(Park's 6-8 sophomore, Joe Jones, has returned for the Pioneers / Photo by Larry Scheur)

 

Park got off to an 11-0 start this season and is the top ranked team from Class A in NYS, according to the NYSSWA rankings.  They have talented players at every position, and a lot of size.  How much size? The Pioneers have been rolling out four starters over 6-feet tall:  6-2, 6-2, 6-4, & 6-6.  The first player off the bench (Chris Efreteui) stands 7-feet tall.  If all of that doesn't sound imposing enough, the Pioneers lineup got even larger and more talented last night, when 6-8 sophomore Joe Jones made his return to Park's starting unit.

 

The Pioneers got double figure scoring from all five starters and never trailed, defeating Timon, 75-65.  The Pioneers moved their record to 12-0 on the season, improving the state's second longest winning streak to 17 games, while Timon moves to 7-6 on the year.

 

"Joe is such a talent that he earned his place back in the starting lineup very quickly," Park coach Michael Battaglia said of Jones.  "I think that before Jones' return, Chris Efreteui was playing really well."  

 

The combination of the two, whether in the game at the same time or separately, made life in the paint miserable for the Tigers all evening.  Timon was unable to get clean looks at the basket from the interior, with Jones swatting away seven attempts in his vicinity.  

 

Despite the disadvantage in size, it was the Tigers who played with more passion throughout and even had the edge on the boards.  While Park always maintained it lead, they were never able to pull away, as Timon kept fighting and making runs.  The Pioneers took a 14-point lead in the second quarter that was cut to nine before halftime.  In the third quarter, Timon got within three points, and after falling behind by 22 points in the final stanza, they kept battling until the final buzzer to make it just a 10-point loss on the scoreboard.  To Park's credit, they seem to know just when to turn it on in games and rely on offensive firepower to score in bunches – something they do better than any team around.

 

"I don't like that about them, because were going to get burned sooner or later, but I think it's true," Battaglia agreed.  "We got up by 20, that's it, that was enough for them and they were ready to call it quits – Timon didn't call it quits."

 

After the Park lead was reduced to 38-35 in the third quarter, an 8-0 run in 56 seconds quickly restored its sizable advantage, thanks to 3-pointers from Noah Hutchins and Kyle Harris, along with a bucket from Hunter Anderson.  After taking a 50-38 lead into the final frame, the Pioneers got the fourth quarter started with a 16-6 run to push their lead to the largest of the contest, 66-44.  The final charge included a stretch of three treys and 11 points in 90 seconds from Park, with Jordan Nwora drilling a pair from downtown, Anderson connecting from long range, and Harris laying one in. Nwora, who just picked up his first offer from an ACC school in Pitt, scored 11 points in the final eight minutes.

 

Nwora, Anderson, and Harris all scored 17 points in the game for Park, while Hutchins scored 14 points and Jones added 10 points in his first start.  Anderson added seven rebounds and seven assists.

 

Timon was led by a game-high 21 points from Joe Harrison and got a strong performance from Davion Warren, who drew praise from the Park coach.

 

"I was impressed with that one kid," Battaglia said as he tried to think of his name.  

 

"Davion Warren?" I asked.  "The kid who was trying to guard Joe Jones inside?"

 

"We were trying to guard him," said Battaglia.  "I don't know how many points he had (20), but he's gotten a lot better."

 

William Lamar chipped in 12 points for Timon.  The Tigers' leading scorer Quinton Lamar, was battling the flu and pushed through what he could, totaling five points in limited action.

 

Point Totals:

Park:  Jordan Nwora 17, Huntwer Anderson 17, Kyle Harris 17, Noah Hutchins 14, Joe Jones 10

Timon:  Joe Harrison 21, Davion Warren 20, William Lamar 12, Hunter Lancaster 6, Quinton Lamar 5, PJ Lancaster 1

 

-centercourt