do a better job of on Wednesday - knock down our free throws and get into our press."

The fast-paced tempo is something Gwynn Park will look to continue against Glenelg, but the Yellow Jackets expect they will have to execute some of their fundamentals better if they are going to come away with a win.

"I think we play our best when we are up-tempo," Glick said. "Glenelg is a very disciplined and a very smart team. Being on their home court will be a different style of play, and we're going to have to play a little better than we did today."

From Gwynn Park's first possession it was clear that Douglass' game plan was to shut down Barnes, the a 6-foot-5 senior forward who averages 15.1 points per game. Barnes managed to score 14 points Thursday, but the Eagles (15-7) tripled teamed him in the paint and forced him into early foul trouble.

 

Douglass coach Tyrone Massenburg said shutting down Barnes was a big part of the game plan.

"Yeah it definitely was, he is a big impact on their team," said Massenburg. "When he gets going they feed off his energy, and we tried to make him work as hard as he could. He still had some highlight plays, but I think we did a pretty good job."

The game was tied 15-15 at the end of the first quarter. However, with three minutes to go in the second quarter Barnes picked up his third foul on a charge and was forced to the bench, and that would be all the motivation the Eagles needed.

Douglass senior forward Timmone Whatley was one of several Eagles to play solid defense against Barnes.

"He was going to sit in the middle and try to make something happen for his team," said Whatley. "So we just tried to collapse in the middle whenever he got the ball."

With Barnes on the bench in foul trouble, Douglass went on an 8-2 run to take a 32-25 lead into halftime.

"When [Barnes] picked up his third foul we had to sub him out and I think that changed the course of the game," said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick.

The Eagles maintained their momentum into the third quarter thanks in large part to forward Kavon Glover, who scored 10 of his 23 points during that period.

"He's our leading scorer, so we wanted him to get aggressive especially because they were in a little bit in foul trouble," Massenburg said. "He felt it a little bit and when he feels it he doesn't have any problems."

In the fourth quarter, Gwynn Park (14-8) looked as if it might rally. With two minutes to go the Yellow Jackets cut the Eagles lead to 12 points, thanks to senior guard Brandon Ford. The Howard University recruit was 6 of 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter and 10 of 11 at the line for the game en route to a 30-point night.

Gywnn Park also started to make use of its press, which frazzled Douglass and forced some turnovers, but it wasn't enough.

"It's hard to press the whole entire game," said Glick. "We were right where we wanted to be in a low-scoring game, but [Douglass] made some great shots. I was really proud of how our kids responded in the fourth quarter playing hard at the end of the game."

Douglass got the better of Gwynn Park twice this season - the Eagles beat the Yellow Jackets 59-52 in January - and now the two rivals head into the 2A South Region playoffs, where both will be serious contenders to reach the region final. Gwynn Park beat Douglass in the regional semifinals last year.

Opening-round playoff games will be played next Friday, followed by the quarterfinals the week of Feb. 28.

"We understand it's the playoffs now," Massenburg said. "It is zero - zero now. Everything we did in the regular season was good then, but it doesn't really mean anything now, if we have to play Gwynn Park again. We just have to refocus and try to make a run in the playoffs."

Douglass 78, Gwynn Park 65

Douglass      15   17   24   22 - 78

Gwynn Park 15   10   14   26 - 65

Douglass (15-7) Kavon Glover 23, Timmone Whatley 17, Jeffrey Calhoun 15, Jasahn Johnson 13, Vincent Williams 8, Babajide Tomiye 2.

Gwynn Park (14-8) Brandon Ford 30, Tion Barns 14, Daniel Henry 9, Nick Walton 8, Jarvis Hawkins 2.

So Ford's go-ahead layup with nine seconds remaining in the Yellow Jackets' 62-61 win Tuesday at Fairmont Heights meant more than just a game winning shot. It showed Gwynn Park's leading scorer, now free of recruiting distractions, is ready for a deep playoff run in his senior season.

"My coaches were saying it looked like I was not myself. I wasn't having fun," said Ford, who verbally committed to Loyola University last October before changing his mind and deciding on Howard. "It was on my mind for a while. Now that I've committed to Howard, it's cleared a lot of mental space. I did not want to lose this game."

Ford led Gwynn Park (14-7 overall, 14-4 County 3A/2A/1A League) with 23 points, none more important than his full-court drive and layup to win the game.

Guard Julian Livingston led Fairmont Heights with 22 points, including a crucial 3-pointer with 2:28 left that gave the Hornets a 59-58 lead. But he missed the front end of a one-and-one with 14.2 seconds left, setting the stage for Ford's basket.

Ford wasn't at his best Tuesday, struggling from the field in the third quarter, but he scored Gwynn Park's last seven points.

"In the second half, he struggled shooting the basketball and finishing, but he's our go-to guy," said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. "I think he's playing a little bit more relaxed just because he doesn't have to worry about impressing coaches and going through the recruiting process."

Forward Tion Barnes (22 points) paced Gwynn Park early, scoring the team's first six points and 13 in the first half.

The Hornets (7-15, 5-13) stayed with the Yellow Jackets throughout, a vast improvement from the teams' first meeting on Jan. 14, when Fairmont Heights was 76-52 loser.

The Hornets trailed, 30-29, at the half but used a 14-7 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter to take a 43-29 lead. The game was tied, 46-46, heading into the fourth period.

"I thought we had the right kind of game for how we play them, and I thought we handled everything Gwynn Park threw at us," said Fairmont Heights coach George Wake. "We didn't make one play. That's all it was. We make one more play, we win the basketball game."

After falling behind, 55-50, with about four minutes left in the game, Livingston hit a 3-pointer over the outstretched arm of the 6-foot-5 Barnes.

After a Ford 3-pointer, the Hornets scored six unanswered points. But it was the newly committed Ford who scored five points in the game's final minute.

He couldn't have been more relieved. And his focus for the rest of the season couldn't be clearer.

"Now, I can just relax and play basketball," Ford said. "We overlooked [Fairmont Heights] and it won't happen again. I promise you it won't happen again. We're not losing until states. We're not even losing then."

Gwynn Park 62, Fairmont Heights 61

Gwynn Park (14-7, 14-4) 15 15 16 16 - 62

Fairmont Heights (7-15, 5-13) 15 14 17 15 - 61

Gwynn Park: Brandon Ford 23, Tion Barnes 22, Brian Hall 11, Marcel Boyd 2, Kevin Walters 2, Daniel Henry 2.

Fairmont Heights: Julian Livingston 22, Lamont Adair 11, Delano Banks 10, Timothy Harris 8, Kenneth Jackson 6, Deangelo Thomas 2, Jamar Cuthbertson 2.