Even with a 21-point lead late in the third quarter, the Gwynn Park Yellow Jackets knew that handing Largo its first league loss would be difficult.
Despite late-game turnovers, inopportune fouls and subpar free throw shooting, the Yellow Jackets weathered a furious comeback from their rivals to the north, defeating the Lions 78-76. Gwynn Park moved into a tie atop the Prince George’s 3A/2A/1A league standings.
Behind 11 fourth-quarter points from guard Derrick Colter, the Lions did not go quietly. The standout senior guard notched a game-high 24 points and added four rebounds, three assists, and five steals.
As Gwynn Park looked to control the ball and burn the clock, Largo head coach Lewis Howard used a mixture of presses and traps on defense and forced the Yellow Jackets to turn the ball over. On the offensive end, Largo attacked the basket and got to the free-throw line at the expense of Gwynn Park’s 6-foot-9 center Marcel Boyd, whose defensive presence was lost after fouling out. The Lions would convert 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch to narrow the sizable margin.
The Lions (9-2, 7-1 PG 3A/2A/1A) pulled to within four points of Gwynn Park after a three-point play from junior Daemond Carter with 1:40 left in the game, but critical free throws from seniors Ageyi Gregory and Xavier Richards helped put the game out of reach as the lead grew to 77-70 with 20.3 seconds left. Colter would hit two desperation three-point attempts, but Gwynn Park successfully ran out the clock before Largo could foul again.
“We [were] still in the game as long as there’s time on the clock,” Howard said, recalling what he told his players during that critical third quarter. “We’re upset that we lost, but the numbers show that we fought back, so that’s a good sign for us.”
Such is the sentiment among two rival teams that annually contend for the league title. Yellow Jackets coach Mike Glick has respect for the coaching job Howard has done in keeping his Lions focused on their comeback attempt.
“They’re a never-say-die team,” Glick said. “They did a great job of applying pressure. I thought we struggled towards the fourth quarter handling the pressure. We were lucky to escape with a victory.”
Already holding a respectable 39-31 halftime advantage, Gwynn Park (8-4, 7-1 PG 3A/2A/1A) opened the lead to 62-41 behind the inspired play of senior Xavier Richards, who played much bigger than his 6-foot-2-inch frame, scoring 19 points, pulling down 17 rebounds, and blocking five shots.
Junior Jalen Harris also came alive in the second half. Despite Harris shooting poorly in the first half, Glick was still pleased with his shot selection and encouraged Harris to keep his head up and keep shooting. He scored 10 points in that pivotal third quarter en route to a co-team-high 21 points.
“The good thing about Jalen is that he plays with no conscience,” Glick said, regarding Harris not getting gun-shy after his subpar first half. “He’s got the attitude of a shooter.”
Boyd also appeared to dominate the boards in the first half, pulling down eight of his 10 rebounds to go with seven points, but his height quickly drew the attention of Largo forwards Damante McNeill and Michael Graham. McNeill added 18 points on the offensive end.
Gwynn Park also opened the game strong thanks to the sharp shooting of Gregory, who also scored 21 points, in the first quarter. Coming off the bench, he provided a spark for the Yellow Jackets, hitting two three-pointers and making three free throws after being fouled while shooting from behind the arc.
Both teams will hit the road Tuesday for their next contest, with Largo taking on Forestville (5-7, 3-5 PG 3A/2A/1A) and Gwynn Park traveling to Friendly (6-4, 6-2 PG 3A/2A/1A). Despite pulling even with Largo in the league standings, Glick could not stress enough the importance of Tuesday’s contest.
“If we lose to Friendly, we’re just giving a game back that we won here,” he said. “This victory is just one win. We’ve got to bounce back and be ready to play on Tuesday in a very tough environment on the road.”
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