YORK— Although their national team is now occupied in the Elite Prep League, York Suburban AD Ron Coursey made a wise decision by selecting the varsity squad, even though Mount Zion Prep is one of the best programs in the nation.
The Warriors traveled two hours north from Prince George’s County to face Trinity on Friday night.
With the quality on display, the game could have gone all night, but Ja Von Tyler’s scoop layup at the clock sealed the victory for Mount Zion, who defeated the Shamrocks (1-2) 90-89 in overtime at the YS Classic.
Later on, I made some mistakes, Tyler admitted to PennLive. However, I am incredibly grateful to my coach for believing in me and sticking with me. played with vigor, made the extra pass, and played defense, which ultimately gave them the chance to win.
Tyler scored a scorching 19 points to lead the Warriors.
The Warriors were hot from three-point range with Tyler, Jordan Greene, and Adrean Walls, and both programs came out firing. However, the Rocks managed to grab an early 31-26 lead with to production from Siena commit Owen Schlager, Dre Steele, Reece Brown, and a fiery Nick Smith.
Steve Lewis Jr. and Elioth Adelaide’s buckets helped Mt. Zion hold onto the second quarter, but Smith and Nike Craig’s efforts helped the Rocks keep their advantage at 48-42 at the half.
Although Lewis Jr., Walls, and Tyler kept up a strong pace, the Warriors’ increased defensive intensity forced Trinity to tighten up on the perimeter, and they were unable to overtake the Rocks’ 62-60 lead.
But this is when things start to get interesting.
We were knotted at 78 after a back-and-forth final quarter in which Schlager and a Steele held up the Rocks backcourt while Deuce Trotter made a huge comeback for the Warriors.
Tyler matched Schlager’s zeal as he used seasoned maneuvers to put his team on his back during the four minutes of overtime.
Trinity led 89-88 after Schlager made a game-winning basket at the 3-second mark. As (Coach) Irvin Cornwell prepared a planned play for his team, the Warriors requested a timeout. The layup was good at the buzzer for Mt. Zion, and Tyler quickly got to his left after getting it in-bounds from halfcourt and easily breaking through the Rocks frontline.
THE STARS
With twenty-four points, Schlager led the Rocks, followed by Steele with seventeen, Smith with fifteen, Craig with ten, and Brown with nine.
Tyler, Walls, Lewis Jr., and Greene were the four Warriors that finished in double figures. Tyler scored the most points (19), followed by Walls (15), Lewis Jr., and Greene (14).
CHOICE MOMENT IN THE GAME
When it came to defense, Trinity’s worst fear came back to haunt them.
They stated it.
I’m proud of my guys. We take great delight in improving every day. We are attempting to highlight the abilities and diligence of our young men. They cooperated when it counted most and did a good job following directions, but we won because we did it right. Irvin Conwell, head coach of Mount Zion, on his team’s goal for the season and their focus on winning.
DATA
26-16-18-18-12 — 90 Mt. Zion
31-17-14-16-11 — 89 Trinity
WARRIORS (90)
Deuce Trotter 9, Jacob Tyler 7, Diego Lozano 6, Eliotj Adelaide 6, Adrean Walls 15, Steve Lewis Jr. 14, Jordan Greene 14, and Ja Von Tyler 19
SHAMROCKS (89)
Nike Craig 10, Reece Brown 9, Marcus Yeager 8, Liam Sexton 6, Owen Schlager 24, Dre Steele 17, Nick Smith 15,
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