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Bonner's senior point guards pick up slack in win over La Salle

01/06/2017, 11:15pm EST
By Josh Verlin & Dan Wilson

Tymir Cooper (above) and fellow senior Christian Lane have been instrumental to Bonner's 10-0 start. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Dan Wilson (@PHLsprts_Wilson)
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When any undefeated team finds itself losing at halftime, strong play from the team’s point guard is always a good remedy to help lead the comeback.

Fortunately for Bonner-Prendergast head coach Jack Concannon, the Friars have two such players.

Trailing by four at halftime on the road at La Salle College HS, Concannon turned to seniors Tymir Cooper and Christian Lane to help re-write the script in the second half. Both delivered, combining for 22 points in the second half and tremendous defense down the stretch en route to a 58-52 win over the Explorers.

Lane (17 points) and Cooper (11) combined for more than half of the Friars’ scoring total, with junior big man Ajiri Johnson adding 10 and seven rebounds.

They were electric during a third-quarter that saw Bonner turn a 25-21 halftime deficit into a 40-34 lead going into the fourth. Cooper found Lane on a pair of 3-pointers to put Bonner in front for the first time, then got a 3-point play to create some space between the teams.

The stellar second-half play from Lane and Cooper is not something that would have seemed plausible a year ago, or even as recently as this past summer, when Cooper transferred to the school from Parkway Center City.

With one senior point guard joining a roster that already had Lane, a returning starter from last season, the two didn’t exactly get along splendidly at first.

“We weren’t really playing together, we were trying to play for ourselves because we were worried about spots,” Lane said. “As soon as we got our chemistry together and playing more, we started moving the ball more, being unselfish as a team and trying to get the ball to Ajiri as much as we could.”

It was a pre-season scrimmage loss to Math, Civics & Sciences that got the ball rolling in the right direction.

“We hadn’t had an eye-opener like that, someone just coming in and beating us really badly,” Cooper said. “So we texted back and forth, I’m like ‘I’m just here to win, I want to win’ and he’s like ‘I’m on the same page,’ and since then we’ve been clicking.”


Christian Lane (above) had two big third-quarter 3-pointers to help Bonner turn the tables. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Their play has been a big reason Bonner-Prendie is now 10-0 on the season, and 2-0 in Catholic League play. So far this season, Cooper at 11.3 ppg and Lane is at 10.1 ppg, and though they might not be the highest-profile backcourt in the Catholic League, it’s a pairing that works.

“Those two, they’re like brothers now,” Concannon said. “They feed off each other and look out for each other and I think that they both make each other better.”

Lane and Cooper were not the only guards who came up big for the Friars. Freshman Donovan Rodriguez added seven points when things looked bleak for Bonner towards the end of the first half.

La Salle (7-4, 1-1) led 12-6 after one quarter and with Bonner struggling to find the bottom of the bucket -- the Friars were 9-for-21 in the floor in the first half -- Rodriguez’s output was crucial in helping his team stay within four points at halftime.

“When we couldn’t make a shot, we have a freshman coming off the bench that gets a big offensive rebound put-back and drills a big 3 when we couldn’t put the ball in the basket,” Concannon said. “I told him, I said ‘you helped us win this game, for sure.’”

Lane and Cooper’s strong second half helped Bonner finish the game shooting an even .500 from the floor (21-for-42), going 3-of-14 on 3-pointers and 13-of-14 from the foul line.

La Salle finished 16-of-35 (.457) overall, going 9-of-16 on 3-pointers and 11-of-16 from the foul line. The Explorers were led by senior guard Matt Paulus, who was 5-for-6 from 3-point range for 15 points, adding in four assists, two rebounds and two steals; his classmate and backcourt partner, Jarrod Stukes, had 11 points and four assists; sophomore Konrad Kiszka had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.

In addition to standout performances from Bonner’s backcourt, Friday night's contest also featured two of the best big men in the Catholic League in the 6-9 Johnson going up against Zach Crisler, a 6-8 sophomore who finished the game with 10 points for the Explorers.

“They’re two high-level kids, two Division I kids that are still learning, I know Ajiri is still learning how to play, and Crisler’s a sophomore, so I’m sure he’s still learning too. Coach Concannon said. “Next year I’m sure will be better and the year after that for Crisler will be even better. I thought it was a high-level game.”

Perhaps the biggest sequence of the night came with about 2:30 remaining. Paulus, who didn’t miss on three fourth-quarter triples, hit his fifth 3-pointer of the night, cutting the Bonner lead down to two.

Paulus’ bucket sent the packed gym into an absolute frenzy...for all of about five seconds. Bonner immediately pushed the ball down the court, with senior Dylan Higgins feeding Johnson for a big-time slam that threw all the energy right back onto the Bonner side of the equation.

From there, the Friars never looked back, making seven of their eight free-throws in the final 90 seconds to close out the victory.

There’s not much time for celebration after this one for Bonner, as they go right back on the hardwood tomorrow afternoon against the team that, coincidentally started the bond between Lane and Cooper.

And this is a Math, Civics & Sciences squad that is 9-1 in its own right, ranked No. 1 in the state’s latest 2A rankings.

“We see them tomorrow,” Cooper said. “Can’t wait to play them."


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