19-0 run,pressure
defense secure win for Lions
Austin – The talk has started once again, is Yates one of the best to come through the Houston Area.
The Lions fail to reach the 100 point mark for the first time in 15 games but they came away with something much sweeter, a second state title, since being a part of the University Interscholastic League.
The school fought through much adversity to win this year’s state championship. For most of the high school basketball season, Yates high school basketball team and head Coach Gregg Wise, has been the center of attention after beating a local district foe, Lee High School by more than 100 points (170-35) on January 5th. Coach Wise was criticized for what some fans looked on as running the up score and poor sportsmanship. The news surfaced both state and Nationwide.
But for Yates it was the kind of story that you dream about from start to finish. They finished out an incredible dream season that will be remembered for decades.
“Feels so good, feels better than the first one. It was very close for 3 and half quarters. Then I went out, they told me I was done for the day (speaking of his head injury) but I told them I wasn’t having it. They tried to strap me down but I ran out of the locker room and continued the ball game. God was on my side (speaking about how he got well so fast) like coach said, God was watching over us. I guess he healed me. I give Lancaster their props they had a good game. But we wore them down. A lot of teams come out like that but the fourth quarter is ours. We call it the JY quarter or the fourth quarter boys, “Yates shooting guard Joseph Young said.
The No. 1 ranked Jack Yates Lions (34-0) capped its season with a 58 game win streak, defeating the Lancaster Tigers 92-73 Saturday evening at the Frank Erwin Center in front of a record crowd of 16,755, the largest in state tournament history. Not to mention thousands of fans that arrived before the game looking to buy tickets, not knowing that it solded out at 10:00 A.M. that morning.
An ample amount substituting also worked in the Tigers favor early on.
Yates started out quick with a 9-2 cushion on Joseph Young’s layup with 5:54 to go in the first quarter.
A height advantage help give the Tigers second chance points. 6’10”John Bohannon and 6’7” Michale Kyser kept things steady on the boards.
Lancaster chipped away at the lead until Brandon Peters knock down a three from the left baseline to put the Lions up by 6, 23-17 with 2:26 to go in the first quarter.
The Tigers scratched back cutting into the Lions lead once again, when Williams connected on two consecutive baskets trimming the lead, 23-19. But the Lions responded with a 6-0 run. A three pointer by Peters, a steal and layup by Elton Roy while converting a free throw push the lead to ten, 29-19.
Poor free throw shooting, (21-of-41) combined with the bigger Tigers controlling the boards finally caught up the Lions.
The upset minded Tigers exploited the Lions in search of any weakness they could fine. They had very little trouble breaking Yates vaunted press, as J.J. Williams, Sheldon Earl and Trey Lynch team up to play press breakers. Once the three broke the press the baskets seem to come easy as Kyser was left open near the basket for layups or dunks. They worked around the press, through the press, and they pass over the press.
Before the half Lynch converted two close range baskets while Earl netted a trey for the Tigers, closing the gap, 44-40.
Kyser’s follow up dunk pulled Lancaster (36-3) within two, 46-44. But not a moment later, Peters got open for an alley ooh pushing the lead back to four, 48-44. Then Williams’s basket cut the Yates lead to one, 51-50 with 5:05 to play in the third quarter.
A minute and 34 seconds later, the Tigers went ahead, 52-51. Keep in mind Yates hadn’t seen their normal run up to this point in the game.
Lancaster went up by as much as six points before Yates Peters recorded a three point play with less than four minutes to go in the third quarter.
In fourth quarter trailing by four, 65-61, the Lions Joseph Young suffered a blow to the head while falling to the court and hitting his head on the floor, but he managed to walk to the bench before being help out to the locker room.
Peters led all scorers with 37 points, 13 rebounds while picking up the MVP award.
“We had a team meeting late last night; all the seniors stepped forward to say what they wanted to say to each other. The underclassmen said what they had to say. We all agree that we’ll never leave each other, we’re a family, Yates Guard Brandon Peters said.
Young return just in time to help lead a 19-0 run that watch the Lions go up by as many as 20 points. Young’s two consecutive treys ignited the run.
