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Simon Gratz's setback to Carroll doesn't change Pub success

01/21/2020, 12:30am EST
By Ari Glazier


Lynard Stewart (above) has Gratz in position atop the Public League 'A' Division as the season draws to an end. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Ari Glazier (@AriGlazier)
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While Simon Gratz has enjoyed a tremendous year so far, with a perfect 7-0 Public League A division record, Monday’s 70-45 thumping at the hands of Archbishop Carroll was a “wakeup call” according to coach Lynard Stewart.

“We’ve been kind of coasting along,” Stewart said. “We’re not really what we think we are. We’ve got to play together, we’ve got to play defense together, we’ve got to keep our heads in the game. And if we don’t, this is what’ll happen.”

You wouldn’t know it while watching the beating they took against a Catholic League contender, but Gratz is currently the team to beat in Public League A. 

The undefeated start to league play comes after a disappointing 3-7 campaign last year, including a 68-29 shellacking at the hands of Imhotep Charter.

In contrast, this year’s matchup with the Panthers has been the crown jewel of the season to date. The Bulldogs took down Imhotep by 11 points in their own gym. Although Imhotep is somewhat depleted compared to the recent past, having graduated four Division I recruits from last year’s group, they’re still a highly formidable squad, currently standing at 5-1 in league play. It marked Simon Gratz’s first win over the Panthers in 13 years.

They are led by senior Yassir Stover, a quick footed 6-0 guard. Not much of a shooter, Stover prefers attacking off the dribble, using his athleticism to beat defenders on the perimeter. Senior forward Ross Carter also plays a pivotal role, able to hang inside with larger defenders and out on the perimeter.

They’ve gotten a boost from transfers in Seniors Yasir Rowell, a guard who was named second team of the Public National Division for Eastern University Academy last year, and 6-9 forward Duane Satchell who transferred from Valley Forge Military Academy.

“Those pieces came in with energy and certain attitudes,” Steward said. “and  it just took us to another level this year.”

In conjunction with Rowell and Carter, they make up a highly formidable offense. All four players average double digits in scoring, with Rowell positioned as the squad’s offensive motor.

This influx of talent led necessitates that everyone take somewhat of a backseat, including Senior forward Kyonn Gordon, who has been relegated to a bench role when he would have likely been a starter.

“Being a good team comes with a lot of sacrifices,” Gordon said. “I had to sacrifice a lot. A lot of us had to sacrifice a lot, points, minutes, stuff like that.”

If their undefeated start wasn’t enough pressure to deliver down the stretch of the season, there won’t be a ‘next’ year for this group of Bulldogs. The entire Simon Gratz starting five, as well as key pieces like Gordon, will graduate after this season.

“Me and my other leaders, before the season started we all came together and told everybody, ‘this is our last year, so we’ve got to play hard, play as a team, and go out there and bring energy,” Stover said. “And that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Stover also acknowledged that the team’s collective age and maturity also leads to more accountability and expectations from their coach. He echoed Stewart’s words about the team’s energy against Carroll.

“I wasn’t being a leader,” Stover said. “I should’ve bought everybody together and told everybody to play harder, and just go out there and play and leave it all on the court.”

On Monday, the Bulldogs never got out of the starting gate, as they trailed 21-6 at the end of the first quarter. The Gratz offense consisted mostly of poor shots and lackadaisical movement. On the other end, the Patriots were unbothered, utilizing their superior size while shooting a high percentage from deep.

Stewart, who played for an undefeated Gratz team in 1993 led by Rasheed Wallace, suggested that a change in routine due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday may have played a role in the Bulldog’s unimpressive showing.

“These guys are so used to a system of things,” Stewart said. “they looked lethargic, looked like they weren’t ready to play. Half of them might have been laying down the whole day.”

No Gratz player managed to score in double figures, while the entirety of Carrol’s starting five did. Carter and Gordon led the team with nine points each.

It’s likely those totals would have been higher, but both players were planted on the bench during the fourth quarter. Stewart went with an almost entirely new unit for the whole period in order to rest his key players for tomorrow's league game at Lincoln, and to signal to those players that their performance and energy levels were unacceptable.

Carrol senior Amiri Stewart finished with a game-high 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Tairi Ketner was the low scorer of the Patriot’s starting unit with 10. He gobbled up 18 rebounds, including six offensive boards. Freshman guard Dean Coleman-Newsome, high-major target John Camden, and 6-8 forward Anquan Hill added 13 points each.

MLK’s top scorer, Stover, scored five points on one-for-nine shooting. The rest of the backcourt didn’t fare much, as Rowel played through the flu and was held to five points on two-for-eight shooting. Starting point guard, Ed Harris, started the game but checked out for personal reasons early in the first quarter and did not return.

Stewart said the team will respond to the loss with film sessions and discussions surrounding mental toughness. The Bulldogs will have an opportunity to make up for the embarrassing loss to Carroll on Tuesday when they take on Lincoln in a road game. The tail end of Gratz’s regular season also entails matchups against Constitution and Math, Civics, and Sciences who are third and second in the Public League ‘A’ division respectively. 

While disheartening, Gratz’s poor showing against Carroll may be the shot in the arm that they need to have a strong end to the regular season.

“We know what we could be in the public league, and we’ve just got to stay undefeated, so we don’t go deeper in the hole,” Stover said. “Even though this was a non-league game, it just gave us a spark to go out and play harder tomorrow against Lincoln.”

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On the holiday honoring its namesake, Martin Luther King highschool put together a strong performance both ways in a 63-41 home win against DC’s McKinley Tech.

The Cougars’ press defense gave McKinley headaches all afternoon. MLK came away with 15 steals, many of which came picking off wild passes aimed at advancing the ball past attacking defenders. 

“We executed the defense pretty good,” MLK coach Sean Colson said. “We just gave it back too many times or didn’t convert on the fast break.”

Tajmir Hunt, a senior point guard who Colson moved off ball for his shooting, led the team with five steals. He also hit three major threes, two in the last minute of the third quarter and one in the beginning of the fourth, that helped put the Trainers away. 

Junior guard Aprel Andrews was the Cougars’ high scorer with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He benefited from MLK’s dogged defending, getting numerous easy looks at the rim off of turnovers. He also chipped in three steals of his own. 

McKinley Tech was paced by sophomore Rashard Perry. He put up 12 of his 16 points in the second half. No other Trainer entered double digits.

MLK senior forward Semaj Oliver didn’t start, but made an impact when he checked in. He put up 12 points, and was one of the chief disruptors on defense with two steals. 

The win puts MLK at 11-3 on the year. The Cougars will look to advance to 5-3 in Public League A when they take on Constitution on Tuesday.


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Tag(s): Home  Boys HS  Catholic League (B)  Archbishop Carroll  Public League A (B)  Martin Luther King  Simon Gratz  Public League (B)