If it wasn’t already evident, now it is. Young is back.
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The Dolphins crystallized that point Wednesday when they handed No. 2 Marshall its first Public League Red West loss, 58-54, at Young. The win came two days after the Dolphins (10-9, 6-2) upended No. 14 Farragut and extended their Red West win streak to six games. The team that opened up conference play 0-2 is one game behind Marshall (19-3, 7-1).
“We’re rolling; we’re focusing at the right time,” said Young coach Lamont Bryant, whose team was ranked No. 1 in the preseason but struggled early. “Everybody counted us out. But we worked hard and now it’s paying off.”
On Monday it was the return of Marcus White from a broken hand that sparked the Dolphins. Against Marshall, it was Nathan Harrington who provided an unexpected lift, hitting five three-pointers to finish with a game-high 17 points. The 6-foot-3-inch senior was instrumental in the Dolphins turning a 28-25 halftime deficit into a 49-38 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Harrington opened the third quarter with consecutive three-pointers and added another one in the middle of an 11-1 run to close out the quarter.
“Somebody had to step up,” Harrington said. “We have the deepest team in the state. If we play defense, someone will always score.”
That wasn’t the case in the fourth quarter, when the Dolphins failed to score for nearly five minutes and turned the ball over seven times, as Marshall chipped away at the lead. The Commandos completed the comeback after Kelly Whitney (14 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks) slammed home an alley-oop pass from Ronald Davis (13 points), tying it at 53-53 with 58.7 seconds remaining.
But Young’s Chris Hill (15 points), who had missed his five previous free-throw attempts, sealed the game with four consecutive free throws. Marshall, on the other hand, missed 9-of-15 free throws in the fourth quarter. Justin Bowen led the Commandos with 16 points.
“We had our chances,” said Marshall coach Alvin Williams, whose team had beaten Young twice this season. “Normally we shoot better than that.”
Sean Duncan.
Crane 83, Manley 80: In a Public Red West showdown of two of the state’s top guards, Crane’s Will Bynum and Manley senior Luther Head each scored 31 points.
With his team trailing 43-36 with six minutes remaining in the third, Bynum got his teammates involved with six straight assists–three times feeding guard Carl Marshall, who buried three consecutive three-pointers. Marshall scored 13 of his 17 points in the third, helping the No. 7 Cougars (16-5, 4-4) explode on a 24-14 run that put them up 60-57 entering the fourth.
Bynum and Marshall collaborated on one final run, an 8-0 burst that provided their largest margin, 70-63, with three minutes to play. Head kept Manley (12-9, 2-6) close with a three-pointer and two free throws, although Bynum hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final 1:07 to secure the victory.
“I think Will finally has the confidence in some of his teammates that they’re going to step up and make the plays,” Crane coach Anthony Longstreet said. “Will just has an inner button. He doesn’t always turn it on, but when he does, he is something else.”
Morgan Park 69, Washington 61: Quinnel Brown scored 18 points and Jonathan Byrd added 14 as the No. 8 Mustangs (15-4, 6-1) tipped Washington in the Red South.
“I’m not sure if we’re tired or what but we haven’t been playing with any energy,” Morgan Park coach Herb Ray said. “Today we got lucky because we were outhustled and outplayed.”
Chris White had 25 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks to go with Greg Anderson’s 14 points for Washington (9-13, 1-7).
Farragut 60, Curie 59 (OT): Elliott Poole netted a game-high 27 points to rally the No. 14 Admirals (13-5, 4-4) in the Red West. Rodney Willimas and Jimmy Gunn each scored 10 points for Curie (16-7, 2-5).
Julian 55, Carver 51: Anton Palmer tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds to give the No. 16 Jaguars (15-6, 6-2) the edge in the Red South. Keon Lee, who finished with 20 points, sank two free throws with 1:15 remaining to even the score at 51-51 for Carver (13-6, 4-4). But Mike Wilson (10 points) followed with a steal and two free throws to seal the win for Julian.
Harlan 81, Corliss 70: Northern Illinois-bound Chris Lawson poured in 29 points to lift Harlan (18-2, 8-0) in the Public Blue South. Lennox Gladney had five three-pointers and 29 points to lead Corliss (10-9, 6-2).
Girls
Before Wednesday’s meeting with No. 5 Mother McAuley, all Regina had on its agenda this weekend was enjoying its student body dance Saturday.
Following a 52-49 upset of top-seeded Mother McAuley at the GCAC Red tournament, Regina finds itself with a full dance card as the fifth-seeded Panthers prepare to do battle with St. Ignatius in Saturday’s title game.
Trailing 25-22 early in the third quarter, Mother McAuley (22-3) pulled ahead 41-34 with 1:34 left, thanks to Lauren Levine’s (19 points, 11 rebounds) prowess in the paint. The 6-2 junior center accounted for eight of McAuley’s 17 points in the period.
But Levine & Co. hit a dry spell, scoring just two points over the next 7:17, to end the Mighty Macs repeat bid as GCAC Red champs. With its opponent’s offense stalled, Regina went on a 12-2 run that resulted in a 46-43 lead with 4:45 left in regulation.
Mother McAuley managed to grab a 47-46 lead on Levine’s putback with 1:51 left but drew no closer as Regina made all six of its free throws down the stretch. Christina Quaye (10 points) delivered on defense for the Panthers, blocking a potential game-tying field goal attempt with 13 seconds left. She led Regina with 13 rebounds.
“They had confidence in themselves that they could do it,” said Regina coach Bob Goldberg, whose team has won nine straight–including two GCAC stunners in two days. “For some reason when we got down late, then we became fearless.”
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Clarise Jones led Regina (17-9) with 16 points while Ashley Robinson chipped in 13.
Regina’s upset, combined with St. Ignatius’ 46-43 win over host Loyola, ensured there will be a different GCAC Red champ for the first time in six years. Deanne Millison’s three-point play with 2:07 left broke a 41-41 tie as No. 14 St. Ignatius (17-9) narrowly avoided the evening’s second upset.
Katherine Frett paced the Wolfpack with 18 points while Karen Xaverius led Loyola (14-12) with 18, including 16 in the second half.
In the consolation bracket, Krystal Hugelier and Erin Neiheisel each scored 13 points to spark No. 9 Immaculate Heart of Mary (22-3) to a 61-35 defeat of Queen of Peace.
Jonathan Schoenberg.
Fenwick 61, Benet 49: Second-ranked Fenwick (24-2, 9-0) clinched its seventh consecutive East Suburban Catholic title behind Sarah Kwasinski’s 15 points. Fellow seniors Amy Atchison and Claudette Towers scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Friars.
“It was Senior Night and the seniors sure did it,” Fenwick coach Dave Power said. “Atchison had the best game of her senior year.”
Stephanie Mitchell scored 10 points for No. 8 Benet (21-5, 7-2), which led 18-11 after one quarter but scored only three points in the second as Fenwick led 25-21 at the half.
Stevenson 53, Antioch 25: The No. 4 Patriots (24-4, 9-0) opened the game with an 11-0 run to rout Antioch (8-16, 1-8) in the North Suburban Lake. Jenni Dant led all scorers with 14 points.
Harlan 61, Harper 45: Chana Bates had 21 points and Juanita Lee added 16 for Harlan (17-7, 9-2) in the Public South.
Lane Tech 63, Westinghouse 53: Sharon Thomas tallied 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Indians (16-11, 5-5) prevailed in the Public Superconference. Erica Simon collected 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals for Westinghouse (9-14, 3-7).
Schurz 48, Lake View 47: Jessica Roman scored 17 points and Carmen Ortiz hit the game-winning free-throw with two seconds left for Schurz (6-11, 4-8) in the Public North.
GCAC White tournament: Christina Crispino scored 19 points as Trinity (19-5) advanced to the title game with a 65-50 defeat of St. Francis de Sales. . . . Simone Veal’s 19 points paced Seton’s (12-12) 57-44 semifinal win over Mt. Assisi.