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Yellow Jacks Sting Patriots in 68-67 Thriller
It was an intense, nip-and-tuck battle throughout, but Gwynn Park's resiliency proved to be the difference in this key road victory.
Brandon Ford led Gwynn Park by Friendly |
With 46 seconds left in the game and the Jackets leading by one, Gwynn Park's Tio Barnes (eight points) came up with a big block and then finished on the other end with a driving layup. But Friendly's RJ Simms (seven points) cut the lead to 68-67 with 17 seconds remaining.
Ford, who had a game-high 24 points, got the ball for Gwynn Park and was immediately fouled. Ford then missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw, giving Friendly one last chance to win.
Friendly's Bernard Savoy had the ball in the paint for a last-second touch shot. But his attempt drew iron, allowing the Yellow Jackets to escape with a one-point victory.
"This was a very big win for us," Gwynn Park sophomore guard Eric Batts told the Gazette. "We wanted to come back from that Potomac game and beat Central [Tuesday night] and Friendly. Coach told us we're never out of it."
Both teams traded baskets at the game's outset. With the score 39-35 and time running down in the second quarter, Savoy (12 points) hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the score 42-35 in favor of Friendly at the half. Savoy stuck again at the end of the third quarter. After a Gwynn Park bucket cut their deficit to 53-48, Savoy drilled another buzzer beater to put his team up 55-48.
But the Yellow Jackets wouldn't go away. The Patriots scored four straight points to open the fourth quarter, but Gwynn Park remained unfazed.
"I told the team, 'The game isn't over,'" said Jackets coach Mike Glick.
Gwynn Park proceeded to go on a 20-8 run in the last seven minutes to win the game.
At the 2:53 mark and the Yellow Jackets still trailing, they put on a press and forced a turnover. Brian Blue came up with the steal and bucket to makes it a one-possession game. Gwynn Park's timely pressure resulted in another turnover and Ford converted a three-point play to give Gwynn Park their first lead of the game.
The Yellow Jackets forced a third turnover, but this time they gave the ball right back to Friendly when Tion Barnes threw away an inbounds pass. The Patriots, however, failed to capitalize. With the Jackets in control, Barnes made up for his earlier mistake with a thunderous slam dunk, giving Gwynn Park a 66-63 lead. That set up the final 46 seconds, where the Yellow Jackets barely held on.
"We talked about this all week being a rumble," Friendly coach Rob Garner told the Gazette. "You have to be able to give a punch and take a punch, and it comes down to the last man standing. We've got to make better decisions out there. This game will help us for many different reasons."
Davon Morton led Friendly with 17 points. Ford had 24 points to lead Gwynn Park and Hemsely had 20. These two teams will meet again in Brandywine, Md., on Jan. 26. Needless to say, the rematch will be a must-see.
Gwynn Park Survives 'Rumble' with Friendly
Gwynn Park survives 'rumble' with Friendly
Yellow Jackets surge in fourth quarter to turn back Patriots, 68-67, on Friday
Friendly High School boys' basketball coach Robert Garner accurately predicted Friday's early-season showdown against Gwynn Park when prior to the game he called it a "rumble."
In an early candidate for game of the year in the County 3A/2A/1A League, Gwynn Park earned a huge win on the road in Fort Washington, edging the Patriots, 68-67.
The victory was hard fought for a Class 2A Gwynn Park team team that is 3-1 and already battle tested, having faced two of the area's better Class 3A teams – Friendly and Potomac (an 81-80 setback Dec. 11) – on consecutive Fridays.
"This was a very big win for us," said Yellow Jackets' sophomore guard Eric Batts. "We wanted to come back from that Potomac game and beat Central [Tuesday night] and Friendly. Coach told us we're never out of it."
The game went back and forth most of the way, but the Patriots (2-1) appeared in control and ready to put the game away at the start of the fourth period.
After the Patriots took a 59-48 lead with 6 minutes, 50 seconds remaining, Gwynn Park took a time out, during which coach Mike Glick implored his team that "the game isn't over." And the Yellow Jackets responded – particularly Tion Barnes, who turned up his rebounding and defense and scored all of his eight points in the fourth quarter. Gwynn Park used a 20-8 run to come back and win the game.
"I thought the way the schedule broke was crazy because we had two of the hardest games on the road in a week," Glick said. "That Potomac game really prepared us for this environment. I'm glad we're not in [Class 3A]."
Junior guard Brandon Ford led the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 24 points. Senior forward Mike Hemsley added 20 points. The Patriots were led by a balanced effort from junior forward Davon Moore (17 points), Bernard Savoy (10), Michael Johnson (eight) and Justin Strong (eight).
Patriots' coach Robert Garner said the game could help his team.
"We talked about this all week being a rumble," Garner said. "You have to be able to give a punch and take a punch, and it comes down to the last man standing. We've got to make better decisions out there. This game will help us for many different reasons."
Gwynn Park 68, Friendly 67
Gwynn Park 16 19 13 20 – 68
Friendly 22 20 13 12 – 67
GP (3-1, 2-1) -- Ford 9 4-5 24, Hemsley 9 2-7 20, T. Barnes 4 0-1 8, Batts 4 0-2 8, Henry 3 0-0 6, Blue 1 0-0 2.
F (2-1, 1-0) -- Morton 8 1-2 17, Savoy 5 0-0 12, Johnson 4 0-2 8, Sims 3 0-0 7, Adewole 1 4-4 6, Brooks 3 0-0 6, Strong 3 0-0 6, Baltimore 2 0-1 5.
Potomac pulls out one-point win vs. Gwynn Park 81-80
Potomac pulls out one-point win vs. Gwynn Park
Wolverines make comeback in fourth quarter as Yellow Jackets struggle at foul line
Much has been made about the wealth of talented teams in the league, and the Wolverines and Yellow Jackets provided evidence of that, as Potomac pulled out a tough 81-80 victory on its home floor in Oxon Hill.
"It was probably the greatest basketball game I've participated in in a long time," said Potomac coach Torrence Oxendine.
The teams shot 83 free throws between them, and had the Yellow Jackets made their free throws late in the game, they would have won. But the Gwynn Park did exactly the opposite, missing 9 of 10 at the line in the last 5 minutes of the game. Meanwhile, Potomac went 27 of 39 at the foul line. Gwynn Park was 26 of 44.
The Wolverines (2-0) were paced by 25 points from guard Devin Miller, 21 points from forward Antonio Jenifer, 15 points from point guard Da'Ron Wiseman and 11 from David Brockenberry.
The Yellow Jackets (1-1) got a game-high 30 points from junior guard Brandon Ford and, 17 from forward Mike Hemsley and 16 from guard Eric Batts.
"We have a whole lot to work on, but even though we didn't win, I was very proud of the way they came back under adverse conditions," said Yellow Jackets' coach Mike Glick.
The Wolverines controlled the game early, taking a 37-30 lead at the half. But the Yellow Jackets responded in the third quarter with a 32-point burst to take a 62-58 lead into the fourth quarter.
But the final period belonged to the Wolverines, who went on a 15-8 run in the final 4 minutes to pull out the victory.
Gwynn Park gets busy on the boards with 74-59 Opening Win
Gwynn Park gets busy on the boards
Yellow Jackets outrebound, outscore Old Mill in season opener
Gwynn Park High School senior Curtis Hardy has no problem being the most annoying player on the basketball court. As a matter of fact, he likes to be compared to gnats at a barbecue because he is always bugging the person he defends.
Hardy did more than just defend in Tuesday night's game against Old Mill. He scored 13 points and pulled down 13 rebounds as the Yellow Jackets beat the Patriots, 74-59. He also put the clamps on Old Mill's Mike Holley, a three-year varsity starter, who scored just six points in the second half as Gwynn Park pulled away.
Hardy did all of this in his first varsity basketball game. But he is used to the spotlight after starting at cornerback and wide receiver for the Gwynn Park football team.
"Really this was just another game for me," he said. "I've played in bigger games than this, so this was just another season opener."
The Yellow Jackets were slow out of the gate, allowing Old Mill to grab an early lead. Gwynn Park didn't take its first lead until the end of the first quarter when Tion Barnes dunked the ball off an offensive rebound to give the Yellow Jackets a 20-19 advantage.
The teams were tied at halftime, and Gwynn Park held a 50-47 advantage entering the fourth quarter. But the Yellow Jackets' relentless attacking of the glass began to wear down the smaller Old Mill lineup. Gwynn Park enjoyed a 39-22 advantage on the boards, including a 20-7 advantage on the offensive glass.
Gwynn Park's aggressiveness also gave it an advantage from the free-throw line, as the Yellow Jackets finished 16 of 31, while Old Mill was just 9 of 13.
Yellow Jackets' coach Mike Glick said his players' aggressiveness in the paint is nothing new and that he expects them to dominate the boards. He added that Gwynn Park's rebounding and low-post presence will get even better once 6-foot-4 senior forward Mike Hemsley returns from his one-game suspension for violating team rules. He said Hemsley should be back for Friday's game at County 3A/2A/1A League rival Potomac.
"I am very happy with how resilient the players were, especially in the second half," Glick said. "I thought that we played better on defense and were more patient on offense. We started playing from the inside out instead of the outside in."
Barnes scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while Brandon Ford added 19 points, including 7 of 9 from the foul line.
E-mail Joshua Hudson at jhudson@gazette.net.
Gwynn Park #11 in Washington Post to Start Season
Prince George’s 3A/2A/1A1. Gwynn Park (18-5) 2. Potomac (15-8) 3. Douglass (16-12)
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G Brandon Ford, Gwynn Park, Jr., 6-3 |
Gwynn Park might be the preseason favorite with its two top juniors and some newcomers from last season’s undefeated JV team. ..... Wiseman averaged 19.8 points last season, and F David Brockenberry (10.5 ppg) also returns for Potomac. ..... Douglass hopes to start stronger after finishing last season under .500 before its postseason run.Trying to defend its league title, Friendly will be helped by the addition of Brooks and G Bernard Savoy from Friendship Collegiate |
Boys' Basketball | ||
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PostRank | School | Record |
1 | DeMatha | 5-0 |
2 | Montrose Christian | 3-0 |
3 | Gonzaga | 6-0 |
4 | O'Connell | 5-0 |
5 | Ballou | 4-0 |
6 | Chantilly | 3-2 |
7 | Springbrook | 2-0 |
8 | Good Counsel | 5-1 |
9 | Bowie | 2-1 |
10 | T.C. Williams | 1-1 |
11 | Gwynn Park | 1-1 |
12 | St. John's (D.C.) | 4-1 |
13 | Thomas Stone | 3-0 |
14 | Potomac (Va.) | 4-0 |
15 | W.T. Woodson | 3-2 |
16 | Eleanor Roosevelt | 1-1 |
17 | Potomac (Md.) | 1-0 |
18 | Arundel | 4-0 |
19 | Georgetown Prep | 1-1 |
20 | Glenelg Country | 6-0 |