Chicago Whitney Young 52, Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary 45
Chicago Whitey Young fell behind Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary early. However, the resilient Dolphins squad, led by three seniors, fought back to earn a 52-45 victory in the City of Palms Classic quarterfinals on Friday.
The Irish, led by senior guard Jalen Hudson, shocked the Dolphins by gaining a 13-4 lead by the end of the first quarter.
“We did a terrible job coaching,” Whitney Young coach Tyrone Slaughter. “Thank god the players were there to save us.”
Whitney Young star center Jahlil Okafor, ESPN’s No. 1 ranked senior in the nation, ran into early foul trouble. The coach’s decided to sit Okafor for much of the first half.
“It was rough (sitting on the bench,)” the 6-foot-11, 270-pound center said. “I’m usually never in foul trouble. I usually do a pretty good job or using my head and moving my feet.”
Dolphin seniors Paul White and Miles Reynolds bailed the team out with a 23-point second quarter.
“They understand the sense of immediacy and what needs to be done,” Slaughter said of the team’s second-quarter rally.
A teeter-totter third quarter quickly turned into a fourth quarter dominated by Whitney Young. The Dolphins limited the Irish to only four points in the game-deciding quarter, smashing any hope of an upset by the Irish.
“My guys competed, and we have no reason to hang our heads,” Irish coach Dru Joyce said. “We came down here walking wounded — we have a few key guys not playing. We created an opportunity.”
Key player: St. Vincent-St. Mary senior guard Jalen Hudson scored 28 points, 23 of which came in the first half. Hudson earned 18 of the Irish’s first 21 points, which helped them build a significant lead over Whitney Young. However, the Dolphins were able to limit Hudson’s effectiveness in the second half, which turn the tables in the game.
Key moment: Whitney Young outscored St. Vincent-St. Mary 23-13 in the second quarter to give it a 27-26 halftime lead. The Dolphins accomplished this feat without help from its star player Jahlil Okafor, who ran into early foul trouble. Whitney Young senior guard Miles Reynolds led the comeback chart 12 first half points.
Notable stats: The Irish shot the ball well in the first half, but they dropped to a 25 shooting percentage from the floor in the second half. While Hudson, who wears No. 3, only put up five points in the second half, the Dolphins’ No. 3 ended the game with 21 points, nine of which came in the second half. Okafor did not have a stellar offensive game, but he did obtain 13 rebounds and came away with two blocks.
In their own words: “I came out with some fire, and we came up with a lead.” – Irish senior guard Jalen Hudson said of his first half performance
“Of course we don’t want to lose, but I’m proud of the effort.” – Irish coach Dru Joyce
“It was an amazing win, a great team win. We were down a lot and I was out of the game, we could have easily given up. It was great to fight back. It was one of the better efforts of the year.” – Dolphins center Jahlil Okafor
“I was really impressed with my teammates. Miles Reynolds stepped up tonight. He’s been doing it all year. I think he’s so underrated and so undervalued. My teammates did an amazing job of picking us up tonight.” – Okafor
“Whether you have all your players or you don’t have all your players you’ve got to play tough. It was a closely-called game. At the end of the day our guys got through some difficult situations and we won. Our challenge is to keep moving and we can do that now.” – Dolphins coach Tyrone Slaughter
“This was the first time (Okafor has) ever been in foul trouble. Except for the blowouts we’ve had, this was the first time he’s been off the court for that long of a time.” – Slaughter