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.
No comments:
Post a Comment