Jackets Comeback Falls Just Short in Loss to DMV

The Steel City Yellow Jackets fought all the way back from being twenty points down to take a lead late, but it was not enough as the DMV Warriors came out victorious by the score of 126-125. A buzzer beater in the last second of the game would down the Jackets ending their three game winning streak.

In sports it is said that 0.1 seconds can be the difference between winning and losing a game. For the Steel City Yellow Jackets that 0.1 second came back to haunt them as they dropped last night's game to the DMV Warriors by the score of 128-127. The Clash of Champions lived up to its expectations as the number three team in the country was given a run for their money by your number 17 ranked Steel City Yellow Jackets.

The Yellow Jackets would fight back from being 20 points down in the game to make it just a two point lead with under one minute to go in the ball game. Then Gil Cummings hit a three point shot with :17 seconds on the clock to make the score 125-125. Antonio Reddic would then be fouled with 3.5 seconds on the clock and he made one of his two free throws to give the Jackets a  127-125 lead.

With 3.5 seconds left on the clock, the Warriors did not have much time to try and win the ball game. The Jackets were in press coverage trying to keep the ball in the back court, but Dylon Cormier found a way to sneak past the Jacket defense, get open down the court, and shoot a deep three-pointer off the glass as the buzzer sounded to give the Warriors the victory. The Yellow Jackets played their hearts out in this game and came up just short in the end.

This game would start out going the Yellow Jackets way as they were helped out by Johnathan Logan who hit four three point shots in the first quarter of play to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 36-34 lead. The crowd was loud and in this game right from the beginning as they rocked the neighborhood academy and the Yellow Jackets responded.

The high scoring affair would continue into the second quarter of play as the DMV Warriors, lead by Cormier would put up 28 points to the Yellow Jackets 25 to make the half time score Warriors 62, Yellow Jackets 61. This was the first game all season where the Jackets were trailing at halftime, they were tied at half time last week against the Cleveland AM Pro'ers. Head Coach Ace Pippens and his team went to the locker room to strategize for the second half.

Logan's 12 points he scored in the first quarter was good for the team lead at halftime. He was followed by Lawrence Baker who had 9 points and Antonio Reddic and Juan Franklin who each had eight points in the contest. The Warriors were lead by Dylon Cormier, 16 points, Brian Smith, 12 points, and Kemp McCray 11 points.

The Warriors would take control to start the third quarter going on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 68-61. They would take their biggest lead of the ball game with 1:54 in the quarter as they lead by 23 points. Antonio Reddic turned it on in the second half scoring nine points in the third quarter to help the Jackets fight back a little bit to put the score at 90-105 going into the final quarter of play.

The fourth quarter was probably the best quarter of basketball played by the Yellow Jackets all season long. They were down 15 points to enter the quarter and Gil Cummings and Antonio Reddic would lead the comeback. Reddic scored 20 points in the quarter by himself and Commungs added 10 points in the quarter including the big three point shot that gave the Jackets the lead with :17 seconds to go in the ball game. It was an absolutely electric atmosphere as the crowd and the team were fired up, but the buzzer beater shot would eventually drop the Jackets in this ball game.

Antonio Reddic lead the crew scoring a season high 37 points in the contest, including 20 in the fourth quarter alone. He was joined in double digits by Gil Cummings, 26 points, Johnathan Logan, 12 points, Lawrence Baker, 11 points, and Juan Franklin, 10 points. Reddic also lead the team in rebounds picking up nine on the night. The Warriors were lead by Dylon Cormier's 39 points and Calvin Lee's 10 rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets truly played their hearts out in this game and it was by far their best game of basketball all season. The emotions ran high in both the players and the fans and made for one exciting night of American Basketball Association Basketball. The Yellow Jackets may have lost this one, but as the famous saying goes "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Knowing this team they will comeback, work hard, and be better than ever in the weeks to come.

Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Game: Antonio Reddic

This was another tough decision for player of the game, but this week the award goes to Antonio Reddic. Reddic lead the team scoring a season high 37 points in the game including 20 points in the fourth quarter alone. He shot 70% from the free throw line on the night including three crucial ones at the end of the game. He also lead the Jackets in rebounding picking up nine on the night. Reddic has been very consistent in that department all season long picking up nine rebounds in three of the teams five games so far this season. 

Up Next:

The Steel City Yellow Jackets continue their home schedule this week as they take on the PG Valor at the Barack Obama Academy Gymnasium on December 3rd. The Yellow Jackets will look to improve upon their (3-2) record and look to start another winning streak. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for children. Be sure to come on out and support your Steel City Yellow Jackets and Catch the Buzz.

Game Notes: Jackets Face Toughest Test in Clash of Champions

The Steel City Yellow Jackets head into week four of American Basketball Association facing their toughest task yet when they take on the number three team in the country in the DMV Warriors. The Jackets will look to extend their three game winning streak and prove they can compete with the best.

When the best of the best square off in their sport, people always are ready to see a good game. Well, that is exactly what you will see if you come out to The Neighborhood Academy at 709 N Aiken Ave in Pittsburgh tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. The number 17 ranked Steel City Yellow Jackets are facing their toughest test of the season when they take on the number three team in the country in the DMV Warriors.

The Yellow Jackets are coming into this game on a high note as they have won each of their last three contests dating back to their home opener on November 5th. They have scored 100 or more points in every game this season, and have lead at halftime in three of those four games, they were tied at 51 last time out against the Cleveland AM Pro'ers. This is a team that has been hitting on all cylinders as of late and they look to continue that tomorrow night.

Last time out, the offense was slow to get started but would eventually turn it up as the Jackets picked up their third straight victory winning by the final score of 124-112. Lawrence Baker lead the team in scoring for the third straight game scoring a season high 33 points in the victory. He was joined in the 20 plus points club by Gil Cummings, 22, and Antonio Reddic, 20. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Juan Franklin scored the first double-double of the year collecting a team high 10 rebounds to go along with his 14 points on the day. Baker and Jason Arrington came in right behind Franklin with eight and seven rebounds respectively. It was a good chance for the defense to show what it can do and limit a good Pro'ers team.

The Yellow Jackets used the three point shot to their advantage once again as they hit 33% of their shots from beyond the arc. Juan Franklin lead the crew in the three point department making four of his eight three point attempts on the day. He tied for the team high on the day with week three Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Week Gil Cummings, 4 for 10, and Lawrence Baker, 4 for 11.

With the win, the Yellow Jackets improved to (3-1) on the season and moved up to be the number 17 ranked team in the country. The Yellow Jackets have shown a prolific, high scoring offense through the first three weeks of the season and they have been a fun team to watch. Detroit Michigan native Lawrence Baker leads the team in scoring with 94 points on the season through four games of play while Antonio Reddic leads the defensive side of the ball with 26 rebounds on the season.

The DMV Warriors enter this game riding a three game winning streak as well as they have won each game they have played this year. They defeated the Reading Wizards last time out on November 13th by the score of 140-127. The Warriors are averaging 133.3 points per game so far this year and have not scored less than 125 points in a game all season. However, the Yellow Jackets have only allowed more than 112 points in a game once this season when they took on the Kentucky Enforcers in the home opener.

The Warriors are the number three team in the country and the biggest challenge the Yellow Jackets have had to face this season. Head coach Ace Pippens knows his team will be battle tested but has said time and time again that this team is hungry and ready to take on some of the best teams that the American Basketball Association has to offer.

The Jackets have to play with the best teams if they want to make a run for their third straight playoff appearance and make it to the prize of the American Basketball Association Championship. Lead by Gil Cummings, Lawrence Baker, and Antonio Reddic this team is ready to roll and has laid the groundwork for a successful 2016/2017 season and a lot more fun throughout the year.

This weeks game will be played at the Neighborhood Academy located at 709 N Aiken Ave. in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. and tickets are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for students. Come out and support the Yellow Jackets as they face the number three team in the country and look to move up in the ABA rankings. Come on out and Catch the Buzz.

After Slow Start Jackets Break Out to Collect Third Straight Win

The Steel City Yellow Jackets won their third straight game on Saturday as they defeated the Cleveland Am Pro'ers by the score of 124-111. It took a little while for the offense to get going but, once it did, the Jackets took off and sealed the victory.

It took a little bit for the Steel City Yellow Jackets offense to get going yesterday but once it did, they took off and defeated the Cleveland Am Pro'ers by the final score of 124-111. The Yellow Jackets are flying high right now as they won their third straight game to improve their record on the season to 3-1. They have not looked back after dropping their home opener and the offensive production has been on fire lately.

It tool the Jackets offense a little while to get going as the Pro'ers started the game scoring the first five points of the game before the Jackets would get on the board. It was a tightly contested ball game throuhgout as neither team did much of anything in the first quarter as the score was Pro'ers 23 Yellow Jackets 20.

However, the Jackets offense would turn it on in the second quarter as both Antonio Reddic, Lawrence Baker, and Gil Cummings sparked the offense. Reddic scored eight second quarter points, while Baker and Cummings each scored seven points in the quarter. This game was the first time all season where the Jackets didn't lead at halftime as they went into the locker room all tied up at 51 points a piece.

For the second straight week Baker lead the Yellow Jackets at half time with 11 points followed by Cummings with 9 and Reddic with 8. The 51 points were the lowest amount of points the Jackets had scored at halftime all year as the defenses for both teams were working on all cylinders on the night. The highest scorer for the Pro'ers was Raymond Franics who had nine points on the night.

The third quarter started out much in the same way the first quarter did with the Pro'ers scoring the first five points to take a 56-51 lead. However, this would be the quarter where Lawrence Baker turned it on as he scored 14 points in the quarter including a big four point shot while the 3D light was on to give him 25 points on the night. Juan Franklin was a perfect four for four from the free throw line in the quarter as well to give the Yellow Jackets an 89-80.

The Pro'ers tried to come back in this game making the score as close as 108-102 lead by Brendan Cooper's eight second half points, but it was not enough as the Jackets would put this one out of reach with under five minutes to go when Gil Cummings hit a big three point shot to seal the victory for your Yellow Jackets at 124-111.

Lawrence Baker lead the Jackets in scoring for the third straight game as he scored a season high 33 points on the night. Six other Yellow Jackets scored in double digits including Cummings (22 points) and Reddic (20 points). Juan Franklin paced the Yellown Jackets defensively picking up 10 rebounds and coming out with the team's first double-double of the season. Baker and Jason Arrington followed Franklin with eight and nine rebounds respectively.

The win marked the Yellow Jacket's third straight win of the season and improved their record to (3-1) in American Basketball Association action. The Yellow Jackets are facing a tough competitor next week in the number two ranked DMV Warriors and the win sets up a good matchup and one that will be fun to watch.

Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Game: Gil Cummings

With all of the offensive action in Saturday's game it was hard to pick just one player of the game, but Gil Cummings takes home the crown this week scoring 22 points on the day. Cummings hit four three point shots on the day and stepped up in a big way when his team was struggling early on and hit the three point shot that would seal the deal for the Yellow Jackets. To go along with his 22 points on the day, he also picked up four rebounds and two assists on the day.

Up Next:

The Yellow Jackets continue their home schedule this Saturday, November 26th when they take on the number two ranked DMV Warriors at 8:30 p.m. The game will be played at the Neighborhood Academy located at 709 N. Aiken Ave. in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Come support the Steel City Yellow Jackets as they continue their quest for an American Basketball Association championship. Come on out and Catch the Buzz.

Game Notes: Jackets Flying High Going into Week Three Matchup

The Steel City Yellow Jackets are starting their third week of the 2016/2017 season and are riding high having won two games in a row since dropping their home opener. They scored a season high 132 points last week and look to build off of that effort this weekend when they take on the Cleveland Am Pro'ers.

To say that a team who has made the playoffs in each of their first two seasons of existence is getting even better is almost unheard of. However, for the Steel City Yellow Jackets, that statement is becoming a reality. The team is riding a two game winning streak coming into week three of American Basketball Association action and their stats through the first three games are already looking better than last years team.

In the 2015/2016 season the Yellow Jackets started the season off 1-2 after dropping their first two games and coming back to win the third one. They had scored a total of 364 points and averaged 121.3 points per game. Taking a look at this year's ball club, the team has jumped out to a 2-1 start including a 2-0 record against Chesapeake Conference opponents. In total this season they have scored 370 points this year and averaged 123.3 points per game.

While the scoring is the same, the record is totally turned around from a year ago. The key to this year's club is the ability to play together and no where everyone is all the time. There is a lot of communication on defense and lots of passing on offense. The mixture of both veterans and rookies on this team has been something that has helped the team gel on offense.

It also helps that the Jackets are hitting from beyond the three-point arc on a very consistent basis. Lawrence Baker leads the club in that department with his 60% three point field goal percentage on the season, 19-32. The next closes guy to Baker is Gilmore Cummings who has hit 37% of his three point shots through the first three games.

In terms of offensive numbers, look no further than Baker to see who is leading in points. After being named the Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Week in week one where he put up 53 points in the first two games, he added 24 more points last Saturday to up that total to a team leading 77 points on the year. Juan Franklin sits right behind Baker with his 60 points on the year after putting up a single-game team high 32 points in the home opener against the Kentucky Enforcers. Marcus Smith rounds out the top three on the Yellow Jackets squad with his 51 points on the season.

As good as this team is offensively, there defense is just as good. The team allowed a season low 102 points agains the York Buccaneers last Saturday and came away with a lot of rebounds. Antonio Reddic leads the club in that department with 23 rebounds through the first three games. Baker sits right behind Reddic with his 17 rebounds on the year, which includes his near double-double against the Reading Wizards when he had nine rebounds.

Another plus for the Jackets is that many of their rookies got their first taste of ABA action and are now better prepared and can be used as depth options for the Yellow Jackets. Luke Kochka, Khari Bess, Matt Sutton, and Melvin Ford all made their ABA debuts this past week and performed well. This will be key as the season progresses so that more and more Yellow Jackets can see action and give the stars more of a rest.

This weeks matchup was supposed to be against the Trenton Cagers, however, the Cagers have cancelled and as a result the Yellow Jackets will matchup with the Cleveland Am Pro'ers this Saturday at 7 p.m. The Am Pro'ers are not an official part of the American Basketball Association, but they have agree to play the Yellow Jackets to entertain the fans at Barack Obama Academy Gymnasium.

The Am Pro'ers have not faced off against the Yellow Jackets in the past, so it will give the team a new look as they enter Saturday's game. The Yellow Jackets enter play with the 20th best record in the ABA out of the 88 team league, and look to improve their winning streak to three games on the season as they once again search for a spot in the ABA playoffs.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets will aslo be honoring the Pewee Football Champions at this Saturday's game. Some of the teams that will be honored include The Garfield Gator Baby Twerps, East End Raider Mighty Mites, Homewood Twerps, Wilkinsburg Big Team, Swagg Baby Twerps, Morning 

Side Twerps, and the Duquesne Twerps among others. The Yellow Jackets will be celebrating champions of the gridiron while trying to chase a championship on the hardwood as well.

The tip-off for Saturday's game against the Cleveland Am Pro'ers is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Barack Obama Academy Gymnasium. Tickets for adults are 10 dollars a piece while student tickets are just five dollars. Tickets can be purchased either at the gate or through eventbrite.com. Come on out and support the Yellow Jackets on their championship run so you too can Catch the Buzz.

Yellow Jackets Continue Winning Streak into Week Two of Play

After the second week of the American Basketball Association season, the Steel City Yellow Jackets have won back to back games going into week three of the season. Lawrence Baker and Antonio Reddic have lead the charge for the Jackets so far as they look to keep their winning ways going in week three.

Week two of the American Basketball Association season has come and gone, and your Steel City Yellow Jackets are riding high as they have won back to back games after defeating the York Buccaneers on Saturday by the score of 132-102. The Yellow Jackets showed what they can do when the team plays together and communicates on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. 

The Yellow Jackets have shown the ability to score a lot of points through the first two weeks of the season as they have scored at least 110 points in each of their first three games of the season. Part of this goes to their shooting beyond the arc as three point shots have been falling for the Jackets left and right. In their game on Saturday against York, Lawrence Baker hit four three point shots, Jonathan Logan hit three, and Marcus Smith, Antonio Reddic, Juan Franklin, and Gil Cummings each hit threes in the game.

On Saturday, it was all offense for the Yellow Jackets as they pulled way ahead in the first quarter of play to a 33-7 lead. They would lead at half-time for the third straight game as it was 66-55. Then once again the offense fired up in the third quarter where the Jackets lead 100-78 and, with the help of a strong second half performance by Reddic, the Yellow Jackets would pull away and win by the score of 132-102. The 132 points were the most on the season by the Yellow Jackets to this point in the 2016/2017 season.

The Yellow Jackets were lead offensively once again by veteran Lawrence Baker who had 24 points on the day. He was followed closely behind by Reddic, who had 22 points including 14 in the second half, Juan Franklin, who had 20 points, and Marcus Smith, who had 18 points in the contest. Reddic lead the rebound department pulling in nine on the night to help the Jackets defense stifle the Buccaneers.

Lawrence Baker upped his season total in points to 77 on the year through three games which leads the Yellow Jackets team. Reddic added nine rebounds on Saturday upping his total on the season to a team high 23 rebound. Although Reddic has yet to start a game this season, he has seen the court more than any Yellow Jacket to this point.

That Jackets defense was very good on the night holding the York Buccaneers to just 102 points on the night, a season low on for the team. Coach Ace has been preaching the fact that his team needs to talk on defense, and they did just that in this game. They put pressure on the Buccaneers in their own zone and that forced multiple bad shots that the Jackets were able to capitalize on.

The Jackets also played their first full game of basketball on the season. In their first two games they allowed the other team to stay in the game and that caused the loss on opening night and the narrow win in game two. However, they never let York feel like they were in the ball game and as a result the Buccaneers never had the confidence that they could come back in the game. This team is passionate about the game of basketball and is hungry to win. That hunger is what is going to drive them through this season as they try to march to their third straight playoff appearance.

Along with the win on Sunday, several of the Yellow Jackets made their season debuts including Luke Kochka, Khari Bess, and Melvin Ford. Bess was coming off of injury and was in his first game back where he scored eight points on the night. Kochka had five points in his season debut and Melvin Ford scored two on the night as well. Jason Arrington missed Saturday's game after falling awkwardly on his arm in the game against Reading.

Coach Ace talked about the team having a good week of practice last week, and they will look to do it again this week as they go for their third win in a row. The Yellow Jackets currently sit at 2-1 after picking up their first conference win of the year on Saturday. They will look to build off of their season high 132 points as they take on the Cleveland AM Proers this Satruday at the Barack Obama Academy Gymnasium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Steel City Yellow Jacket Player of the Week: Antonio Reddic

There were so many great performances on Saturday against the York Buccaneers that it was hard to come up with just one player of the week. However, after taking home player of the game on Saturday, Antonio Reddic takes home the crown as this weeks player of the week. Reddic scored 22 points in Saturday's game against the York Buccaneers and picked up nine rebounds. He upped his season total to 23 rebounds which leads the team. As one of the veterans on this team, he will be looked upon to guide the club as they move on into week three of the 2016/2017 season.

Up Next:

The Yellow Jackets will be back in action this Saturday when they take on the Cleveland AM Proers at the Barack Obama Academy gymnasium at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for 10 dollars per adult and five dollars per student at eventbrite.com or at the door. Come on out as your Yellow Jackets try to win their third straight game and be sure to Catch the Buzz.

Jackets Offense Leads to Second Straight Win

The Steel City Yellow Jackets picked up their second win of the season tonight as they defeated the York Buccaneers by the score of 132-102. The offense came on strong and performed well from beyond the arc for the second straight time.

After dropping their home opener to the Kentucky Enforecers, the Steel City Yellow Jackets have won two in a row as they defeated the York Buccaneers yesterday by the score of 132-102. For the second straight night, the Jackets had a hot hand hitting many three points on the night.

The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a huge lead early on in this game as they took a 33-7 lead midway through the first quarter. Johnathan Logan was a big part of the early offense as he hit three three point shots early in the game.

The Jackets defense played well early as well with Lawrence Baker picking up several rebounds early in the game. The York Buccaneers would come back in this game thanks to Lionel Pierce's 21 first half points.

Baker and Juan Franklin lead the Jackets through the first half as they each scored 18 points to go along with nine from Logan and eight from Antonio Reddic as the Jackets lead at half time for the third straight game by the score of 66-55.

The Jackets would come out of half time as hot as they were in the first half as they jumped out to a 100-78 lead in the third quarter of play. Marcus Smith was a big part of the scoring as after not scoring at all in the first half he jumped out and scored 11 points.

The York Buccaneers were not accurate all night long as they missed several three pointers throughout the night. The Jackets took advantage of this and used their accuracy to jump out to their big lead.

With Lawrence Baker on the bench for most of the second half, Reddic stepped up and delivered offensively scoring 14 points in the second half of play to lead the Yellow Jackets to the victory.

Baker lead the offensive attack for the second straight game as he got a team high 24 points. He was closely followed on the day by Reddic who finished with 22 points and Juan Franklin who finished the day with 20 points. Marcus Smith also got into double digits scoring 18 points in the second half of play.

For York, it was the Lionel Pierce show as he lead the way with a game high 32 points in the contest. Ernest Hargett also got into double digits with his 14 points on the night. The loss dropped York to 0-3 on the season as they have yet to break through in the win column.

The Yellow Jackets picked up their second win of the season improving on the season to 2-1. They showed once again just how prolific their offense can be by scoring a season high 132 points on the night. Baker, Logan, and Cummings all provided from beyond the arc and Reddic's 14 second half points lead the Jackets to victory.

To go along with the win, several Jackets made their season debuts with Luke Kochka, Khari Bess, and Melvin Ford all making their season debuts. All three scored their first ABA points in the contest as Kochka had five, Bess had eight, and Ford finished the night with two.

Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Game: Antonio Reddic

Antonio Reddic lead the offensive charge in the second half with his 14 points that pulled the Jackets to their 132-102 victory. Reddic scored a season high 22 points overall and pulled down seven rebounds in the contest. Reddic, despite having not started a game this season, has played the most minutes out of any Yellow Jacket in two of the three games.

Up Next:

The Yellow Jackets return to action this coming Saturday November 19th when they take on the Trenton Caters at 7 p.m. at the Barack Obama Academy gymnasium. The Jackets are riding a two game winning streak and look to push ahead on their quest to make the playoffs for the third straight season.

Game Notes: Yellow Jackets Start Second Week With Matchup Against Buccaneers

The Steel City Yellow Jackets Get Ready for their second week of play as they take on the York Buccaneers this Saturday at 7 p.m. The Yellow Jackets came off of a split weekend in which they beat the Reading Wizards 114-105 and lost to the Kentucky Enforcers 131-124.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets had a successful opening weekend of the American Basketball Association season as they split their two games to come out with a record of 1-1. They entertained many fans at the Barack Obama Academy Gymnasium on Pittsburgh's North Side and played some exciting high scoring basketball.

The Yellow Jackets are back this week as they come into week two of the season where they will take on the York Buccaneers tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Barack Obama Academy gymnasium. The Yellow Jackets will be looking to go over .500 for the first time this season and they have many positive aspects from last week's games to build off of.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets week one player of the week, Lawrence Baker, leads the team in scoring with 53 points on the season. Baker, in his third season with the Yellow Jackets, has been on this team since the beginning in 2014 and has seen them through back-to-back playoff runs. Another three year veteran to the team, Antonio Reddic, leads the team defensively accumulating 14 rebounds through two games.

The new players on this year's team got their time to shine as well through the first two games. Juan Franklin scored a single game team high 32 points in the teams opener against the Kentucky Enforcers. He was joined on the double digit list in that game by other new comer Marcus Smith who had 24 points of his own.

The Yellow Jackets are very good from beyond the arc as they hit 76% of their three point shots last weekend. They were topped by Baker who hit eight in Sunday's game alone and in total has 13 on the season. Three pointers were key in the Yellow Jackets beating the Reading Wizards as to go along with Baker's eight three pointers, Gilmore Cummings added four, and Davont Jackson, Smith, Jonathan Logan, and Jason Arrington each added one.

The Yellow Jackets lead both of their games over the weekend going into halftime, but they could not come out with the victory in game one as they let their lead slip away. That is one thing they will have to work on as the season moves forward. However, once the players get used to being around each other, this problem should fix itself.

The Yellow Jackets will be playing their first conference opponent this season as they take on the York Buccaneers this Saturday. The Buccaneers enter this game having dropped their first two contests by scores of 130-112 and 129-122. They faced off against the Baltimore Hawks in the season opener and took on the Richmond Elite the next day.

The Buccaneers are lead offensively by Dwayne Birden who has a team high 81 points on the season. They feature almost a dual threat attack offensively as they combat Birden's 81 points with Ernest Hargett who has 61 points of his own. The key to the game for the Yellow Jackets is going to be to shut down the offensive attack of these two players

The last time these two teams met was last season on February 21, 2016 and the Yellow Jackets came out victorious in that game by the score of 139-106. Baker and Reddic were both part of that game a season ago and will look to lead the team tomorrow night against York as well. In total the two teams met twice last season with the Yellow Jackets winning both of those contests.

The Yellow Jackets will put their (1-1) record on the line with tip off scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow. It is also Veterans and Servicemen Day where the Steel City Yellow Jackets will be honoring the servicemen and woman who defend our country and its freedoms. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for students. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at eventbrite.com. Come on out to the Barack Obama Academy Gymnasium and be sure to Catch the buzz. 

Yellow Jackets End Opening Weekend on a High Note

The Steel City Yellow Jackets split their opening weekend games losing 131-124 on Saturday night and coming out victorious 114-105 on Sunday night. The Yellow Jackets are now (1-1) on the season as they continue their track to making the playoffs for the third straight season.

We are through one week of play as we begin the American Basketball Association's 50th season of play and the Yellow Jackets would end the opening weekend coming out with a record of (1-1). Their first game of the season featured a match up with the Kentucky Enforcers in which they lost by the final score of 131-124.

The Yellow Jackets would lead that game through half time by the score of 63-59. However, the Enforcers would fight back in this one, however, tying the game at 91 going into the final quarter of play before they pulled ahead for good eventually winning the game by the score of 131-124 and handing the Yellow Jackets their first loss of the year.

In the game. Juan Fanklin would lead the team with a season high 32 points to go along with five assists and two rebounds on his way to winning the Steel City Yellow Jackets player of the game. Franklin was also clutch at the free throw line shooting 85% on the night, six for seven, in the Yellow Jackets opening loss. Lawrence Baker (24), Marcus Smith (24), Antonio Reddic (14), and Isaiah Prince (13) would also score in double digits for the Jackets on the night.

It was redemption night for the Yellow Jackets on Sunday when they took on the Reading Wizards for their second game of the 2016/2017 season and they would do just that. The Yellow Jackets offense once again jumped out to a big lead of 36-19 after one quarter of play and would take that lead into halftime for the second straight night as they lead 61-48. Baker had a hot hand from beyond the arc in the third quarter as he hit four straight three point shots on the way to helping the Yellow Jackets pick up their first win of the season 114-105.

Baker was the leader of the Yellow Jackets on this night as he scored a season high 29 points to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds as he picked up the player of the game honors. Baker was almost automatic from beyond the three point line where he drained 66% of his shots, 8 for 12. Baker was the only Jacket to go above 20 points on the night, but he was helped out by four other double digit efforts in the Jackets victory.

The Jackets had great fan support on both nights as Yellow Jacket nation came out to support their team and see some exciting basketball at the Barack Obama Academy Gymnasium. The Jackets lead at halftime in each game and showed some great offensive ability as well as the ability to play solid defense.

One particular area that the team shined at this weekend was from the free throw line. They made 77% of their free throws over the weekend, 34 made in 44 attempts, and those points went a long way to helping the team secure its first win of the season. They also showed an ability to shoot from beyond the three point line, especially in game two when Baker, Logan, and Jackson each hit three pointers on a consistent basis.

One thing the Jackets will look to work on going into the second week of play is being able to finish ball games. Th Yellow Jackets had a half time lead in both games this weekend, and they also saw the opposition come back late. In Saturday's ball game the surge was too much for the Jackets to handle, while they were able to hold off the charge on Sunday to pick up the victory.

Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Week: Lawrence Baker

Your Steel City Yellow Jackets player of the week award for week one goes to Lawrence Baker. Baker got his season started scoring a combined 53 points which currently leads the Yellow Jackets team. He also piled on 11 rebounds and nine assists for the weekend. He got the Yellow Jackets offense going shooting 60% from beyond the arc, 15 for 25, including four straight three pointers in the third quarter of Sunday's game.

The Yellow Jackets will return to action this Saturday when they take on the York Buccaneers at 7 p.m. at the Barack Obama Academy Gymnasium. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for children. Be sure to come out and catch the Buzz as the team looks to improve upon their 1-1 record.

Jackets Pick Up First Win of Season in Win Over Wizards

The Steel City Yellow Jackets picked up their first win of the season tonight as they defeated the Reading Wizards by the score of 114-105. It was a close game late, but the Yellow Jackets defense held strong and improved the Yellow Jackets record to 1-1 on the season.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets concluded their opening weekend festivities tonight as they took on the Reading Wizards for their second game of the season. After falling to the Kentucky Enforcers in their opening game of the season, the Yellow Jackets looked to bounce back in tonight's game. They were able to do just that as they defeated the Reading Wizards by the score of 114-105.

The Reading Wizards were playing their second game of the season as well and came into this contest with a 1-0 record after defeating the Philadelphia Cannon by the score of 106-99. The Yellow Jackets, however, dropped their previous game to the Kentucky Enforcers by the score of 131-124 as they were looking to get back to .500.

The Yellow Jackets offense was shooting on all cylinders early on in this game in front of a crowd of about 50 people at the Barack Obama Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The offense managed to score 36 points in the opening quarter thanks to hot hands from both Davont Jackson and Marcus Smith. Jackson had a team high 13 points in the first quarter including a three pointer, while Smith tacked on seven points in the first quarter of play.

The Yellow Jackets would score a total of 36 points in the first quarter to jump out to a 36-19 lead. However, the Wizards would finally get their offense going in the second quarter as they ended up outscoring the Yellow Jackets 29-26 cutting into the Yellow Jackets half-time lead making it 61-48, and the Yellow Jackets would lead at half-time for the second straight game.

The Jackets shot 24 for 54 from the floor in the first half including seven for 24 beyond the arc. Jackson and Baker lead the team in scoring at half-time with 13 points each. The Yellow Jackets would have to hold on to their lead in  the second half if they wanted to come out on top. They would be helped in the third quarter by the three point shot, which was on fire for the Yellow Jackets all night long.

Lawrence Baker started the third quarter on an incredible hot streak from beyond the arc as he made four straight three point shots in a row to drive his scoring total up to 25 points on the day. However, the Jackets would once again be outscored in the quarter and their lead was again cut down to 86-82 with one quarter of basketball left to play. The fourth quarter was where the Jackets lost their first game of the season, and on this night they weren't going to let it happen again.

The Yellow Jackets would use the free throw line to their advantage as they made 76% of their free throws,13 of their 17, in the second half  and put 27 points up in the fourth quarter to the Wizards 23 to hold on to the 114-105 victory. It was the second straight day in  which the Yellow Jackets scored 100 plus points and they were able to even their record to (1-1).

The Yellow Jackets were lead offensively on the day by Lawrence Baker who put up a team high 29 points on the night while pulling in seven rebounds and eight assists. The Yellow Jackets had a total of five players score in double digits including Jackson (13), Gilmore Cummings (14), Antonio Reddic (12), and Lamont Wright (10). Reddic lead the Jackets defensively as he pulled down a team high nine rebounds on the day.

Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Game: Lawrence Baker

Lawrence Baker picks up the player of the game honors for game two of the 2016/2017 season for his efforts against the Wizards where he scored 29 points with eight assists and seven rebounds on the night. It was Baker's hot hand from the three point line in the third quarter that helped lead the Jackets to victory as he sank four straight three point shots and added a free throw in that quarter as well. Baker's 29 points puts his total through two games to 53 points on the season which leads the team.

Up Next:

The Steel City Yellow Jackets (1-1) return to action on Saturday November 12 when they face off against the York Bucaneers (0-2) at the Barack Obama Academy gymnasium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Yellow Jackets will look to go over .500 for the first time this season as they make a push for their third straight playoff appearance. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for children. Be sure to come on out and Catch the Buzz.

Jackets Drop Back and Forth Game to Enforcers

 

The Steel City Yellow Jackets kicked off their 2016/2017 season last night in a game against the Kentucky Enforcers. The Yellow Jackets put up 124 points on the night but it wasn't enough as they lost at the Barack Obama Academy by the score of 131-124.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets kicked off their 2016/2017 season yesterday as they took on the Kentucky Enforcers in their opening game of the American Basketball Association season. The Jackets played a competitive back and forth game, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Kentucky Enforcers by the final score of 131-124.

The Yellow Jackets unveiled their new home court at the Barack Obama Academy located at 515 N. Highland Ave in front of the home crowd. The Yellow Jackets have made the playoffs in each of their first two seasons in the ABA, and are looking to get there for the third straight season in the 2016/2017 season. As part of the 50th season of ABA play, the ABA expanded to over 100 teams and the Kentucky Enforcers were one of those new teams.

The Yellow Jackets were lead on the court by their starting five in Juan Franklin, Jonathan Logan, Gilmore Cummings, Marcus Smith, and Lawrence Baker. The Yellow Jackets controlled the ball game for a majority of the time, but a late comeback by the Enforcers dropped the Yellow Jackets to (0-1) on the season.

The Yellow Jackets took the early lead in this one taking their largest lead of the ball game when they lead by 10 with 4:55 to go in the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets would end up leading 32-30 after one quarter of play. They would continue this lead into half time as they outscored the Enforcers 31-29 and went into half time leading by the score of 63-59.

The Enforcers would turn it up in the second half, however, as the Jackets would be outscored for the first time in the contest when the Enforcers scored 32 points, and the Jackets held on to a one point lead sitting at 92-91. The fourth quarter would prove why this was a match-up between the number 22 and 23 teams in the ABA.

The Enforcers would turn it on scoring 40 points in the quarter and building up an 11 point lead with :14 seconds to play. The Jackets would try to come back in the game, making the final Field Goal of the game with :04 seconds left, but it wasn't enough as the Jackets would fall by the final score of 131-124.

The Jackets played an exciting game in front of the home crowd to start out the 2016/2017 season. Juan Franklin lead the Yellow Jackets on the day scoring a game high 32 points and playing a total of 28:54. He was also six for seven from the free throw line. Antonio Reddic saw the most playing time for the Jackets as he played 31:13 seconds and scored 14 points. Marcus Smith lead the team in rebounds with six on the day.

For the Enforcers, they were lead by two 20 point days from Aaron Miller, team high 26, and David Mann, 22. Jeff Robinson saw the most action on the court for the Enforcers playing 42:34 of the game, and they were lead in rebounds by Miller and Ray Chambers who each grabbed nine rebounds in the contest.

Yellow Jackets Player of the Game: Juan Franklin

Juan Franklin grabs the Steel City Yellow Jackets player of the game award for the first game of the 2016/2017 season. He scored a game high 32 points in the contest in 28:54 of action. Franklin shot 50% from beyond the arc, two for four, and shot 86% from the free throw line, six for seven, on the day. He finished out the day pulling in two defensive rebounds to help the Yellow Jackets effort.

Up Next

The Steel City Yellow Jackets (0-1) return to action tonight as they continue their opening weekend when they take on the Reading Wizards at the Barack Obama academy. Tickets for the game are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for children, plus if you purchased the 15 dollar weekend pass you have access to today's game as well. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. as the Yellow Jackets look to capture their first win of the season.

Game Notes: Kentucky Enforcers vs. Steel City Yellow Jackets

The Steel City Yellow Jackets open up their regular season schedule tomorrow night with a match-up against the Kentucky Enforcers. The Yellow Jackets are coming off of a season in which they made the playoffs for the second year in a row before falling to the eventual ABA Championship runner up he Windy City Groove.

The leaves begin to fall, there is a chill in the air, and the days have started to become shorter. These are all signs that fall is here and for the Steel City Yellow Jackets it means that another season is upon us. This is the Yellow Jackets third season in Pittsburgh as a part of the American Basketball Association and they will be looking to make another championship run in the 2016/2017 season under new ownership and in a brand new facility.

The road to another championship run begins this Saturday when the Yellow Jackets take on one of the new expansion teams in the American Basketball Association this season the Kentucky Enforcers at 7 p.m. The Yellow Jackets will be showing off their new home court as well as they will be playing at the Barack Obama Academy gymnasium located at 515 N. Highland Ave. in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

The American Basketball Association is entering its 50th season in the 2016/2017 season and, as a result, has expanded to over 100 teams in the league spread out across the country. The Kentucky Enforcers are one of those new teams looking for a jump start season to their ABA career.

They will already be starting in good standing in the ABA as they come into this season as the number 22 team according to the pre-season top 25 power rankings. They are the only expansion team to crack the list showing that they have a lot to play for this season. They are lead by their co-owner/head coach Dustin Driskell.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets will look to dampen the spirits of the Enforcers in their inaugural game in the ABA. The Yellow Jackets come into the year ranked just behind the Enforcers in the ABA top 25 poll as they sit at number 23. The Yellow Jackets have made the playoffs in each of their first two seasons in the ABA and are looking to do that again here in the 2016/2017 campaign.

The Yellow Jackets finished the 2015/2016 campaign with a record of 10-7 and ended the regular season winning five of their last seven games Including two 20 plus point victories over the Grand Rapids Danger and the York Buccaneers. The Yellow Jackets would then loose a heart breaker in the first round of the ABA playoffs as they fell to the Windy City Groove by the score of 112-91.

The Yellow Jackets are lead by third year head coach/owner Averill Pippens, also known as coach Ace. Coach Ace has lead the team to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons and has had a track record of success including helping the 2006 Penn State McKeesport Men's Basketball team win a championship. 

The Yellow Jackets return some veterans to the court who helped them in years past such as Tone Reddic, Lawrence Baker, and Gilmore Cummings while adding some new faces to the team such as Bobby Swartout, Luke Kochka, and Khari Bess. They will all try to come together to help the Yellow Jackets this season.

Tip-of for Satruday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Obama Academy gymnasium located at 515 N. Highland Avenue. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and 5 dollars for children. Also, for opening Weekend, the Yellow Jackets are offering a special weekend pass for 15 dollars that includes admission to both games. Come out and support your 2016/2017 Steel City Yellow Jackets and be sure to Catch the Buzz this season.

Bess/Kochka Back Together on Yellow Jackets

The 2016/2017 Steel City Yellow Jackets are trying to make the playoffs for the third straight season since their development in 2014. This years team is a mix of veterans and rookies to the American Basketball Association, but two of this years Yellow Jackets rookies have played together in the past.

Hard-work, Trust, and Dedication are all things that successful teams have that make them as good as they are. You see it in every championship team from the 1988 San Fransisco 49ers who featured Jerry Rice and Joe Montana to the 1990's Chicago Bulls featuring Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippens. All of these teams had one thing in common and that's that the players trusted each other and new exactly what the other one was going to do and exactly when he was going to do it.

That is something this year's Steel City Yellow Jacket team will try to do to build upon their first two seasons of existence in which they have reached the playoffs each year. They have gone through some tough times being a new team in the Pittsburgh area, but they have persevered and never failed to put a quality product on the court.

This year's Yellow Jacket team is a mixture of veterans who have been with the team since the beginning like Tone Reddic and Lawrence Baker to some new faces on the team for the 2016/2017 season. Two of the newest Yellow Jackets on this years team have played together before and look to help propel the Yellow Jackets to another championship run.

Forward Luke Kochka and Guard Khari Bess have been through the long grind of a season together before as they both were a part of last years Division III Thiel Tomcats Men's Basketball team. The pair lead the Thiel Tomcats to the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Playoffs where they would eventually fall in the first round to the Bethany Bison by the score of 69-60. In that game Bess scored a team high 14 points and Kochka added nine of his own.

Bess had his best statistical season for the Tomcats during the 2015/2016 season where he started all 26 games for Thiel. He finished the year racking up 402 points, averaging 15.5 points per game, to go along with 145 assists and a career high 96 steals. He also racked up 16 blocks on the season.

Bess's 145 assists lead all of the Presidents' Athletic Conference during the 2015/2016 season and he also lead the PAC in steals with 96 and was eighth in the league in blocked shots with 16. Bess is a steals machine as he was honored as the Division III statistical leader in steals for the 2015/2016 season with 3.69. The next closes player to Bess in all of Division III Men's Basketball was Anthony Jerigan of Johnson & Wales University who average 3.55.

Bess finished his college career with 292 steals which set a record for the most steals in Thiel Tomcats history. And, 2015/2016 wasn't even his best years in steals per game as in the 2013/2014 season, Bess would end up collecting 3.70 steals per game.

Offensively, Bess set a career high in points scored during his final regular season home game with the Tomcats where he put up 27 points against the Saint Vincent Bearcats in what would end up being a 82-67 loss for the Tomcats. The 402 points he ended the 2015/2016 season with were a career high for him and he will look to build on that for the Yellow Jackets this season.

Bess's teammate, and current Yellow Jacket, Luke Kochka enjoyed a successful season as well in which he started 25 of the 26 games he appeared in scoring 454 points, averaging 17.5 points per game, to go along with 68 assists and 25 steals on the season. He shot 75% from the free throw line finishing the year making 75 of his 99 free throw attempts.

Kochka was an offensive machine for the Tomcats during the 2015/2016 season and that showed on the stat sheet. He lead the Presidents' Athletic Conference in scoring with his 454 points and was second in the league in points per game with his 17.5 mark. He also finished sixth in the league in free throw percentage with .758 and third in the league in three point field goals made with 61.

Kochka was no slouch on defense as well as he finished the year in the top 10 in rebounds in all of the PAC with 173. Kochka was an all-around athlete for the Tomcats and looks to bring that skill set to this year's team.

Both Bess and Kochka received honors for their efforts in the 2015/2016 season as both were named to the Presidents' Athletic Conference First Team. They were voted in by a group of the ten coaches from around the PAC. 

Both Bess and Kochka have great skill sets that they bring to the table this year for the Yellow Jackets. They will look to take those skills and gel with both the veterans and the other new faces on the team to help lead the Yellow Jackets to another championship run in 2016/2017.

You can see Bess, Kochka, and the rest of your 2016/2017 Steel City Yellow Jackets in action this Saturday at their home opener against the Kentucky Enforcers. The game will be played at 515 N. Highland Avenue in Pittsburgh. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults, five dollars for children, and a 15 dollar weekend pass that includes Sunday's game against the Reading Eagles. Tip off is at 7 p.m. on Saturday and 5:30 on Sunday.

With the 2016/2017 season fast approaching it is almost time once again to Catch the Buzz.