Jones, Jennings and Ripken lead Gilman over Friends, 60-38

Last Monday night at Gilman, the Greyhounds held a 17 point lead over Friends before the Quakers made a dramatic comeback to pull out a 57-53 win.  One week later, at Friends, Coach Bill Pace’s Quakers held a 27-22 lead at the half, but this time it was Gilman’s turn to stage a comeback.

The Greyhounds scored 14 unanswered points to start the second half, and they built a 40-30 lead at the end of three quarters of play.  With last weeks Friends rally foremost in their minds, Coach Own Daly’s squad outscored the Quakers 20-8 in the final eight minutes to go on to an overwhelming 60-38 victory.

Friends (1-7,1-6) was only able to manage three points in the third quarter, while Gilman’s Cyrus Jones, Ryan Ripken and Darius Jennings combined for 16 points. The trio would score 45 points colletctively for the Hounds on the night.

Playing without starters Linn Worthington and Chad Copeland (football practice for the Crab Bowl),  Ripken hauled down 11 rebounds and scored 17 points, Jennings had 10 rebounds,11 points and four steals, and Jones tied Ripken for scoring honors with 17, and the junior guard grabbed seven rebounds.

“We were down two starters, so Cyrus and I had to step up and get some boards,” said Jennings. “We came out fired up in the second half, and we pressured their guards and tried to get turnovers and it paid off.”

Ripken said that the Greyhounds did not come out ready to play.

“In the second half we really turned up the intensity, especially on the defensive end. Allowing only eleven points to any team in the second half is a huge accomplishment,” said Ripken.  “We want to be known as a defensive team, and that’s what we did in the second half.

“We remembered what happened at Gilman last week, an we weren’t going to let that happen again.”

Ripken credited the play of Justin George, Garrett Paglia, Stephen Koteen, Riley DeSmit and Matt Tulley as being key.  “Those guys are really stepping up for us. We have a lot of depth.”

Friends 6-foot-8 Jon Schmdt lead the Quakers with 10 points, but the talented center picked his fourth foul late in the third quarter, and coach Pace had to pull him for a spell, and the Quakers missed his inside presence.  

Andrew Shaver ignited Friends in the second quarter when he hit two threes and scored eight points, but the sharpshooter was held scoreless in the second half by Gilman’s swarming defense.

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