(McKinley's Deon Spencer looks to pass while guarded by Waunya Shaw of East)
McKinley 69, East 65
After an awesome first half of back and forth Yale Cup basketball saw the Macks & Panthers trade buckets to the tune of 16 lead changes and nine ties, Ngenda Elias drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to send McKinley to the break with its largest lead over the opening 16 minutes, 34-30. East never managed to bounce all the way back from that final series, trailing by a slight margin for the remainder of the game. The Macks were never ahead by more than six points and the majority was even closer than that, but it was just enough to earn the season sweep over the Panthers. The win for the Macks evened them up in the standings with East and with South Park's victory against Middle College, there's now a three-way tie at the top of the Yale Cup between McKinley, East, & Middle College. Kavon Rogers was a force in the paint all game, scoring a game-high 22 points. Deon Spencer controlled the ball and repeatedly attacked the basket, adding 13 points in the win.
McKinley 18 – 16 – 17 – 18 = 69
East High 18 – 12 – 16 – 19 = 65
Point Totals
McKinley: Kavon Rogers 22, Deon Spencer 13, Jaylen Windsor 12, Ngenda Elias 5, Elijah Strong 5, Chris LeCounte 4, Emir Evans 3, Jahmal Lewis 3, Jessie Snow 2
East: Willard Anderson 18, Waunya Shaw 18, Justin Allen 16, Danny Carter 7, Jahahd Maryon 6
Records
McKinley: 12-3, 8-2 / Next game at South Park Friday, February 2nd
East: 10-4, 8-2 / Next game at Emerson Friday, February 2nd
Player of the Game
Kavon Rogers – McKinley
Unsung Hero of the Game
Jaylen Windsor – McKinley
Key Stats
McKinley: Kavon Rogers 13 rebounds / Deon Spencer 11 assists
East: Justin Allen 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, & 2 blocks / Waunya Shaw 10 rebounds & 4 steals / Willard Anderson 5 assists
Key Runs
McKinley's consecutive buckets late in the first half broke a tie to give them a 31-27 lead.
3-Pointers
McKinley (4): Ngenda Elias, Emir Evans, Deon Spencer, Elijah Strong
East (6): Jahahd Maryon (2), Waunya Shaw (2), Justin Allen, Danny Carter
#BOOM
Justin Allen & Willard Anderson each had one-handed breakaway slams in the game.
Coaches Quotes
Zaire Dorsey – McKinley
On what it took to maintain the lead the entire second half
We just had to play tough. We went to a 2-3 zone, we knew they had some shooters and just had to rebound the ball, be strong with our passes and look inside. Besides Justin Allen, we didn't think they had enough physical presence. Kavon Rogers, Chris LeCounte, and Jaylen Windsor had to step up big. We wanted to pound them on the glass and play inside.
On what worked offensively
Once we hit a couple threes, they came out. What we did was screen the top of their zone and had our bigs down low on the block.
On a pair of seniors who stepped up
I was happy with Deon Spencer. It's the second straight game he had to play all 32 minutes. If you're going to be tired, be tired after the season. We've talked about senior leadership and I've been impressed with Seon Spencer's stamina, as well as Kavon Rogers.
Starling Bryant – East
On the difference in the game
They controlled the boards on us. They were getting two and three shots each possession and Kavon Rogers was basically unstoppable. He was doing what he wanted to do. They were just stronger and bigger.
Random Smatterings
– This game was the most competitive first half of basketball I've watched this season.
– It's downright remarkable that after 16 lead changes and nine ties in the first half, McKinley never trailed in the second half, but also never led by more than six points.
– Kavon Rogers is a strong player with some height for McKinley. He applies that with a lot of hard work and just enough touch around the rim to be very effective.
– Macks' coach Zaire Dorsey grabs the mic and does the pregame introductions. He announced East coach Starling Bryant as the all-time winningest coach in Yale Cup history, which I thought was a class move.
– East took and missed a lot of 3-pointers in the game when the Macks went zone. That played right into McKinley's hands, who already had the advantage inside.
– As I'm laying out the Yale Cup scenarios that include McKinley, East, and Middle College, the defending champions from South Park score their first win over one of those three this year (Middle College) and do so in convincing fashion, reminding me that the Sparks are still here. So with McKinley, East, and Middle College all sitting with two losses and the Sparks having three, South Park would need to deliver a third loss to both McKinley & East and hope East defeats Middle College. Then we could have a four-way tie. I think that's right. It gets complicated when everyone is so competitive with each other, but it also makes it exciting. The last two weeks coming up should be a blast!
-centercourt
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