Three Irmo players finished in double digits as the Yellow Jackets defeated the A.C. Flora Falcons 62-44 Friday, January 13.
“I think our defensive intensity was really good. It created some offense for us,” Irmo head coach Tim Whipple said. “Then we shot the ball extremely well tonight. We don’t always do that. I think it was a combination of two things, the defense jump started us and the offense did a great job especially in the second half.”
Madden Collins led the way with a game-high 21 points. Te’Andre Summons chipped in 16, and Jonathan White finished with 14.
A.C. Flora opened the game with a bank shot from C.P. Parker. Irmo answered with a jumper from White and a layup from Summons to take a 4-2 lead. A 3-pointer from Cooper Whiley put the Falcons in front 5-4. A bucket and one from Madden Collins gave Irmo a 7-5 edge. Spencer West answered with a 3-pointer to put A.C. Flora ahead 8-7. Then White knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Yellow Jackets a 10-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The back-and-forth continued into the second quarter. Parker tied the game with a layup. Collins knocked down the jumper to put Irmo back in front. A bank shot by A.C. Flora’s Jayden Jackson tied the score at 12-12. A jumper from Collins put the Yellow Jackets ahead 14-12, before Spencer West responded with a 3-pointer as the Falcons flew into the lead 15-14. A layup from Bryson Foster put the Yellow Jackets back in front and started a 12-4 run that gave Irmo a 28-19 lead at halftime. White knocked down a 3-pointer, Summons added a bucket and one and a layup, and Collins chipped in a jumper and two free throws during the run.
Collins added a 3-pointer and a layup to extend the Irmo lead to 33-19 to open the third quarter.
Parker answered with a pair of bank shots to bring A.C. Flora within 33-23. Two jumpers and a 3-pointer by Summons, a 3-pointer by White, and a layup from Mason Collins gave Irmo a 45-29 lead at the end of the third quarter.
“A.C. Flora does so well in the paint with their size and athleticism and getting the ball in there. Our main focus was to try and take that away,” Whipple said. “They have some good 3-point shooters as well, so you have to extend some. It was a matter of being able to handle both situations. We did a good job of shutting down the lanes and still contesting on the 3-point shots.”
The Falcons tried to chip away in the fourth with a bank shot from Parker, a 3-pointer from Wiley, and a 3-pointer and layup from West to whittle the deficit down to 52-39. Irmo answered with 3- pointers from White and Mason Collins, a layup from Foster, and a jumper from Summons for the win 62-44 win.
“To come in here and accomplish what we were able to is a huge step,” Whipple said. “Every game is a war in our region because every team is very competitive. You have to be ready to play every night, and hopefully we will be.”
Irmo: Madden Collins 21, Te’Andre Summons 16, Jonathan White 14, Bryson Foster 6, and Mason Collins 5.
A.C. Flora: CP Parker 19, Cooper Wiley 12, Spencer West 11, and Jayden Jackson 2.
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