By Whitney Metz –
On Jan. 25, the Northampton Yellow Jackets traveled to Arcadia High School to compete against the Firebirds in an exciting district matchup. The two teams were evenly matched in the first eight minutes, fighting hard on both sides of the ball. After the first quarter the score was tied 14-14. Arcadia shifted its defense in the second quarter looking to shut down the Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer, Ronyell Costen, with a full-court man-to-man defense. This strategy along with Kevin Cropper’s 12 points allowed the Firebirds to take the lead and go into the half up 32-29.
In the third quarter, Northampton went to a man-to-man defense, forcing the Firebirds to turn over the ball. The Yellow Jackets began to dominate the paint with multiple defensive rebounds. Within this time, Northampton was able to take the lead and pull away from Arcadia with a score of 52-45. As the fourth quarter began, the Yellow Jackets continued to pressure the Firebirds with tough defensive play, which stunned the offense. Arcadia had a string of turnovers that gave Northampton the chance to take advantage of extra possessions on offense. The Firebirds came up short at home, losing to the Northampton Yellow Jackets with a final score of 59-69.
Costen led the Yellow Jackets recording 25 points, three assists, and five rebounds. RonRico Bugg added to Northampton’s win with 18 points, two assists, and three rebounds. Arcadia’s Cropper completed a game high of 29 points while teammates Anthony Taylor and Da’shaun Tull contributed with 12 points each. The Yellow Jackets will compete again at home on Thursday, Jan. 27, against Chincoteague while the Firebirds are scheduled to travel to Nandua the same night.
