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.
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