The Steel City Yellow Jackets are currently riding a four game winning streak and are riding that streak right up the American Basketball Association power rankings. They are up one spot from last week's rankings as they sit as the number 22 team in the country going into a big weekend against two top 25 opponents.
As the 2016/2017 American Basketball Association regular season is beginning to come to a close, the Steel City Yellow Jackets are making a final push for a playoff spot as they try to make it for the third year in a row. They have made a big push to do just that lately as they have won four straight contests sweeping their games in each of the last two weekends.
Their hard work has paid off as of late as they are up one spot to the number 22 team in the country in this week's American Basketball Association Power Rankings after picking up two more wins at home against the Salisbury Bulldogs and the West Virginia Warlocks. It was a rather odd weekend for the Yellow Jackets in terms of game play because each of the teams they faced were short on players and it allowed the Yellow Jackets to see just how deep their bench was as they got a lot of work over the weekend.
It all started with a 135-117 win over the Salisbury Bulldogs last Friday night at the Neighborhood Academy. There were travel problems for the Bulldogs as they showed up late for the game, and they only had three players. The Yellow Jackets had to give them four players just to play the game. However, the Yellow Jackets were able to fight against the adversity picking up the victory and improving to 10-7 on the season. It was a combined offensive effort for the Yellow Jackets as eight of their 11 active players would score in double digits on the night with BillyDee Williams leading the effort with 26 points.
Then on Saturday, the Yellow Jackets invited the West Virginia Warlocks into the Neighborhood Academy as they looked to keep their winning streak alive. They were able to do just that as they picked up a 140-88 win. It was a similar situation to the night before where the Warlocks only had five players for the game, but the Yellow Jackets kept all of their players this time for the victory. Once again every Yellow Jacket got to play in this contest and everyone got on the scoreboard. Gilmore Cummings would be the leader in scoring with 22 points.
The key to the Yellow Jackets four game winning streak has been their offensive production. Over the last four games they have scored 135 or more points in every game, including scoring a season high 153 points against the Imperial National Crusaders two weeks ago. Not only has this been a good sign for this season, but for many seasons to come as the Yellow Jackets rookies have shown their worth over the last several weeks as well. The Yellow Jackets have used a spread out offensive attack all season long, but it has been especially prominent over the last two weeks.
Head Coach Ace Pippens set a goal in the beginning of the season to hold the opposition under 100 points in a game. Well, the Yellow Jackets did that last time out holding the opposition to a team low 88 points. It was the second time they have completed that feat this season, the first time was in a 95-93 loss to the Prince George's Valor. The defensive game is getting better and better as the season progresses, and if the Yellow Jackets want to make a deep playoff run it will be key to the Yellow Jackets success.
The Yellow Jackets have enjoyed recent success, but they have perhaps their toughest test of the season coming up this weekend. They will face off against two teams that are currently ranked in the top ten in the country. It starts on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. at the Neighborhood Academy when they take on the number nine team in the country, the Richmond Elite. Then they will turn around and take on the number one team in the country, the DMV Warriors, on the road on Sunday. These two games are crucial for the Yellow Jackets on this late season push.
Joining the Warriors and Elite in the top ten are some familiar faces including the Windy City Groove and the Chicago Fury. The big change of the week is the South Florida Gold falling four places to the number 6 team in the country. The rest of the top ten looks like this:
1. DMV Warriors (13-0)
2. Chicago Fury (13-2)
3. Windy City Groove (10-0)
4. Austin Bats (12-1)
5. Salina Saints (11-0)
6. South Florida Gold (16-3)
7. Orlando Waves (12-2)
8. Jacksonville Giants (9-2)
9. Richmond Elite (9-1)
10. Atlantic Coast Cardinals (9-1)
The Yellow Jackets will be back on the court Saturday night when they take on the Richmond Elite at the Neighborhood Academy at 8:30 p.m. Tickets will be ten dollars for adults and five dollars for students. It is the second to last home game of the regular season so now is the time to come on out and Catch the Buzz as they close out their 2016/2017 regular season.
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