The Steel City Yellow Jackets got back to their winning ways in Sunday defeating the West Michigan Lake Hawks by the score of 107-103. The win have the Yellow Jackets a split of their Michigan Road trip as they head into their rivalry game this Friday night.
After dropping the second half opener against the Grand Rapids Danger, the Steel City Yellow Jackets were looking for a bounce back victory Sunday night when they continued their Michigan road trip as they took on the West Michigan Lake Hawks. They would be able to get it done on this night and go back over .500 as they defeated the Lake Hawks by the score of 107-103 improving their record to 6-5 so far on the 2016/2017 season.
The Yellow Jackets would once again get off to a fast start in this one as Antonio Reddic continues to light up the scoreboard since becoming a Jackets starter by scoring 12 points in the first quarter alone. He was helped out by three three-point shots by Lawrence Baker to give the Yellow Jackets a 31-24 lead after one quarter of play. Newest Yellow Jacket BillyDee appeared in his second game and scored his first two points via two free throw shots during that first quarter of play.
This would be a back and forth game throughout, however, as the Lake Hawks fought back in the second quarter to score 33 points between eight different players. Xavier Keeling lead the Lake Hawks in the second quarter scoring 8 points and helping to give them a slim 57-55 lead as the teams headed for the locker room. One thing the Yellow Jackets have been able to do this year is have the lead at half time as this is only the fourth time in the team’s 11 games that they have not had the lead going into the break.
Antonio Reddic would once again lead the Yellow Jackets in scoring at half time as he collected 16 points through the first half of play. Lawrence Baker and Bobby Swartwout both had nine points at the break and BillyDee rounded out the top three scorers with five points in his second game as a Yellow Jacket. For the Lake Hawks, Marquis Brewer and Lou Williams paced the offense in the first half scoring 10 points each. Since the Yellow Jackets have very rarely been on the losing end at half time, the team had to regroup and come out ready to take back the lead.
Lawrence Baker would get the Yellow Jackets offense going in the third quarter as he took advantage of a 3D situation and made a four point shot to get the offense off the ground. He would hit another three point shot in the quarter to give him five shots totaling three or more points in the ball game. Reddic would have another big third quarter for the Yellow Jackets as he put up a team high 11 points giving the Yellow Jackets 24 points in the quarter. However, The Lake Hawks would come out hot as well scoring 24 points and keeping that slim two point lead as the score sat at 81-79.
The Yellow Jackets were without their team captain and veteran Gil Cummings in the third quarter as he received a technical foul at the end of the second quarter for arguing with the refs and it forced him to sit out. However, he would come back in the fourth quarter and prove key in the Yellow Jackets eventually coming out of this one with the victory.
The three point shot would be the Yellow Jackets savior in this game as in the fourth quarter they hit four key three point shots to give the Yellow Jackets the lead. Billy Williams, Gil Cummings, Lawrence Baker, and Isaiah Prince each hit from long distance. The Jackets defense would hold up strong and the Yellow Jackets would just edge out the Lake Hawks scoring 28 points to the Lake Hawks 22 and picking up the 107-103 victory. The win improved the Yellow Jackets to 6-5 on the season and put their road record to 2-2 so far.
Antonio Reddic would lead the Yellow Jackets in scoring for the fourth straight game as he was once again over 30 points on the night as he scored 32 on the evening. Reddic would be followed by Baker, 19 points, and Isaiah Prince, 11 points. BillyDee put up a good performance in his second game as a Yellow Jacket as well as he collected 10 points in the contest to round out the four Yellow Jackets to finish in double digits on the night. The Lake Hawks were lead on the night by Marquis Brewer who finished with 20 points on the evening. Rounding out the top three scorers for the Lake Hawks were Ralph Monoay, 15 points, and Lou Williams, 14 points.
This was a big victory for the Yellow Jackets as they come back home this Friday to take on their rivals the Baltimore Hawks. Momentum is always a good thing to have on your side and that’s what the Jackets now have with this comeback victory over West Michigan. If they can build off of this momentum, it could take them all the way to their third playoff appearance here in their third year of existence.
Steel City Player of the Game: Lawrence Baker
Lawrence Baker was able to add a spark to this Yellow Jackets offense today hitting four three point shots and a 3D four point shot on the day to get the Yellow Jackets going and it was enough to earn him his second straight player of the game. He finished the night with 19 points putting him in double digits for the second straight night. Baker’s scoring was down before the break as he was struggling to find the net. However, he is back and his offensive production is going to be a big boost for this Yellow Jackets team moving forward.
Up Next:
The Steel City Yellow Jackets have a quick turnaround as they take on their rivals the Baltimore Hawks this Friday at 8:30 p.m. at the Neighborhood Academy. It will be a black out as all fans attending the game are encouraged to wear black in support of the Yellow Jackets. Tickets will be ten dollars for adults and five dollars for students. Baltimore versus Pittsburgh is always fun and this game will be no exception, so come on out and Catch the Buzz.
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