(Kyle Harris of Park drives when Timon's Juston Johnson defends / Photo by Larry Scheur)

 

Rarely do you see a high school basketball team that boasts the size that Park has.  With three of its players listed at 6-7 or taller, the Pioneers are intimidating enough as they warm up.  However, even with all that size, Park also has major talent at the guard position which they tend to rely more upon.  But on Friday night at Timon, the Pioneers rolled out its three tallest players in the starting lineup, and they were even more intimidating in real time.

 

Park bounced back from its second loss of the season on Wednesday at Canisius, to defeat Timon, 72-57.  The two teams appear to be on track to meet again in the semifinals of the MMA playoffs in Class A.

 

"I think they made a huge impact," Park coach Michael Battaglia said of inserting his three biggest players into his starting lineup.  "They're just starting to learn to work together.  They're really tough kids, they both work hard in practice, and they're really getting better by the game."

 

Chris Efreteui, the team's 7-foot center, played his best game of the season for the Pioneers in the victory, registering 10 points, 17 rebounds, and eight blocks.  His front court mate, 6-8 sophomore Joe Jones added 13 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks.  Jordan Nwora, the team's 6-7 forward and leading scorer who was recently offered by Pitt, also collected a double-double.  Along with Nwora's game-high 28 points, he hauled in 11 rebounds.  The three players spread out along the baseline in Park's 2-3 zone were able to contest Timon's perimeter shots all game, while keeping the paint secure and ripping down every missed shot that wasn't blocked first.

 

"I think that was the biggest difference in this game," said Timon coach Des Randall.  "For them to throw both 'bigs' and play that much, it changed the game plan for us."

 

Coming up with a game plan to attack that much size is no easy task, regardless of how much time you have to prepare.  

 

"We talked about going at them and getting them off their feet, but it's still hard – when you've got two 6-8+ players, it's tough," Randall said.

 

Early on, the Tigers were able to keep pace with their shooting from the perimeter.  Timon banged three 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, two from Quinton Lamar (team-high 17 points) and another from William Lamar, and only trailed by four after one quarter.

 

Park got scoring from all five starters in the first four minutes of the second quarter, including treys from Nwora and Kyle Harris, during a 14-4 run.  Midway through the frame, Park's point guard, Noah Hutchins, picked up his third foul which forced him to the bench with his team leading 32-18.

 

"I'm uncomfortable with him on the bench," said Battaglia. "My coaches have to remind me that's the appropriate thing to do, because if it was just me, I'd let him play."

 

Despite not having their floor general, the Pioneers were able to maintain their lead heading into halftime, thanks in part to a three-point play from Nwora that came 43 seconds before intermission.

 

Tim Payne came off the bench for Timon and had a big third quarter for the Tigers, scoring all nine of his points in the stanza.  Despite his play, Timon could still only trim its deficit by two points, as Efreteui & Jones combined for nine points for Park and continued their strong interior play.

 

Timon finally made a run in the fourth quarter, as the Pioneers' scoring went stale.  The Tigers held Park without a field goal for four minutes.  A three-point play from Davion Warren (11 points), followed by a 3-pointer from freshman Juston Johnson capped a 10-3 run that cut Park's lead to 54-49, with just four minutes to play.

 

But just as the Timon fans were coming alive and you could sense the momentum swinging in the Tigers' favor, Hutchins asserted himself for Park.  The freshman guard who had been forced to the bench earlier in foul trouble, scored three consecutive baskets with one coming off his own steal, to accumulate six points in 59 seconds and restore a double-digit lead for his team.  His play in that moment gave his squad a spark that allowed them to close the game on an 18-8 run and leave with the win.

 

"I think they weren't as deep tonight and at that point, we were starting to wear them down," said Randall.  "The funny part about that, with Noah being in foul trouble, he wasn't out there a lot and he didn't get worn down.  He comes in with that energy and makes those three great plays – you have a guy who by default was sitting and he's got something left in the tank and he showed up, big plays by him."

 

Battaglia was just happy to have his trusted ball handler back in the game's crucial moments.

 

"He plays his best in big games, he's outstanding," Battaglia said.  "I certainly didn't teach him any of that, that's for sure."

 

"I just do anything I can to help my team to win,"  said Hutchins.  "I was struggling at the start and I didn't get a chance to do a lot because I got in foul trouble, so when that opportunity came, I took it."

 

Park travels to Aquinas on Monday night for a nonleague battle between two of the state's top teams, while Timon has another big MMA game coming up when they visit Canisius on Tuesday night.

 

Point Totals

Park:  Jordan Nwora 28, Joe Jones 13, Kyle Harris 11, Chris Efreteui 10, Noah Hutchins 10

Timon:  Quinton Lamar 17, Davion Warren 11, Tim Payne 9, Joe Harrison 7, William Lamar 6, Juston Johnson 6, PJ Lancaster 1

 

-centercourt