Yellowjackets sting Hunting Park at Fel

CONSHOHOCKEN ->>The Yellowjackets had little go right Wednesday night in their opener of the Donofrio Classic at Conshohocken’s Fellowship House.
They struggled against foe Hunting Park I, and were on their way to a nine-point halftime deficit when fate intervened.
In a scramble for a loose ball at the end of the half, the Jackets’ sensational big man Abraham Deng collided with a Hunting Park player and was down and forced out of the game.
Chasing nine without one of their top players, the Yellowjackets improvised in half No. 2.
And with the inside trio of Josh Warren, John Harrar and Max Wagner combining for 39 second-half points, the Yellowjackets bounced back to win, 91-76, advancing to meet the winner of Thursday’s Don-Len-Keystone Red tilt next week.
“I think it was just nerves,” said Yellowjackets head coach Francis Bowe after the game about his team’s slow start. “So many of our guys have not played in this tournament, and I think they were a little rattled.
“I knew, in the second half, we’d be fine, even with Abraham out of the game.”
By the break, Deng had collected nine rebounds and was a major force inside. But still, Hunting Park, behind the scoring of Lapri Pace and David Beatty, enjoyed a nine-point lead, and seemed destined to eliminate the Deng-less Yellowjackets.
Instead, the Jackets stung their foes with inside play, with Warren and Harrar ruling the backboards.
And with Hunting Park content to settle for 3-point shot attempts, it didn’t take long for the Yellowjackets long to eclipse their deficit.
Warren, a Downingtown West product, heated up after scoring just two points in the first half, and delivered 18 second-half markers, mostly from 10 feet and in.
He was bolstered by the play of Strath Haven product Harrar and Pennridge’s Wagner, who outplayed their Hunting Park counterparts inside.
Warren put the Jackets ahead via a three-point play midway through the half, and the team refused to cool off.
Point guards Danny Duffey (Lower Moreland) and Myles Bunyon (VFMA) handled the Hunting Park full-court pressure, and the Jackets kept getting open shots.
“You can’t replace Abraham on the defensive end,” Bowe said. “But his offensive game is still developing.
“Our seniors and juniors saw him go down, and just said, ‘Let’s get it done’”
And so they did, setting up an interesting matchup next week – no matter who the Jackets meet.
“You get guys like Josh Warren, who is a proven scorer and rebounder, and then you add a John Harrar, who’s going to be a terrific player,” Bowe said. “ Right now, John’s a little bit under the radar.”
Hunting Park, which had Plymouth Whitemarsh star Xzavier Malone on its roster, played without him Wednesday, although Pace was a force, scoring a game-high 23 points , with Beatty and Jakwon Carlyle each adding 12.
But the story was on the other sideline, where the Yellowjackets refused to let an injury push then out of the tournament.