If you asked me after the first quarter, halftime, or the third quarter, I would have said East is done – they aren't coming back.  But I also would never pack up and leave during one of these Yale Cup I slugfests until the game was over, because you just never know.  Despite the fact that McKinley ended up the victor on Wednesday night after building a huge lead in the latter stages of the game, the Panthers had them on the ropes right at the end.  

McKinley built a 19 point lead with 11 minutes remaining in the game and despite that lead being cut to just two points with 11 seconds to go, hung on to down East, 73-70, in a key Yale Cup I battle.  The loss is East's second in league, meaning they'll likely need the Macks to split with Middle College for any shot at winning the Yale Cup.

The Macks were flying early and pressuring East into turnovers.  They led 23-11 after the opening stanza, and much of their quick start was thanks to Mike Ridgeway scoring all eight of his points in the game's first four minutes.  The Panthers handled the pressure much better in the second quarter, used a 2-3 zone to slow the pace, & outscored the Macks by a point.  Of the combined 17 points scored over the last four minutes of the second quarter, only five came from the field, with the remaining 12 points coming in the form of free throws.

A 3-pointer early in the third quarter from McKinley's Devin Morris had his team up 44-28.  East responded with a 9-0 run to cut the McKinley lead to 44-37, and it looked like the game would be even before long.  Instead, Morris drilled a '3' that spurred a 13-3 run for the Macks and ultimately led to his team owning what looked like a comfortable 15-point advantage heading into the final frame, 59-44.

When East's Percy Bryant drilled one from downtown to start the fourth quarter, it was a definite sign of things to come.  Bryant would end up sticking three more treys in the quarter, each coming off the dribble and over a defender – tough shots that he swished and made look easy.  His last '3' came with 20 seconds left in the game, and had the game as close as it had been since the opening minutes, 72-70, in favor of the Macks.  McKinley's Jaylen Prophet went one of two from the stripe with 10 seconds remaining to make it 73-70.  East had no timeouts left, but managed to get the ball into the hands of Bryant, who made it all the way to the top of the perimeter, where he let a hurried attempt go for the potential game-tying 3-pointer – but it drew the front iron.

McKinley's Morris and East's Bryant were both spectacular in the game, facing defenses that gave them extra attention, and still delivering a pair of 31-point performances.  Jovell Littlejohn added 14 points and Zion Morrison scored 11 points for the Panthers in the loss.

Keyon Johnson ended up with nine points in the win for the Macks.

-centercourt