Jackets To Participate in Charity Game Against Pittsburgh Steelwheelers

While the American Basketball Association is currently in its winter break, the Steel City Yellow Jackets will take the court for charity as they face off against the Pittsburgh Steelwheelers this Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Neighborhood Academy in Pittsburgh's East Liberty Community.

The holiday season is not only a time to relax and reflect on the year that was, but also a time for giving and bringing out the goodness in everyone. The Steel City Yellow Jackets will harness that spirit of giving as they will be playing for charity this Sunday when they take on the Pittsburgh Steel Wheelers at the Neighborhood Academy at 6 p.m. The game will look to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries and proceeds will benefit the Pittsburgh Steel Wheelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelwheerlers were founded in 1976 by the group of John Sikora, Dan Barry, Mike Walsh, and Bill Shay. Their mission was to develop a program of physical activity to benefit the physically disabled right here in Pennsylvania. To go along with their basketball team, the other prominent sports include rugby and track/road racing which allow the physically disabled a chance to play the sports they love.

Today the Steelwheelers compete as a part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) where they play in the Keystone Conference. The Keystone Conference includes teams from Rochester, New York, Youngstown, Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania among others. Their level of play has elevated them to one of the top teams in all of the NWBA's Division III league as they are currently the number 11 ranked team in the country.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets have seen a lot of success of their own as they come off the first half of their regular season where they went 5-4 and sit just outside of the top 25 ranking in the American Basketball Association. They lost to the Kentucky Enforcers on December 18th and will look to get back on track when the regular season resumes on January 5th.

Normally, the Steel City Yellow Jackets feature a fast-paced, high powered offense that features a lot of dunks and fast breaks to the net to score points. However, on Sunday all of that will change as your favorite Yellow Jackets players will be in wheelchairs trying to compete with the Steel Wheelers. Even the Yellow Jackets coaching staff is getting involved in the action as head coach Ace Pippens will be competing as well.

Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the doors opening to the public at 5 p.m. at the Neighborhood Academy located at 709 N Aiken Ave. Pittsburgh, PA. Bring out the family for a night of fun and exciting basketball. Adult tickets cost ten dollars and student tickets are five dollars a piece with proceeds benefiting the Pittsburgh Steel Wheelers. Come on out and be prepared to have fun and catch the buzz.

Jackets Drop First Half Finale in Kentucky

The Steel City Yellow Jackets were back in action this afternoon as they took on the Kentucky Enforcers on the road and wound up dropping the contest by the final score of 109-92. With the loss, the Yellow Jackets head into the Christmas break with a record of 5-4 on the season.

After a big win in last Saturday's contest, the Steel City Yellow Jackets went on the road to take on the Kentucky Enforcers in the last contest of the first half of the 2016/2017 regular season. However, it did not go how the Yellow Jackets intended it to go as they lost by the score of 109-92 dropping their record to 5-4 on the season.

The last time the Yellow Jackets took on the Enforcers was back on opening day of the 2016/2017 regular season and the Enforcers came out victorious in that contest as well 131-124. The Yellow Jackets were trying to build off of the momentum they had last night, but this game was controlled by the Enforcers right from the get go.

The Yellow Jackets once again mixed up their starting lineup as joining Gil Cummings, Lawrence Baker, and Antonio Reddic on the court were Bobby Swartwout and Khari Bess. Reddic has been on fire offensively as of late and the start of this game was no exception as he was able to put 15 points on the scoreboard in the first quarter alone. Reddic lead the team offensively tying his season high with 38 points on Saturday night and was off to a good start early on in this contest.

However, it would be the Enforcers that controlled this game early on as they lead 34-24 after one quarter of play. Greg Williams would be the driving offensive force for the Enforcers leading them with 12 points in the first quarter. Williams and Reddic combined contributed 27 of the 58 points combined between the two teams in the first quarter.

The second quarter showed a more spread out offensive attack on both sides of the ball. The Yellow Jackets saw contributions from seven different players including three point shots from Reddic, Johnathan Logan, and Isaiah Prince. The Enforcers also had seven different players contribute in the second quarter with the only three point shot coming from Jeremy Bennington.

The Enforcers took their early lead into half-time as they lead 58-49 going into the break. Reddic was once again the leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets at this point with 20 points in the first half of play. Also making big contributions in the first half were Lawrence Baker, 7 points, and Khari Bess, 6 points. The Enforcers were lead by Williams would lead the Enforcers with 14 points in the first half of play followed by Eric Hicks, 13 points, and Jeff Robinson, nine points. The Yellow Jackets would have to try and mount a comeback as they have already done so many times this season.

The third quarter was tightly contested as well as the Yellow Jackets began to try and fight back in this one. The three point shot was the Yellow Jackets friend in the third quarter as both Gil Cummings and Luke Kochka each hit two three-point shots in the quarter to help the Yellow Jackets fight back and score 23 points in the quarter. However, the Enforcers would also be on their game as they scored 27 in the quarter to extend the lead to 95-74 with one quarter of play to go.

In the fourth quarter, defense took over as neither team was able to get anything going when they had the ball in their possession. The Yellow Jackets got three point shots from Juan Franklin and Johnathan Logan but that was about it as they scored just 18 points in the quarter and it would lead to the final score of 109-92 dropping the Yellow Jackets to 5-4 on the season.

Antonio Reddic would be the leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets once again as he put up 30 points on the night. It was the second consecutive night that Reddic had put up 30 or more points adding to his offensive tear as of late. The only other Yellow Jacket to score in double digits on the day was Isaiah Prince who scored 11 points on the day. Luke Kochka and Juan Franklin each scored eight points while Lawrence Baker and Gil Cummings each finished with seven points on the day.

For the Enforcers, Eric Hicks ended the day as the leading scorer putting up 24 points on the day. He was followed by Greg Williams, 16 points, and Da'Marko Foster, 15 points. The win moves the Enforcers to 8-1 on the season with their only loss coming back on December 17th when they fell to the Chicago Stream 106-101.

Steel City Player of the Game: Antonio Reddic

The Steel City Yellow Jackets were once again paced on offense by one of their veteran stars in Antonio Reddic and it was enough to name him player of the game for the second night in a row. Reddic finished the evening with 30 points two assists and eight rebounds in the loss. It was the second straight game where Reddic has gone over 30 points in a contest after tying his season high with 38 points a night ago. Reddic and teammate Gil Cummings have been a part of this team since the beginning in 2014 and they will be looking to lead the Yellow Jackets on their third straight playoff run as they chase an American Basketball Association Championship.

Up Next:

The Yellow Jackets have concluded the first half of the 2016/2017 regular season and will be on Christmas Break as the Holiday season approaches. The next time you can see the Yellow Jackets on the court will be on January 1st when they participate in a charity game against the Pittsburgh Steelwheelers at the Neighborhood Academy. Then they will be on the road January 5th, 6th, and 7th before returning home on January 13th against the Baltimore Hawks. It's been an exciting first half of the regular season and there will be many more exciting opportunities in the second half to Catch the Buzz.

Jackets Score Big Win Against Top 25 Team

The Steel City Yellow Jackets were back in action Saturday after a long weather-aided layoff. They were able to use their rest and relaxation to propel them to a big win against the number 21 team in the country in the Fredericksburg Grizzlies as they won 131-128.

It has been a while since the Steel City Yellow Jackets have taken the court. Weather has not been on their side as snow resulted in both of their games being cancelled last week, but it gave them a chance to get some much needed rest after two very tough games and a big comeback victory that had them sitting at 4-3 on the season.

That rest would prove to help the Yellow Jackets as they picked up a big win against the number 21 team in the country, the Fredericksburg Grizzlies, winning by the score of 131-128. The number 23 ranked Yellow Jackets took a big lead early on and used that to help propel them to victory. The game would end up being close in the end, but the Yellow Jackets were still able to pick up their fifth win of the season.

After leading throughout the game, the Grizzlies fought back to cut the deficit to just 10 points with a little under three minutes to go in the ball game. The Grizzlies would turn up the heat on the Yellow Jackets as they went into a full court press defense. This allowed them to creep within two points with 35.7 seconds left on the clock. Anthony Poindexter then came to the line for the Grizzlies to shoot three free throw shots. He would end up making all three and gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the game.

However, Antonio Reddic got his hands on the ball for the Jackets and produced a slam dunk that allowed the Yellow Jackets to retake the lead with 25 seconds to go. Then the big moment in the game happened when Isaiah Prince came to the free throw line with just over ten seconds on the clock. With the Jackets up by two he had to make both free throw attempts to make it a two possession game. He was able to do just that and after another defensive stop the Yellow Jackets were able to come away with the victory.

While this game was close at the end it did not start out that way at all. The Yellow Jackets would jump out to a big lead right away scoring 43 points in the first quarter of play to take an early 43-22 lead. The early offensive charge was lead by Reddic who had 12 points in the first quarter while making what was his first start of the 2016/2017 season.

Several Yellow Jackets got their first starts of the season in this one as joining Reddic in getting their first starts were Lamont Wright and Isaiah Prince. Wright was another big part of the early surge as he put up eight points in the first quarter making the start for Marcus Smith. The Yellow Jackets used a good rotation throughout the day with a total of 11 of the 14 players that were suited up for the Jackets seeing time.

The Yellow Jackets would once again lead at halftime as they built upon their big first quarter lead to go into the break up 72-52. Reddic continued his scoring success in the second quarter and went into the break with 23 points on the night. Reddic was followed by Lawrence Baker, 14 points, and Lamont Wright, 13 points, to round out the top three scorers for the Yellow Jackets.

For the Grizzlies, Joe Posey lead the charge in the first half with his 14 points on the night. Anthony Poindexter was the other Grizzly to score in double digits in the first half of play as he had 11 points. The Grizzlies had not had a lot of offense to that point and were looking to put something together to try and mount a comeback late in this one.

They would start out hot in the second half as they scored 37 points to the Yellow Jackets 30 to cut the lead down to 102-89 with one quarter of play. Then the drama unfolded as the Grizzlies tried to fight back in the fourth quarter, but the Jackets were able to hold them off and pick up a much needed victory improving their record to 5-3 on the season.

Antonio Reddic would finish the day as the leading scorer for the Jackets tying his season high by scoring 38 points in the contest. Lamont Wright would be the next highest scorer for the Yellow Jackets as he scored a season high 22 points in the contest. For the Grizzlies, Joe Posey ended the day as the leading scorer with his team high 34 points. He was followed by Poindexter who put up a total of 27 points on the night.

Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Game: Antonio Reddic

Antonio Reddic brought the fire and passion on the court tonight for the Yellow Jackets and it was enough to ink him his third Yellow Jackets player of the game award on the season. He scored a team high 38 points on the evening and included some big time defensive plays that allowed the Yellow Jackets to hold on for their fifth win of the season. Reddic has been one of the leaders of this Yellow Jackets team and he will be one of the key contributors for the Yellow Jackets trying to make their third straight playoff run.

Up Next:

The Yellow Jackets will have a quick turn around as they are right back at it Sunday night when they travel to take on the Kentucky Enforcers. The last time these two teams faced off was on opening day when the Enforcers came out victorious. The Yellow Jackets will be looking for redemption at the Enforcers house Sunday night. The home schedule of the first half of the regular season is over, however, there will still be many more chances for you to come out and catch the buzz.

Game Notes: Jackets Back After Weather Aided Break

The Steel City Yellow Jackets are back in action this Saturday when they take on the number 21 team in the country in the Fredericksburg Grizzlies. The Yellow Jackets have not played a game since their contest against the Reading Wizards back on December fourth when they won by the score of 154-127.

It has been a while since the Steel City Yellow Jackets have taken the court, but they are back in action this Saturday at the Neighborhood Academy. Snow made travel conditions tough for the Yellow Jackets last weekend as both of their games got cancelled forcing them to remain stagnant for a week. However, they will have to harness their energy from the long layoff as they have a tough match up with the number 21 team in the country in the Fredericksburg Grizzlies.

The Yellow Jackets have played some tough, physical basketball games recently and have used the time to help rest their bodies and keep them fresh. It is a long American Basketball Association season and the Yellow Jackets need to have all hands on deck if they want to make their third straight playoff run since their formation back in the 2014/2015 season.

Last time out, the Yellow Jackets snapped a short two game losing streak as they defeated the Reading Wizards by the score of 154-127. It was the second meeting between the two teams and the Yellow Jackets were able to top the Wizards once again. The Yellow Jackets took control of the game early on jumping out to a 23-5 lead just five minutes and 25 seconds into the ball game. They would use this big lead to help propel them to their fourth win of the season.

Bobby Swartwout was the Steel City Player of the Game for his break out performance in which he scored a season high 20 points. Prior to that game, Swartwout had not scored more than three points in a game all season. The Yellow Jackets got contributions up and down their roster as six of their guys scored in the double digits on the night. Gilmore Cummings would lead the way offensively picking up 24 points and leading the Jackets to victory.

The most impressive part of the victory is that the Yellow Jackets did all of this without their star player in Lawrence Baker. Baker is currently second on the team in scoring with 124 points on the season and has been a key contributor to the Yellow Jackets success. He, along with veteran teammate and Yellow Jackets leading scorer Antonio Reddic, have kept this offense going at a high pace throughout the season.

Even though the Yellow Jackets did not play last week, they did move up in this week's power rankings as they are now the number 23 team in the country. However, their first game in almost two weeks will not be an easy one as they have to face another top 25 opponent in the Fredericksburg Grizzlies, who currently are the number 21 team in the nation.

The last time the Grizzlies took the court was on Sunday December 11th when they took on the RDC Vulcans. The Grizzlies would come out victorious as they picked up their fourth win of the season defeating the Vulcans 128-104. That win was enough to jump them up two spots in the power rankings this week going from the number 23 spot to the number 21 spot.

The Grizzlies are lead offensively by Quentin Jones who has 108 points on the season in his four appearances,and is followed by Tim Turner who racked up 75 points in his four appearances. Everyone on this Grizzlies team has put up at least 10 points so far on the season, so the Yellow Jackets are going to have to isolate the ball carrier and not let him get the ball to any of his teammates.

The Grizzlies are in their first year of existence in the ABA after being founded in February of 2016 by owners Karen and Vincent Henderson. They are lead by first year head coach Rick Wright as they are looking to compete in their first season.

The Yellow Jackets and Grizzlies will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. at the Neighborhood Academy located at 709 N. Aiken Street in Pittsburgh, PA. Come out and support the Yellow Jackets as they will be hosting Health and Awareness Night. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for students and can be bought at the door. This will be the last home game of the first half of the regular season, so if you have not gotten the chance already, come on out and Catch the Buzz.

After Stagnant Week, Yellow Jackets Move Up in Ranking

The Steel City Yellow Jackets moved up in this weeks power rankings despite not having played a game last weekend. Large amounts of snow fall in the upper Midwest forced both of the Yellow Jackets contests to be cancelled leaving them with a record of 4-3 on the season.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets were forced to remain stagnant last weekend after large amounts of snow fall pounded the upper Midwest causing three feet of snow and making travel conditions treacherous. However, despite not playing a game, the Yellow Jackets did get some benefit out of last weekend as they raised from the number 25 spot in the American Basketball Association power rankings to the number 23 spot this week with their record sitting at 4-3.

The Yellow Jackets were supposed to play two games last weekend against the Kalamazoo Cobras and the West Michigan Lake Hawks, but the snow made sure that was not going to happen. However, the Yellow Jackets were able to advance two spots after loses by the Orange County Novastars and the Henderson Hawks.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off of a redemption win their last time out when they defeated the Reading Wizards way back on December fourth by the score of 154-127. Bobby Swartwout had a break out game scoring 20 points and Antonio Reddic and Gil Cummings each scored in the twenties as well with 23 and 24 points respectively.

The win came after the Yellow Jackets had suffered two heart-breaking defeats against the DMV Warriors and the PG Valor. Both games were hard fought all the way up to the end, but the Yellow Jackets would end up falling in the final seconds of play. Both loses were very hard to swallow, but the Yellow Jackets bounced back and were able to pick up the big victory against the Reading Wizards.

The Yellow Jackets started the year as the number 23 team in the American Basketball Association pre-season power rankings coming into the 2016/2017 season. Having made the playoffs in each of their first two years of existence, their were high expectations set both by the league and by the team itself. Coach Ace has said time and time again that the goal for this season is to win a championship, nothing more and nothing less. The Yellow Jackets have come close in each of the last two seasons, but this year they will look to put it all together.

This team has the talent to do just that lead by a strong core of veterans and a ton of promising up and coming rookies. The top three scorers on this year's team are all returners in Antonio Reddic, 126 points, Lawrence Baker, 124 points, and Gilmore Cummings, 111 points. This core group of players has been helped out by newcomers Marcus Smith, Juan Franklin, Johnathan Logan, and Isaiah Prince to help build a successful team.

This team will have another tough test ahead of them this weekend as they take on another top 25 team when they face off against the number 21 team in the country in the Fredericksburg Grizzlies this Saturday. Last time out, the Grizzlies picked up a 128-104 victory over the RDC Vulcans back on December 11th. The win improved their record to 4-2 on the season and bumped them up from the number 23 spot a week ago to the number 21 spot this week.

Saturday marks the final home game of the first half of the season for the Steel City Yellow Jackets and they will be celebrating with Health and Awareness night. The game against the Grizzlies tips off at 7:30 p.m. at the Neighborhood Academy located at 709 N. Aiken Ave. in Pittsburgh's East Liberty community. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for students and can be bought at the door. This is a fun team to watch so you better come on out and Catch the Buzz.

Weather Holds Jackets Stagnant Over the Weekend

The Steel City Yellow Jackets were supposed to play two big games this week, however, the snow fell down in Michigan and travel plans got messed up as both games got cancelled. Steel City still sits as the number 25 team in the country with a record of 4-3.

Coming off of a huge win on December 4th against the Reading Wizards, the Steel City Yellow Jackets were supposed to play two big games this weekend against the Kalamazoo Cobras and the West Michigan Lake Hawks. However, snow pounded the northern mid-west and caused a traffic nightmare forcing both games to be cancelled. 

The Yellow Jackets are the number 25 ranked team in the country with their record sitting at 4-3 as the end of the first half of the regular season approaches. The Yellow Jackets are looking to make the playoffs for the third year in a row after making the playoffs in each of their first two seasons. As the first half of the regular season begins to come to a close, the Yellow Jackets still have one home contest left for the first half.

They will be taking on the Fredericksburg Grizzlies on December 17th at 7:30 p.m. at the Neighborhood Academy in Pittsburgh's East Liberty Neighborhood. Gil Cummings, Antonio Reddic, Marcus Smith, and the rest of the Steel City Yellow Jackets will be looking to put on a show and ride the momentum from their last win into this weekend.

 Reddic is the team leader in scoring with 126 points on the season and is part of three other Yellow Jackets to have 100 or more points on the season, Lawrence Baker has 124 and Cummings has 111. The Yellow Jackets feature a high-powered offense that is helped out by some tough defensive play lead by Isaiah Prince, Reddic, and Baker.

Your last chance to catch all of the excitement in the first half is next weekend when the Yellow Jackets take on the Fredericksburg Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m. at the Neighborhood Academy. Saturday will be Health and Awareness day with the Steel City Yellow Jackets and Adult tickets are 10 dollars and student tickets are five dollars each. If you haven't done it yet, be sure to come on out and Catch the Buzz.

Jackets Remain in Top 25 After Weekend Split

Photo Courtesy HyXposure

The newest American Basketball Association power rankings came out yesterday and the Steel City Yellow Jackets remained in the top 25 as they are ranked number 25 in the country. They are coming off of a weekend in which they split losing Saturday night by the score of 95-93 and winning Sunday by the score of 154-127.

We are more than a month into the American Basketball Association season and the Steel City Yellow Jackets are coming off their first rough patch of the season going 1-2 in their last three games. However, despite the rough patch, the Yellow Jackets were able to remain in the top 25 for this week's power rankings. They dropped from the number 20 spot last week to the number 25 spot this week with their record sitting at 4-3.

They are coming off a weekend in which they would split their two games dropping a heart breaker on Saturday and coming back with a big victory on Sunday. They have faced some tough opponents lately in the now number 1 ranked DMV Warriors and the up and coming PG Valor. The upcoming schedule gets a little more complex for the Jackets as the Kalamazoo Cobras cancelled their game with the Yellow Jackets due to a snow storm. However, the Yellow Jackets are still scheduled to travel to face off against the West Michigan Lake Hawks on Sunday at 6 p.m.

The Yellow Jackets took one bad step out of the gate as they lost the home opener to the Kentucky Enforcers 131-124. However, they would go on to win their next three games against the Reading Wizards, York Buccaneers, and Cleveland AM Pro'ers. In each of those games they scored 114 or more points and were lead by Lawrence Baker in each game. Baker scored at least 25 points in each of the three games and got the Yellow Jackets up to the number 17 team in the country.

During their two game losing streak, the Jackets still played very good basketball. They played the then number three team in the country very tight as it came down to the final seconds when the Yellow Jackets lead 127-126. But then a lobbed three point shot hit off the back board and found its way into the net and the Warriors would pick up the 129-127 win. The Jackets were involved in another close game the following week as it was a defensive battle against the PG Valor. It once again came down to the final seconds, however, Lawrence Baker would miss the game winning three pointer and that dropped the Jackets record to 3-3.

Then we reached Sunday's game where the Yellow Jackets needed to come up with a win to keep their record over .500. They would do just that as they got contributions from a number of players including Bobby Swartwout, who had his biggest game of the season scoring 20 points. The veterans would step up in this game as well as both Antonio Reddic and Gilmore Cummings finished with 20 points in the contest.

This year's Yellow Jackets team has relied a lot on the three point shot to keep them in many of their games. That trend was evident against the Wizards when the team hit a total of 20 in the game led by Cummings who hit seven in the contest. This has helped them be able to mount two big comebacks of 20 points or more that had been ultimately unsuccessful. This team has a never say no attitude and is never truly out of any basketball game.

The veteran leadership has been a big part of this team's success as Reddic, Cummings, and Baker have all stepped up. With Baker not playing on Sunday, Reddic passed him to lead the team in scoring with 126 points. Baker is right behind him with 124 points, and Cummings sits with 111 points. You can give any of these three men the ball and you know they are going to make something special happen. Whether it be Reddic going in for a dunk, Cummings hitting a big three pointer, or Baker driving to the hoop they know how to make plays and lead this team.

However, the young guns have been contributing this season as well. As mentioned before, Bobby Swartwout had a break out game against the Wizards scoring a season high 20 points. Marcus Smith, who has started every game for the Yellow Jackets, put up 11 points in the game on Sunday. He has been helping the Jackets out as the primary play caller and sets up his teammates for many scoring opportunities under the net.

With one game this weekend cancelled due to snow, the Jackets will be on the road on Sunday when they travel to take on the West Michigan Lake Hawks at 6 p.m. However, the Jackets will be back home on December 17th as they take on the Fredericksburg Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m. It will be your last chance in the first half of the regular season to come on out and Catch the Buzz.

Jackets Get Redemption Win in Blowout of Wizards

The Steel City Yellow Jackets have been involved in some close heart breaking games as of late and have unfortunately come out on the wrong end of each of these games. However, they turned it on in a big way in Sunday's 154-127 blowout of the Reading Wizards.

It is said that a man's character is tested by the adversity he faces and how he overcomes it. Well, the Steel City Yellow Jackets have faced a lot of adversity over their last two games as they lost heart breakers that came down to the final minutes. With their record sitting at 3-3 the Yellow Jackets needed a redemption win on Sunday as they played their first road game of the 2016/2017 season when they traveled to Reading Pennsylvania to take on the Reading Wizards.

The Yellow Jackets did just that and did it in a big way as they not only beat the Wizards, but demolished them by the final score of 154-127. The win was a team effort as everyone contributed in some way throughout the game. The Jackets saw it all from break out performances to guys just playing the way they know how. Everything went right for the Yellow Jackets on this day as they picked up the victory.

The Yellow Jackets did not let the slow starts that had been plaguing them the last couple of games effect them in this one as they jumped out quickly to a 23-5 lead over the Wizards five minute and 30 seconds into the ball game. This big lead would hold for the Yellow Jackets throughout the entirety of the game as after one quarter of play they lead by the score of 43-27.

Bobby Swartwout got the Yellow Jackets offense going early as he was able to put up 10 points in the first quarter alone. Gil Cummings was hot from beyond the arc early as he hit three three point shots in the first quarter to put him at nine points. The Jackets had a nice rotation going throughout the night as they saw seven Yellow Jackets see some time in the first quarter of play alone.

The second quarter would be the closest quarter of basketball in this one as the Yellow Jackets mustered 36 points compared to the Wizards 32 points in the quarter. This Yellow Jackets team was motivated after two tough contests and were not about to let the Wizards come back in this game. The Jackets would break the streak of not being up at half time as they lead 79-59 when the teams headed for the locker room.

Swartwout would be the offensive leader for the Yellow Jackets with 12 points going into the break. Swartwout had not scored more than three points in a game coming into this one, but on this night he was a big part of the Yellow Jackets success. Joining Swartwout on the leader board was Johnathan Logan who scored all 11 of his points in the second quarter alone. Tyshoyn McBride lead the way in the first half for the Wizards as he finished with 14 points.

The Yellow Jackets had the lead and, after losing two tough games, had no plans of giving it up. The offense came out hot again in the second half as Cummings hit three three point shots in the third quarter giving him a total of six on the night. Cumming's veteran teammate Antonio Reddic would add seven points of his own in the quarter as the veteran duo has been pacing the Jackets all season long.

It would be another high scoring quarter of action for the Yellow Jackets as they scored 39 in the quarter to push their lead to 118-93. It was the biggest lead that the Jackets have had all season and they did not take their foot off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter. They kept driving to the net in an attempt to put up as many points as possible to help seal the victory.

In the fourth quarter, Reddic showed off his three point shot as he hit three of his own in the quarter. The three point shot has been something the Yellow Jackets had relied on all season long and it was again prominent in this game as they hit a total of 20 in the contest, including five in the fourth quarter of play.

The Yellow Jackets put up 36 points in that fourth quarter to help them clinch their fourth victory of the season winning by the score of 154-127. The 154 points were a season high for the Yellow Jackets as was their 27 point score differential. Coach Ace had talked about the fact that he wanted his defense to keep the opposition under 100 points and they have now successfully done that in each of their last two games.

After a strong second half of play, Gil Cummings was the offensive leader for your Yellow Jackets as he dropped 24 points on the night. He was followed by Antonio Reddic, 23 points, and Bobby Swartwout, 20 points, as the three Yellow Jackets to end the day with 20 plus points. For the Wizards, Jordan Merriweather lead the way with 28 points followed by Kenney Sharpe, 23 points, and Zack Vouse, 21 points, to round out the top three scorers.

The Yellow Jackets were looking for redemption after losing two heart breaking games to the DMV Warriors and the Prince George Valor and they did just that scoring a  season high 154 points and picking up their largest margin of victory. They were able to do all of this without their star player in Lawrence Baker as he did not play in this game. With the win the Jackets improve to 4-3 and are going into a big weekend in which they play two top 10 opponents in the American Basketball Association.

Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Game : Bobby Swartwout

Sunday was a break out game for Bobby Swartwout and it was enough to earn him the Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Game. Swartwout scored a season high 20 points on the night which was good for third on the team. Prior to Sunday's game, Swartwout had not scored more than three points in a game. However, the former Saint Vincent College standout, was able to lead his team in a big way yesterday and lead them to their fourth victory of the season and their first victory on the road.

Up Next:

The Steel City Yellow Jackets have a big weekend of road games coming up as they take on two of the top 10 teams in the American Basketball Association. It all starts Saturday December 10th when they take on the number 10 ranked Kalamazoo Cobras at 7:30 p.m. It will be the second road game of the season for the Yellow Jackets as they look to improve upon their 4-3 record on the season and prove they belong among the elite in the American Basketball Association. If you haven't already, be sure to Catch the Buzz.

Jackets Fall in Late Comeback Attempt

The Steel City Yellow Jackets dropped another heart breaker as they fell to the Prince George Valor on Saturday by the score of 95-93. The Jackets had a chance late, but a failed three point attempt by Lawrence Baker sealed the Yellow Jackets fate.

After almost coming back last week against the number three team in the country, the Yellow Jackets were back at it again as they took on the Prince George Valor Saturday at The Neighborhood Academy. It came down to the last second once again and unfortunately the Yellow Jackets came up just short once again as they fell 95-93 when Lawrence Baker missed a three point attempt at the buzzer that ended the game.

The Yellow Jackets retained possession with six seconds remaining on the game clock down by just two points in the game. The Valor were in a full court press making it tough for the Jackets to move the ball up the court. Eventually, Gil Cummings got the ball into the offensive zone and fed Baker the ball with two seconds left. Baker shot a 25 footer but had it bounce off the rim and fall to the court.

This was another game in which the Yellow Jackets had to fight back from being down by a considerable margin. The Prince George Valor took control of this game early on as before the first whistle even blew they got two free throws after a pre-game foul. Chris Lee came to the line and made both of his shots to start the Valor with a 2-0 lead.

The Valor would continue that lead through the first quarter and would come out of that quarter leading by the score of 36-28. Lawrence Baker hit two three point shots to lead the Jackets in the quarter with eight points. However, Winston Veney lead the way for the Valor with 12 points and Jamahl Brown added nine points of his own. 

This would be a very low scoring game throughout as both defenses played tough, physical, in your face defense and held the opponent in check. The second quarter featured the Valor pulling out to their biggest lead of the night as they would hold the Jackets to just 18 points in the second quarter of play. The Valor jumped out to a 20 point lead and would go into half time up by the score of 66-46.

Brown and Veney were the stars of the first half for the Valor as they scored 19 and 14 points respectively. Ed Dyson added seven points of his own to round out the top three for the Valor. The Yellow Jackets were lead by Baker's eight points in the contest with Gil Cummings, Marcus Smith, and Johnathan Logan scoring seven points each. Coach Ace rallied his troops in the locker room as the Jackets were better than ever when they came out for the second half.

Offensively, Antonio Reddic paced the Jackets after having scored only two points in the first half. He came out and scored eight points in the third quarter to bring the Yellow Jackets right back into this ball game. Logan also came out of the locker room with a hot hand as he hit two big three pointers to pace the Yellow Jackets offense.

Defensively, Isaiah Prince came off the bench and played almost impenetrable defense. He got in the face of the Valor shooters and caused multiple turnovers on the evening. Prince also added a big three point shot in the third quarter and was an essential part of bringing the Yellow Jackets back in this game.

The Jackets were able to score 31 points in the third quarter compared to the Valor's 21 to pull back into the game cutting the lead in half as the Valor now lead 87-77. The energy in The Neighborhood Academy was brought up as the Yellow Jackets crept closer and closer to coming back in the game. The Yellow Jackets saw their opportunity last week but didn't come through and they did not want a repeat in this game.

Reddic continued his strong second half in the fourth quarter putting up 14 more points. However, it was Isaiah Prince and the Jackets defense that kept the game close as they caused many bad shots that would not fall in the net. This allowed the Jackets to pull within two points of the Valor late in the ball game. The stage was set, the shot was taken, but unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets their hopes of winning the game just bounced off the rim and they had to settle for the 95-93 loss dropping their record to 3-3 on the season.

Reddic lead the Yellow Jackets offensively on this night scoring 22 points in the contest. He was joined in double digits by Lawrence Baker, 15, Johnathan Logan, 13, and Isaiah Prince, 10. For the Valor Jamahl Brown lead the way with 24 points and he was helped by Winston Veney's 16 points on the evening. This will be another tough pill for the Jackets to swallow, but they will bounce back like they always do better than ever.

Steel City Yellow Jackets Player of the Game: Isaiah Prince

Defense was key to the Yellow Jackets comeback on this night and Isaiah Prince provided just that for the Yellow Jackets throughout the second half. He knocked down several shots and caused turnovers that allowed the Yellow Jackets to control the ball in their territory. He also finished in double digits in scoring finishing with 10 points on the night including a three point shot in the third quarter of play. Prince was the reason the Yellow Jackets were able to come back on this night and that crowns him player of the game.

Up Next:

The Yellow Jackets will have a quick turnaround as they take on the Reading Wizards Sunday night at 5:30 p.m. in Reading Pennsylvania. It will be the Yellow Jackets first time away from the firendly confines of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The Yellow Jackets will be looking to get back on track as they have dropped each of their last two games to fall to 3-3 on the season. This team will dust off its boots and get back to work as they always do. Be ready to catch the buzz.

Jackets Showing They Belong In First Month

The Steel City Yellow Jackets have played some high-scoring, hard-fought games in the first month of the American Basketball Association season. Their record stands at 3-2 and they are currently ranked 20th in the country after playing a tough game with the number three team the DMV Warriors.

After one month of play in the American Basketball Association's 2016/2017 season, the Steel City Yellow Jackets are showing that they belong among the elite. Their record sits at 3-2 on the season coming off of a hard nose basketball game against the number three team in the country where they lost by the final score of 128-127. After the loss, the Yellow Jackets are sitting as the number 20 team in the country as they look to make a run for the playoffs for the third year in a row.

The Yellow Jackets offense has featured high scoring in every single game as they have yet to score less than 114 points on the season. They are averaging 124.2 points per game and have outscored their opponents 621-581. The team has lead or been tied at half time in all but one of their games and they have not lost a game by more than seven points on the season.

Lawrence Baker has turned it on offensively in his second year with the Steel City Yellow Jackets scoring a team high 121 points on the season. He has lead the team in scoring in three out of the five games on the season and has been the driving force to this offense. Three year veteran Antonio Reddic has the game high for points in a game so far for the Jackets with his 37 point effort against the DMV Warriors last Saturday.

In the last couple of games for the Yellow Jackets, their veteran core has come together to help the Jackets play more complete basketball. Gilmore Cummings has 48 points in the last two games alone including some big shots that have helped put games away for the Yellow Jackets. Perhaps his biggest shot of the night on Saturday, Cummings hit a three pointer with 17 seconds remaining that would tie the game bringing the Yellow Jackets back from being down by 23 points. His 22 point effort against the Cleveland AM Pro'ers was enough to earn him player of the week for week three of the season.

Antonio Reddic has upped his game in the last two weeks and he has been awarded as the Steel City Yellow Jackets player of the week two times in the first four weeks of the season. Reddic scored a team high 37 points in the last game against DMV and combined that with his 20 point effort two weeks ago to up his total on the season to 105 points which is good for second on the team.

Defensively, the Yellow Jackets have been playing exciting defense. They have held teams to under 120 points in all but two of their games this season. The Yellow Jackets are a physical defense that likes to guard tight especially under the hoop. With bug men Lawrence Baker and Juan Franklin under the net, it has been hard for anyone to get to the basket against the Jackets team.

Reddic leads the team in the rebound department with his 35 on the season. Reddic has yet to start a game for the Yellow Jackets this season, but has been a key contributor to the team up until this point of the season. Juan Franklin has produced the only double-double of the season for the Yellow Jackets when he collected 10 rebounds against the Cleveland AM Pro'ers two weeks ago. Isaiah Prince has also played a key role on defense collecting 15 rebounds so far on the season.

It has been a mixture of both veterans and rookies on the team that have driven the Yellow Jackets to this point of the season. Juan Franklin is one of those rookies who set the pace for this Yellow Jackets team when he opened the season scoring a team high 32 points for the Yellow Jackets against the Kentucky Enforcers. He is also the owner of the team's only double-double on the season and has been a key part of the Jackets success.

The Yellow Jackets have also gotten contributions from rookies Luke Kochka, Khari Bess, Marcus Smith, and Bobby Swartwout on the season. Marcus Smith is another one of the starter on this team who has helped the team throughout the season. He has scored 47 points so far on the year in his first professional season and is working hard to lead the Yellow Jackets on the court. Both he and Lamont Wright have seen time as the play caller for the Yellow Jackets.

If the Yellow Jackets can continue to play the way they have been over the past two weeks, there is no doubt in my mind that they can once again push for one of those coveted American Basketball Association playoff spots. They have been communicating on defense and have shown the ability to hit from beyond the three point line on a consistent basis. There is a bunch of talent on this Steel City team, and when they play together they are one of the most unstoppable teams in all of the American Basketball Association.

As the Yellow Jackets venture into the cold month of December, things will begin to heat up as they take on the PG Valor this Saturday at The Neighborhood Academy this Saturday. The Yellow Jackets will be looking to bounce back after having their three game winning streak broken in last Saturday's game. Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and five dollars for students. Be sure to come on out to The Neighborhood Academy and Catch the Buzz.