- From left to right, Yates Center Charles Lewis and Forward Damyeon Dotson helped out in victory
interview withYates Forward Damyeon Dotson
Lions hit the century mark for
the fifth time this season
Gone are the Darius Gardner’s, the Brandon “Snap” Peters and the heart pumping erratic pressing defense but the team concept remains the same. The Lion Pride had to employ five new starters after graduation.
Damyeon Dotson scored 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while leading the Yates Lions to a 109-95 defeat of the Wheatley Wildcats Wednesday night at Delmar Fieldhouse. (7-0) on the young season, Yates extends its winning streak to 64 games and also hit the century mark for the fifth time this season.
Both teams are very similar when it comes to offense and defense. The pressing trapping style defense generates instant offense or the long surprising pass to awaiting player breaking for the basket.
The game got off to a furious pace with a host of fouls, mistakes, steals and turnovers. Yates led most of the game taking a 30-26 lead after one quarter. Wheatley prevented the Lions from going on long runs by scoring timely baskets at crucial times. At times it seemed like the Lions would run away with the game but could never put together more than three continua baskets without the Wildcats responding.
Dotson picked up 25 of his 31 points in the first half while leading five Lions in scoring including Trey Bennett’s 13 points, Trey Dickerson 16, Shai Fields 18, Ronnie Lewis 11 and Clyde Santee 15. The smaller Wildcats couldn’t keep Dotson off the offensive glass, where he scored most of his points at.
Ruston Hayward’s Lay up pulled Wheatley within four at 34-30 with 6:25 to go in the second quarter.
The Wildcats (3-2) closed within four once again in the third quarter when Hayward and Rashawn Myers came up with consecutive steals to cut the lead to 74-70 before Yates finished out the quarter leading 87-78.
Bennett led the fourth quarter off with a trey from the left baseline to give the Lions a 92-78 lead taking the fight out of the Wildcats.
Hayward led the Wildcats in scoring with 25 points and 10 boards, Myers had 12 points and Ketrynn Briggs added 12 points and 6 blocks.
Dickerson converted a free throw with 3:04 to go in the fourth quarter to assure Yates of reaching 100 point mark for the fifth time in six games.
As the game went on the Wildcats played from behind for most of the game and couldn’t stop Yates long enough to go ahead.
