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.