Hyde Park's 3rd-quarter explosion blasts Bartlett
By Drake Skleba
Hyde Park used a 27-point, third-quarter point fest to race past Bartlett 68-56 in the opening game of the 2010 Tomcat HoopFest Saturday at East Aurora. Hyde Park was led by senior point guard Fabyon Harris and sophomore guard Treyshawn Jones.
Harris surged for 14 of his team-high 19 points in the third quarter. Jones added seven points in the period as the Thunderbirds expanded from a 30-24 halftime lead to a commanding 57-41 bulge after three quarters. Harris nailed four three-point bombs in the quarter.
"I started out slow, but I came on and I had a very good game," said Harris. "I have really worked hard on my game. Treyshawn and I really got going in the third quarter to pick up a quality win."
Jones added one trey in the decisive move that virtually ended the game. He ended up with 18 for the Thunderbirds.
"I felt real good in warmups tonight," said Jones."I told my team that if we could pick up our defense we can put this team away.I played hard and had a good game tonight. Fabyon and I have played together for a long time and we play very well together."
After a good first-half battle, Hyde Park went to its dressing room with a 30-24 lead. Jones led the Thunderbirds with nine halftime points. Six-foot-4 senior Gregory Brown had a great first half. He scored all eight of his points, and hauled down nine rebounds before intermission.
"I was really happy with our execution. We played good quality defense in the seond half," said Hyde Park head coach Donnie Kirksey. "I believe Fabyon is the best point guard in the state. There is no point guard who plays harder then he does at both ends of the court."
Hyde Park (13-6) received a yeomans'effort from 6-foot-4 junior Aqui Shareef, who scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the victorious Thunderbirds.
It was an extra special day for Hyde Park's Harris and assistant coach Jason Macklin. The Thunderbird duo celebrated their birthdays Saturday.
Bartlett (10-7) was led by senior guard Luke Labedzki, who scored 22 points. The Hawks received additional support from senior Larry Whitaker, who scored 13 points and added eight rebounds.
Bartlett senior guard Donovan Coleman contributed 10 points for the Hawks.
