Yellow Jacket Come Up Just Short in Loss to Number 1 Ranked Team

The Steel City Yellow Jackets were on the road Sunday night to take on the top ranked team in the American Basketball Association, the DMV Warriors. Last time these two teams met it was a close game, and this time was no different. However, it would once again be the Yellow Jackets on the losing end as they fell 133-127.

The Steel City Yellow Jackets picked up a big win on Saturday night when they knocked off the number nine ranked Richmond Elite 139-122. It was their fifth straight win and the team was flying high as they went on the road to face their toughest task of the year taking on the number one ranked team in the country, the DMV Warriors. The Yellow Jackets only had a record of 3-4 on the road coming into the contest, but this match-up had a history that made things look bright for the Yellow Jackets.

Steel City and DMV met once earlier in the season at the Neighborhood Academy back on November 26th. The Yellow Jackets were at that time the number 17 ranked team in the country and the Warriors were ranked number three. It was a highly contested ball game and would literally come down to the final second. The Yellow Jackets lead by one with 3.5 seconds showing on the game clock and the Warriors would hit a game winning three point shot at the buzzer to take a 129-127 victory. The Yellow Jackets were back and looking for revenge on Sunday.

It would end up being another tightly contested ball game between the two teams as the Yellow Jackets continued to spread the ball around and showed why they are ranked in the top 25. At half time the Warriors only had a slim four point lead over the Yellow Jackets and the team felt that they were more than just in this ball game, they felt that they had a chance to win.

At the half way point, the Yellow Jackets were lead by Antonio Reddic's 18 point effort. He was followed by Dre Anthony, 12 points, and a three way tie for third as Lawrence Baker, BillyDee Williams, and Gil Cummings all had eight points. For the Warriors it would be lead by Brian Smith and his 15 point effort. He was followed by Andrew Washington, 14 points, and Calvin Lee, 12 points.

This team has fought hard through adversity all season long and Sunday was no different. They stuck to the game they know and used it to their advantage. Gil Cummings, Antonio Reddic, and Lawrence Baker have lead this team all season long and they helped to put their guys in a good position early on tonight. Coach Ace has helped to motivate his players to be the best that they can be and that was evident once again on the court tonight.

The game was shaping up much in the same way the game earlier in the season had played out. It was a back and forth game throughout the early portions of the game. The teams would be tied going into the locker room as both would try to make the necessary adjustments for their teams to come out on top. It would be a hard fought finish and unfortunately the Yellow Jackets would end up on the short end of that one.

The second half today was another hard fought battle for both teams. It was back and forth offensively all night long, which is something you can expect with two of the top teams in the American Basketball Association squaring off. The score was tight late in this one as with four seconds showing on the clock the Warriors lead 131-124.

Then a foul was called on Dre Anthony that brought DMV to the line as they would try and ice the game. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, they were able to do just that as they sank both of their free throw attempts. The Yellow Jackets would score the last bucket of the game as Anthony would hit from three point range at the buzzer but it wouldn't be enough as the Yellow Jackets fell 133-127.

The Yellow Jackets were lead on the day by Antonio Reddic as he found him self in the 30 point range once again finishing with 34 points on the night. He was followed by Dre Anthony, 22 points, and a tie for third as both Baker and Williams had 14 points on the night. For the Warriors, Andrew Washington would score a team high 31 points on the night. He was followed by Dylan Cormier, 29 points, and Brian Smith, 24 points.

With the loss, the Yellow Jackets drop to 12-8 on the season and their road record fell to 3-5 away from the Neighborhood Academy. However, the weekend was still a win for the Yellow Jackets as they took on two of the top teams in the ABA and ended up out scoring them by a combined total between the two games of 261-255. That goes a long way in telling you just how good this Yellow Jackets offense is and the potential they have as they head towards the playoffs.With a great coach at the helm in Ace Pippens, solid veteran leadership in Gil Cummings, Antonio Reddic, and Lawrence Baker, and a great corps of young talent this team is going to make some noise in the playoffs.

Steel City Player of the Game: Antonio Reddic

Antonio Reddic was back at it again up above the 30 point mark for the second straight game as he led the Yellow Jackets in this one. Reddic has performed very well in these high pressure situations all season long as he fuels his teams energy. Reddic has scored 30 or more points 12 times this season and has been one of the key offensive pieces for this team all season long.

Up Next:

The Steel City Yellow Jackets are on the road all next week as they look to get back to their winning ways after having their five game winning streak snapped. First they will continue their Pittsburgh/Baltimore rivalry as they head down to Baltimore to take on the Hawks. Then they take on the Trenton Cagers the very next day completing their weekend on the road. The next and final home game of the regular season comes on Saturday February 25th when the Yellow Jackets square off against the Kalamazoo Cobras. The playoffs are approaching quickly so be sure to Catch the Buzz.