Freeport boys basketball cleans glass, beats rival Springdale

By: George Guido
Friday, December 17, 2021 | 10:01 PM

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The Freeport Yellowjackets used a strong advantage on the boards and the absence of a key Springdale player to roll past the Dynamos, 72-42, in a battle between ancient rivals that dates back nearly a century.

Freeport outrebounded Springdale, 29-15, and turned a bunch of Dynamos miscues into points, particularly after Springdale point guard Chris Mitchell suffered a knee injury.

Vinnie Clark led the way for the Yellowjackets (2-2) with 23 points and eight rebounds while Gavin Croney came off the bench to add 16 points, 12 in the second half.

“We just made it a point to get up, be a little more aggressive with them, and it worked out in our favor,” said Freeport coach Sean Devinney. “Kind of saw that we could get up on them. We trapped them a little bit and turned them over. Then we kept it going.”

The nonsection loss dropped the Dynamos to 1-3 on the new season.

Mitchell left the gym on crutches wearing a knee brace.

Springdale has not had a problem at point guard the last seven years with Michael Zolnierczyk and with Mitchell the last three seasons.

“Chris obviously gets a ton of minutes for us,” said Dynamos coach Kobe Phillippi. “He battles, and we go as he goes. Missing him was tough, but it gave some sophomores and guys who usually don’t play for us get an opportunity to compete against a very good Freeport team, a bigger school.”

After Mitchell departed, Springdale committed three turnovers in its next four possessions, leading to an 8-2 Freeport surge to end the half.

Clark started the second half strong, scoring the first seven Yellowjackets points after Springdale had cut the lead to 30-24 a minute into the third period.

“We knew they came in with a 2-3 zone and we had to get the ball in the middle,” Clark said. “Once we got the ball in the middle, we got shots left and right and would find gaps and get the shots down.”

Sophomore John Hughes had a strong game for Springdale, scoring 24 of his team’s 40 points. Hughes nailed five 3-pointers and hit 5 of 7 from the foul line.

“He came in the offseason and comes to practice early and gets his shots in,” Phillippi said.”It’s nice to see his hard work paying off and, hopefully, it will continue.”

Twelve players hit the scoring column for the Yellowjackets as Devinney cleared the bench.

Croney also contributed five rebounds.

“Gavin had huge minutes for us,” Devinney said. “The scoring was nice, but he was also excellent on defense. He got a lot of those turnovers we had. Can’t say enough about him being ready.”

This is Devinney’s first head coaching assignment after five years assisting Zach Skrinjar at Fox Chapel.

Said Devinney: “It’s a grind and I think we’re getting better each day. That’s what we talk about. We went 2-0 this week and we made strides. They’re understanding that’s how we’re going to play, grinding it out defensively.”

Sophomore Mason Gent added 11 for Springdale.

Tags: Freeport, Springdale