FREDERICK, Md. – After sneaking off with the lead at the end of the first half, the men's basketball team outscores Shenandoah by 25 points in the second half to take down the ODAC authority 101-75 in Woodsboro Bank Arena on Thursday afternoon.
Inside the Box Score
Jevon Yarbrough (Hagerstown, Md./Williamsport) scores 28 points including 9-for-10 from the line to lead scorers.
Garrett Cox (Glen Allen, VA/Glen Allen) resurgence included 24 points, 15 in the first half and 11 total rebounds for his double-double.
Karron Mallory (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) hit 5-of-10 from way beyond the arc to earn 17 points on the evening.
How it Happened
For both squads the game started slow in the first five minutes, but after Cox stepped up and hit his first three of the night to make it 10 all, it gave the go ahead for both teams to dare to shoot. Even though the two shared punches, the addition of Cox to the scoring took the pressure off Yarbrough and
Kullen Robinson (Alexandria, Va./Alexandria City) and expanded the offense.
Later the Hornets would create contact at the basket and used those points via the foul line to climb back into the game to the 35-35 mark. The next Blazer possession was a turnover turned into a fast break dunk by Dorian Davis followed by yet another turnover and some razzle dazzle by Isaiah Lee to take a four-point lead over Hood.
To close out Cox's best basketball half of the season, he scored on back-to-back possessions to only trail by one with seconds to go in the half. However, as time expired Yarbrough drew a foul and swished two at the line to actually put the Blazers up by one after a contested first half.
The boards in the second half were owned by the Blazers and was the sign that they were pulling away from Shenandoah. The opposing offense would have their possession short-lived, and the speed of the Frederick squad would start to pile on with Yarbrough going to work.
The tale would be told at the 15-minute mark when Mallory would hit a three from what felt like half court, then would continue to hit three in-a-row to put the Blue & Grey far up stream.
"I was extremely happy with the way we came out in the second half; more intensity, higher energy, and playing with more purpose," said head coach Chad Dickman. "Thought we were a little slow to start, coming off of finals week, so maybe that had something to do with it. But, I was very proud of the way our guys flipped the switch in the second half and put the game away versus a good team. Going into break at 7-1 is a much better feeling than heading into break on a 2-game losing streak."
For the Opponent
Ellis Wright went 12-for-16 for 27 points.
Matthew Simmons was the facilitator and ended with seven assists.
Analysis
Hood shot 53-percent from the field compared to Shenandoah's 43 percent
The Blazers played big in the paint and outrebounded the Hornets 46-32
Up Next
The squad heads to the Holiday Classic in Newport News hosted by Christopher Newport and takes on the host Captains on Monday December 29 with a 7 p.m. tipoff.
