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GA Pushes to Victory
Patriots use strong 2nd half to defeat dangerous Girard College
by Marcus Wright
1/25/09
Bryn Mawr, PA -
Fast Break: Germantown Academy stretched a 3 point halftime lead to 8 points midway through the third quarter, and this put them on the fast track to a 64-52 victory over Girard College at the 10th annual Kobe Bryant Classic Sunday. Cameron Ayers led the Patriots with 24 points, and Eric Yuschak earned MVP honors with 14 hard earned points. Girard was led by Torrell Candelaria, who had 14, and Lance Devero, who had 13. John Johnson earned MVP honors for them, finishing the game with 11 points. It was the fourth win in a row for GA (14-5), while the loss snaps a three game winning streak for Girard (11-4).
3 Pointer:
1. Germantown Academy plays excellent half court defense. We got a chance to see it when they played Chestnut Hill Academy earlier this year, and we saw it again here. They do a great job of using their arms to close gaps, and collapsing the middle. They were able to turn up the success on defense as the game went along; they outscored Girard 18-15 in the third quarter and 17-11 in the fourth.
2. Girard was best on offense whenever they were aggressive. They ran some very efficient fast breaks through the game, and also seemed to do well whenever they caught GA with one-on-one isolation starting near the top of the key. Torrell Candelaria exhibited his versatility with the outside shot and ability to get to the basket, and Lance Devero racked up his 13 with great emotion. John Johnson, who can explode at any point, was quiet in the first half, but rebounded in the second.
3. Eric Yuschak was a force in the first half, scoring 10 points in all sorts of ways. Jeff Holton picked it up in the second half, scoring 9 points and establishing himself inside the paint. Ayers was the supreme scorer, and did it in a rather quiet, steady form throughout. He was solid with his mid-range jumper in this game.
Free Throw:
GA's Dean Melchionni hit some key baskets in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away. This was a really good team effort by Germantown Academy, one that was needed to pull out the victory over a Girard team that has the tools to compete with anyone even though they are a small school.
Quotes:
"I was just posting up, my teammates got me the ball, and I finished."
- GA's Eric Yuschak on how he was able to succeed offensively in the first half.
"I scouted them in person. I saw a very good offensive team and a defensive team that could really get into you. We said we gotta play hard."
- GA coach Jim Fenerty, on his thoughts about Girard College coming into the game.
"We thought we could pound the ball inside. Eric [Yuschak] just played really good. Jeff [Holton] had a terrific second half rebounding the ball, and Dean [Melchionni] was consistent straight through."
- Fenerty, on some of the keys to the GA victory
Beyond the Arc: This game was one of the five Sunday games played as part of the 10th Annual Kobe Bryant Classic at the Shipley School. The classic is held by the Scholastic Play by Play Network, who do a lot of great stuff for high school basketball. I got to meet the head honcho Jeremy Treatman, and he was great... Phil Martelli was in attendance, along with Temple head coach Fran Dunphy, and probably a few other scouts and coaches...I'm typing this report during the 3rd game of the day and the gym is filled up to standing room only; just a great day and event for these high school kids.
Image - Mike Young
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