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Gwynn Park Tops McDonough 49-40 in 1st Round

Posted by Michael Glick at Feb 27, 2013 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

DMVElite News

Gwynn Park Tops McDonough 49-40

By ERIK LARSON, DMV Elite Director of Scouting

BRANDYWINE, MD – McDonough (13-9) and Gwynn Park (12-10) entered the 2A South first round playoff game on Tuesday night with similar records and matched up well on the floor. Gwynn Park played the game without their leading scorer Jalen Harris who accounts for 18 points per game. It would take a full team effort to allow the Yellow Jackets to win this contest by the score 49-40.

The first half was dominated by McDonough’s point guard Marqel Austin (19 points), a 5’7 senior who was able to control the tempo of the game. He drove to the basket at will and finished with pull up jumpers and floaters over bigger players. He showed the ability to lead his team who was less talented and his ball handling made it difficult for Gwynn Park to pressure the ball. He performed as a one man fast break for most of the first half and was able to get his team out to a 26-20 lead.

The Yellow Jackets were able to turn the second half led by Ackhel Bazil who scored 8 points, but his effort was crucial for the win. Ackhel, a 6’5 senior forward, was the emotional leader and owned the paint on both ends of the floor. Either by blocking shots or rebounding (18 rebounds), he limited possessions for the Rams and provided the emotional boost Gwynn Park needed to pull away in the second half.

Other contributors for the Yellow Jackets included Cedric Hines (13 points), Rashawn Boyd (6 points, 15 rebounds) and Isaiah Martin (6 points). Hines, a 5’9 junior guard has 3 point range and was able to drive the paint and finish. Boyd, a 6’4 senior forward, rebounded well and defended very well. Martin, a 6’6 junior, showed he has a great shooting touch and the length to make a difference in the paint on defense.

Gwynn Park’s will line up at Oakland Mills on Thursday night in Columbia. Coach Michael Glick said he was unsure if Jalen Harris would return for the game.

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Gwynn Park beats Friendly at the buzzer 65-64 in ot

Posted by Michael Glick at Feb 14, 2013 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )
Friday, February 15, 2013

Gwynn Park High School’s boys basketball team was already without leading scorer Jalen Harris against Friendly on Thursday, but after Ackhel Bazil fouled out at the end of regulation, the Yellow Jackets were also missing their top defensive player. So playing shorthanded made their thrilling overtime victory even sweeter.

With 3.6 seconds remaining in overtime, junior Cedric Hines took an inbounds pass, drove the length of the court, and converted a left-handed layup at the buzzer to give his team a 65-64 win over the Patriots. The victory extended Gwynn Park’s winning streak to four games as it heads into the playoffs.

“All I was thinking in my mind was, ‘Please make the layup.’ It’s unexplainable right now,” said Bazil, who watched the final moments from the sideline. “To watch my team without me and our leading scorer. They made me proud.”

Added Hines: “That was the biggest moment of my life.”

Trailing 62-60 in the final minute of overtime, Gwynn Park’s Xavier Duckworth dove to the floor for a loose ball and managed to slide a pass to Hines while on the ground, which led to a old-fashioned 3-point play.

On the next possession, Friendly’s Michael West hit a bank shot to give the Patriots a 64-63 lead with 3.6 seconds remaining.

Gwynn Park coach Michael Glick then called a timeout before setting up the Hines’ game-winner — a play the team had practiced more than 30 times over the last few practices.

“It was exactly how we drew it up,” Glick said.

The Patriots went ahead early, leading by 12 points in the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets, aided by Bazil’s defensive effort, slowly crept back into the game. He had four blocks, including a pair in the third quarter that helped swing the momentum in Gwynn Park’s favor. Bazil had 16 blocks in a win 68-44 win against Largo on Tuesday and averages nine per game.

Patriots guard Kevin Collins had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but Terry Martin forced him to take a difficult shot. Martin was one of several role players to make significant contributions in the victory.

Harris, a senior, was out due to undisclosed reasons.

“We’re only as strong as our weakest link and once you kids start understanding that, you’ll be a championship team,” Glick told his team after the game.

Gwynn Park has grown accustomed to playing in close games. Before its four-game winning streak, the team suffered three consecutive losses by a combined six points.

“This game is typical of our league,” Glick said. “Our league has been a one or two point league all year long. It’s our third overtime game. Every game we play has been close.”

In addition to hitting the game-winner, Hines also made a pair of clutch free throws with 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. Hines and junior Mike Pegram led the team in scoring with 16 points, while Evan Joiner tallied 15.

“Right now, I feel like we’re a state championship team,” Bazil said. “We’re going to states. We’re going all the way.”

Gwynn Park 65, Friendly 64

Gwynn Park (10-8) 13 12 13 20 7 — 65

Friendly (11-11) 18 13 8 19 6 — 64

SCORING

Gwynn Park: Cedric Hines 16, Mike Pegram 16, Evan Joiner 15, Rashawn Boyd 8, Ackhel Bazil 5, John Wilburn 4, Anwar Mack 1.

Friendly: Kevin Collins 20, Michael West 17, Brandon Robinson 8, Michael Clarke 5, Alpha Kamara 5, Emmanuel Edmonds 5, Kevin Holston 2, Bryan Xymnis 2.

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Dion Wiley shakes off shooting woes to lead Potomac over Gwynn Park in ot

Posted by Michael Glick at Feb 3, 2013 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )
Posted at 09:42 AM ET, 02/04/2013

Letters of Interest: Dion Wiley shakes off shooting woes to lead Potomac (Md.)

By

Potomac (Md.) junior Dion Wiley takes pride in his offensive versatility. With a potent long-range shot and deft touch around the basket to match, the 6-foot-4 guard has attracted scholarship offers from top college programs across the country.

Potomac’s Dion Wiley overcame a poor shooting night by being aggressive late in an overtime win over Gwynn Park. (Doug Kapustin - FOR THE WASHINGTON POST) But there came a point in the second half of Potomac (Md.)’s 58-55 overtime victory on Friday against Gwynn Park when Wiley concluded it was time to become more one-dimensional.

Wiley pushed through a poor shooting night with one explosive drive to the basket after another. He found a way to produce the offense the Wolverines needed to shake the pesky Yellow Jackets, scoring the game’s final four points from the free throw line in the last 20 seconds.

“My shot wasn’t falling, so I went to the hole and kept on attacking,” said Wiley, who finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and six steals. “I knew I needed to be aggressive.”

Gwynn Park nearly pulled the upset following a game plan tailored to frustrate high-scoring Potomac. The Yellow Jackets controlled the tempo with their disciplined play on the offensive end, forcing the home team to guard for long stretches. When the Wolverines finally got the ball, they were anxious and rushed shots.

Wiley, who now holds 10 scholarship offers, had trouble finding his rhythm in part because of Gwynn Park’s triangle-and-two defense. The Yellow Jackets sought to deny touches for Potomac’s top two scorers, Wiley and freshman Randall Broddie, and make the other players on the floor provide the offense.

Wiley converted just three field goals and was credited with only eight shot attempts because he was fouled so often trying to get to the rim. He finished 11 of 16 at the free throw line on a night the Panthers hit 31 of 38 as a team.

“That’s the hardest 18 points he’s ever going to score,” Potomac Coach Renard Johnson said. “I promise you that.”

Wiley said the performance helped highlight his improved ball-handling, an aspect of his game he has worked to strengthen.

Last summer, the guard emerged as one of the area’s most coveted recruits, boosting his stock playing with Team Takeover on the AAU circuit. On that squad, St. John’s junior Tre Campbell and Mount St. Joseph’s junior Phil Booth handled the point guard duties, setting up Wiley to showcase his scoring ability.

Though Broddie and senior Chris Winn are both more natural point guards, Wiley will often bring the ball up court for his high school team and initiate the offense.

The formula has worked well as Wiley has averaged 17.1 points per game, and Potomac (Md.) (14-2, 12-1) now hold a 2 1/2 game lead on Central (10-4, 9-3) for the top spot in the Prince George’s 3A/2A/1A standings. The Wolverines are seeking their first league title since 2006.

“Some of the colleges looking at me thought I was just a shooter,” said Wiley. “They didn’t really know I could dribble and create plays for my teammates. When they see me doing that now [for Potomac], I think they’re impressed.”

Late last month, Wiley said Connecticut became the latest team to offer him a scholarship. The list also includes Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, North Carolina State, Villanova, Cincinnati and Miami.

Here are a few other highlights from a busy weekend in area high school sports:

• No. 12 St. John’s beat DeMatha, 60-58, on Friday, downing the Stags nearly 10 years to the day of their most recent win against their WCAC rivals. Junior Darian Anderson hit the game-winning jumper from the elbow with 1.6 seconds left. The last time the Cadets had defeated DeMatha was on Jan. 31, 2003. The weekend almost got even better for St. John’s as it just missed an upset of No. 3 Paul VI on Sunday, falling 55-53.

• Top-ranked Gonzaga added to DeMatha’s struggles with a 68-52 win on Sunday, closing out a regular season sweep of the Stags. All-Met Kris Jenkins led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds as the Eagles stayed unbeaten in WCAC play. With Paul VI’s win over O’Connell on Friday, Gonzaga is alone atop the conference standings, heading into Tuesday’s game against the Knights.

•No. 2 Theodore Roosevelt and No. 11 Oakland Mills are the last unbeaten teams left in The Post’s boys’ basketball Top 20 after Heritage took down Loudoun Valley on Friday, 77-70. Zach Coffman scored 32 points to spark the Pride’s upset.

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Potomac edges improving Gwynn Park in OT 58-55

Posted by Michael Glick at Feb 1, 2013 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

Potomac edges improving Gwynn Park in OT

Ron Bailey, Publisher

 

Wolverines have to battle Yellow Jackets this time.

February 3, 2013 - Hoping to revenge their 12.20.12 home loss to Potomac, Gwynn Park strode into their PG 3A/2A/1A rival's gym last night with emotion and a solid game plan. Though they forced the game to an extra session, their goal would not be met, losing 58-55, before a packed gym.

"Our goal was to get them into a slow down game" revealed Gwynn Park's head coach, Mike Glick. "They are the most talented team in the league". He also noted during the team's first meeting, a 15 point defeat, Potomac used said talent to run up and down the floor, decidedly to their advantage.

Dion wiley picked up his overall play in the second half.

Last night, Glick employed that strategy in a counter-intuitive manner; down four points early in the fourth quarter, Glick actually held the ball for around 35 seconds, with his Potomac counterpart Renard Johnson eventually eschewing his zone defense and coming out to meet the spread out Yellow Jackets.

It's not common for a team down, to hold the ball, and for the team up, to respond by changing to a more pressure defense.

"We wanted to actually shorten the game" explained Glick, "We wanted less possessions", thereby reducing the touches - read chances to score - Potomac would have going forward. He was not concerned with reducing this own team's scoring opportunities.

Gwynn Park went on to force overtime, with emotion playing a key role; almost every 50-50 ball seemed to be gained by the Yellow Jackets.

Of the playoff atmosphere, the game's leading scorer, junior guard Dion Wiley noted "It was intense".

Wiley, who notched 18 points, though he did miss some crucial free throws down the stretch, saved his best for crunch time, manufacturing buckets out of Potomac's iso-centric attack. It was clear the Wolverines would ride on his shoulders.

Guard Randall Broddie scored 12 points, while going eighth of eight from the line, though he did force some shots late. Senior forward Romone Saunders finished with 11 points and double digit rebounds, while equaling his sophomore teammate's 8-8, free throw clip.

Senior forward Ackhel Bazil was a load down low for Gwynn Park, scoring 11 points and being credited with a whopping 21 boards. Junior guard Ced Hines led GP with 16 points, while class/position-mate Evan Joiner 13 points and seven caroms.

Up next for the Wolverines of Potomac (14-2 overall, 12-1 in league) is a January 5th trip to Largo. Gwynn Park, 8-10/6-8 and according to Glick "0-7 when tied or up with two minutes to go" welcome Fairmont Heights the same day. Both games are 7:15 tips.

"We are getting better" opined Glick of his team, a sentiment Potomac's Wiley conceded, saying "They are stronger (as a team) than last time".

The PG 3A/2A/1A heats up, as expected.

Recruiting Roundup:

Romone Saunders - A 6'3", 210 pound forward, Saunders is instrumental to Potomac's success - he rebounds, shoots, handles the ball against pressure (as a point forward) and finds people, all on a regular basis. Saunders makes it happen. Has reportedly dropped a double-double in every game.

Romone Saunders can do many things.

A solid student, Saunders presently has very little recruiting interest, though he's the type of player that with more work on his perimeter defense/lateral quickness, could transition nicely to a college three-man.

Ced Hines - A point guard that must more fully develop his left hand, Hines gets to the rim regardless, where he can finish - strong. Is very athletic and aggressive.

Is currently un-recruited, but a strong summer and continued good work with Gwynn Park could change that. Also has to demonstrate a consistent stop and pop jumer, to add to his finishing and floaters.

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Bazil moved from the Virgin Islands to pursue basketball scholarship

Posted by Michael Glick at Jan 2, 2013 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )
Gwynn Park senior goes from role player to leader

Bazil moved from the Virgin Islands to pursue basketball scholarship

by Jennifer Beekman Staff writer

There are hard workers, Gwynn Park High School boys basketball coach Michael Glick said, and then there is senior forward Ackhel Bazil.

The 6-foot-6 post player is here for a reason, though, and he plays like it.

Bazil uprooted himself two years ago, left his family in the Virgin Islands to come to the continental United States where he lives with his legal guardian, Sheniko Frett, in Brandywine, to pursue a basketball scholarship.

“That is what drives me to play every night, to be the best I can be. In the Virgin Islands, my opportunities were very limited. If I came [to the U.S.] I would have the opportunity to help my mom out, she would not have the money to send me to college. I could get a free education and then when I'm done, I would go back and help her, do what I can for my family,” Bazil said.

Glick said there is no doubt in his mind Bazil will earn a scholarship and attend college. Right now, he added, Bazil is focusing on the season and playing his basketball and the two will get to work on making college decisions in March.

Though Bazil quickly adjusted to his new surroundings in Maryland, he needed work on the hardwood, Glick said.

The Virgin Islands are U.S. territory but the style of basketball Bazil grew up playing in no way resembled American ball, he said.

The speed of Gwynn Park's game, the organization and offensive/defensive schemes, Bazil added, was a shock to his system.

But the raw talent was there, Glick said. And in just a year Bazil has gone from being a role player on last year's squad to a prominent post player in the paint this winter, one the Yellow Jackets (4-4), who didn't win the Class 2A South title last year for the first time in three years, have become reliant on.

“It's a totally different game. It was probably hard coming in, not being the best, being a role player. It's a much more up and down, racehorse type of game,” Glick said.

The 20th-year high school coach added that Bazil's experience playing with the Virgin Islands' U-18 National Team at the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship for Men in Brazil over the summer did wonders for his game and confidence.

Bazil is a more well-rounded player this year, Glick said. He has developed better court awareness and the ability to make quick decisions. Bazil said he also now understands the importance of playing strong defense, as well.

Two losses at the Montgomery County's Springbrook High's holiday tournament extended Gwynn Park's skid to four games after a 4-0 start to the season — Glick said only good can come of playing perennial powers such as Springbrook and defending 4A state champion Col. Zadok Magruder.

But Glick said in his time coaching basketball he has learned to look at the big picture, where the team will be in February.

The Yellow Jackets are still adjusting to the loss of seven of their top eight players from last year's team.

Senior leading scorer Jalen Harris (18.9 points per game) is still growing into his own new role as a standout player, Glick said.

Despite the recent losses, Harris and Bazil's dynamic has grown and will only get better.

“We play well together. [Harris] controls the outside and I can control the inside,” Bazil said.

Bazil averages 10.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. But in the past four games, as teams have applied more pressure on Harris, he's averaged 14.25 points, more than double his 6.25 average in the first four contests.

Though only in his second year with the program, Bazil was named a captain this year. Glick said his work ethic and drive immediately earned the respect of his peers.

“When you come from less, sometimes it makes you more motivated. [Bazil] is a kid who is focused and driven, that is his way to college. He has done a tremendous job and he is someone all the kids respect because of how hard he works,”