After a 10-day layoff, Marcus White and his Young teammates had an enjoyable return to the hardwood Tuesday in the second round of the Public League playoffs.
“It’s always fun dunking,” White said with a smile.
Which is to say White had a lot of fun. The 6-foot-7-inch junior turned in a highlight-film performance during the ninth-ranked Dolphins’ 66-49 romp over Curie at Young.
White scored a game-high 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked three shots and had three steals. But the statistic the crowd appreciated the most was his five emphatic dunks, four of which came in the fourth quarter.
“Marcus White basically just dominated the game,” said Young coach Lamont Bryant, whose team last played Feb. 17.
Young (14-10), which received a first-round bye, looked rusty early, playing Curie (18-11) to a 6-6 tie after the first quarter. But then White scored seven points in a 9-0 run to open the second quarter and the Dolphins were never seriously challenged again. They led 25-17 at halftime and extended the advantage to 43-25 after the third quarter.
“I think the time off kind of hurt us in the beginning,” said Bryant. “We were [not] focused. We had to get used to playing basketball again.”
Ronald Howard added 12 points and Chris Hill and Nathan Harrington each scored seven for Young, which defeated fellow Red West school Curie for the third time this season.
Rome Sanders paced Curie with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
“They just wore us down,” said Curie coach Michael Oliver. “They were the better team today.”
Sean Duncan.
Manley 77, Westinghouse 67
Manley coach Bo Delaney’s first instinct was to substitute junior guard David Harper following the player’s fourth-quarter confrontation with Westinghouse guard Clyde Crosby. Delaney’s assistant coaches convinced him to allow Harper to remain on the court, and Harper delivered a sure, devastating response.
Harper scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter as Manley shocked the defending city champion. Avenging two regular-season defeats, the Wildcats (17-15) qualified for Thursday’s third-round game against Morgan Park, winners over Chicago Vocational. After Westinghouse rallied from a 12-point third-quarter deficit to trail just 51-48 with 6 minutes 18 seconds remaining, Crosby elbowed Harper in the mouth. Harper had to be restrained from retaliating, though Crosby was ejected from the game.
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“I was going to [take Harper] out, but my assistant coaches convinced me to let him play,” Delany said. “I’ve been looking for somebody to wake him up. That elbow to the face really did something to him.”
After order was restored, Harper scored four quick points, hitting both foul shots and converting a layup after Manley retained possession. It was the start of a 14-4 run that essentially put the game away. Harper delivered the dagger, a three-pointer from the right baseline with just over three minutes that provided Manley with its largest margin, 65-52.
Luther Head complemented Harper with 14 points, eight assists, and four rebounds.
Jamal Washington led Westinghouse (16-14) with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Patrick Z. McGavin.
Morgan Park 81, Chicago Vocational 59: Quinnel Brown and Jonathan Byrd each scored 16 points as the No. 11 Mustangs (20-6) cruised. Lynell Ingram added 15 for the winners. Antonio Stamps had 32 points, including six three-pointer, for Vocational.
Carver 59, Harlan 58 (OT): Teran Lee scored 21 points and Demetrius Coley added 14 points and 10 assists for Carver (19-6).
Dunbar 77, DuSable 59: Jason Straight scored 23 of his 35 points in the second half to seal the second-round win for the Mighty Men (19-7). Straight scored 20 of the first 22 Dunbar points to open the second half. Joseph Davis scored 13 points to lead DuSable (11-16).
Hubbard 85, Harper 54: Rashaun Johnson had 25 points, nine assists and three steals, and Jason Macon added 14 points and seven rebounds for Hubbard (16-14).
Julian 103, Hyde Park 50: Sean Dockery had 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Jaguars (19-9).
Mather 86, Lincoln Park 74: Bojan Jovanovic had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Michael Shamon added 18 points for the Rangers (18-11). Royce Parran led Lincoln Park (7-15) with 17 points.
Robeson 90, Gage Park 78: Amir Major scored 24 points and James Roberson added 18 points, 10 assists and six rebounds as the Raiders (18-11) defeated Gage Park for the third time this season. Robeson, which won the first two matchups by a combined four points, was up by 20 in the fourth quarter. Pierre Alston had 31 points to lead Gage Park (17-12).
Simeon 84, Washington 81 (OT): Kurtis Ellison scored 28 points and Albert Hethington added 22 points as the Wolverines (16-9) avoided the upset.
Steinmetz 57, Senn 44: Onani Wilson scored 23 points to lead Steinmetz (16-10) to the win.
Taft 72, Lane Tech 48: Chris Cobbs scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead a game-clinching 21-0 run for the Eagles (24-3), who have won 16 straight. Curtis Collins led Lane (17-14) with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Von Steuben 71, Prosser 49: Luke Rogers scored 20 points and Darnell Rawls added 16 as the Panthers rolled.