Rough Shooting Night Curses Chargers

Varsity Men's Basketball: James Monroe Yellow Jackets vs. Chancellor Chargers

By: Greg Wolfe

Friday night was a big chance for the Chancellor Chargers (8-8) to pick up some momentum going into a long week, but the James Monroe Yellow Jackets defense forced 16 Charger turnovers as they led the whole game and took a 68-63 victory.

The Yellow Jackets got off to a hot start, jumping to a 4-0 lead and never looking back as they kept the Chargers offense at bay for the rest of the game. The Chargers would fall behind late and regularly trail by double digits, and most of their big offensive plays were then erased by a fast-paced Yellow Jackets squad led by Number 2's 31 points.

Freshman Number 11 also had a big game to continue a hot season for the young player, as he was swiftly shooting three's early that left the Chargers trying to figure out how to contain the kid. He would eventually slow down, but the Chargers turnover problems spiked up and they were unable to cash in after the Yellow Jackets' own mistakes.

The second quarter was very quiet, with the Chargers defense standing strong and concealing the Yellow Jackets to just three Field Goals the entire quarter. Turnovers continued to hurt, though, and they weren't able to gain any true momentum until right before halftime. The Chargers knew they needed to keep things reasonable and did just that. E.J. Jenkins and Jason Brown found their pace and put up a quick combined 8 points to help keep the 'Jackets lead to only 10 points headed into halftime.

With Brown and Jenkins heading a majority of the scoring, the Chargers knew they had to get more people involved. Matt Byram, Josiah Jones, and Nassir Woody led that second half charge. The group combined for 22 points, and their consistency helped the Chargers start to try and climb up a huge mountain and try to squeak out a win.

The Yellow Jackets would have none of that though, as they aced the free throw line in the second half after a shaky first half, especially Number 2 and 11 who combined for 14/20 at the line. The Yellow Jackets were sending Chargers to the free throw line consistently as well, as the final quarter of the game turned into a free throw frenzy where the Chargers weren't able to keep up.

Trailing by 8 the Chargers needed a spark and Robbie Foster quickly found the ball in his hands beyond the arc. He tossed it up for a huge three that kept the Yellow Jackets on their toes. That would be the last big play of the night however, as the Chargers went quiet and ultimately were unable to climb the slippery slope they had found themselves in.

It's a tough loss, but with 3 games next week (all against Conference 19 opponents) it is an easy loss to get by in preparation for the fast approaching playoffs. Next Tuesday they will face off with the Caroline Cavaliers and try to get back on track.

Stat Section

Chancellor Chargers

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James Monroe Yellow Jackets

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