Greg Dohler/The Gazette Jalen Harris (left) of Gwynn Park drives to the basket against Largo's Damante McNeill during Friday night's game at Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine.
Most athletes and coaches at Gwynn Park High School consider Frederick Douglass High their arch rival, but this winter in boys basketball, the Yellow Jackets may temporarily give that title to Largo.
In a raucous atmosphere Friday night in Brandywine, the Lions and Yellow Jackets put on a show that demonstrated they may be the two best teams in the Prince George’s County 3A/2A/1A League this season.
After trailing by 21 points in the third quarter, Largo managed to make the contest a nail-biter, but the Lions were unable to complete the comeback and Gwynn Park escaped with a 78-76 victory.
The Yellow Jackets (8-4 overall, 7-1 league) moved into a tie for the league lead while handing the Lions (9-2, 7-1) their first loss in the county this season.
“I think in our league, this has become the rivalry,” said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. “This has become the Duke vs. North Carolina. It’s a great rivalry. I think we’re both very good. Being good and always fighting for the top of the division makes it great for both teams.”
As an added bonus, Friday’s game potentially was the first of three between the teams this season. Gwynn Park will visit Largo on Feb. 13, and in the postseason both teams will play in the 2A South Region. Largo previously was a 3A school, which meant the teams went their separate ways during the playoffs. But Largo was reclassified to the 2A ranks starting this school year.
Gwynn Park junior guard Jalen Harris, who has been one of the surprise players in the county this season, scored 21 points, three above his average. Yellow Jackets’ senior Agyei Gregory, who has become a starter in place of injured junior Alex Bazil, also had 21 points. High-leaping senior Xavier Richards had 19 points for Gwynn Park.
In recent years, the Yellow Jackets have had a dynamite duo to lead the way. Brandon Ford and Tion Barnes were the cornerstone of the team the past two seasons as Gwynn Park won two consecutive 2A South Region titles. But this season, the Yellow Jackets are getting contributions from many players, and Glick said this year’s team is “the most balanced” he has had in six seasons at the Brandywine school. The team has an inside punch from 6-foot-9 senior center Marcel Boyd, rebounding from Richards and Boyd and outside shooting from Harris.
“We can rely on a bunch of different people on this team,” Harris said. “Coach tells us to move the ball around in practice and we carry that over to the game. That helps us get open shots and get to the basket.”
Largo, which has a senior-laden lineup, has grown to expect a battle every time it steps on the court. Friday night, the Lions already were eagerly anticipating the teams’ next meeting Feb. 13
“The conversation we had in the locker room is that we’re going to punish them the next time we play them,” said Derrick Colter, who had a game-high 24 points. “We’re the team to beat and they’re feeling good because they beat us. It’s personal. Next time they come to play at our house, it’s on. They’re our biggest rival now.”
Leading 39-31 at the start of the third quarter, Gwynn Park played with more energy and outhustled the Lions to start the second half. Gwynn Park had boosted its lead to 62-41 with a little more than a minute to play in the third period.
But over the next 5 minutes, the Lions began using full-court pressure and outscored the Yellow Jackets, 14-6, to cut the deficit to nine with 5 minutes remaining in the game.
The Lions would cut got to within four points at 74-70 with 1:40 remaining in the game. But a series of misses and turnovers hurt the Lions’ chances, and then time expired.
“It has become a rivalry within the County 3A/2A/1A League,” said Largo coach Lewis Howard. “It’s a competitive situation. You have two very good teams playing. We are the barometer for our league, however, [Gwynn Park] is the barometer as well. Now that we’ve dropped to Class 2A, we’re in the same region now. There’s potential that we will play again after the second game. We relish it.”
thampton@gazette.net
Gwynn Park 78, Largo 76
Largo 13 18 14 31 — 76
Gwynn Park 25 14 23 16 — 78
Largo (9-2, 7-1): Derrick Colter 24, Damante McNeill 18, Lafayette Nelson 14, Daemond Carter 11, Michael Graham 3, Jeffery Garvin 2, Tyeke Jones 2, Khari Sewell 2.
Gwynn Park (8-4, 7-1): Agyei Gregory 21, Jalen Harris 21, Xavier Richards 19, Marcel Boyd 7, Jarvis Hawkins 6, Robert Flint 2, Trevor Ford 2.