No. 1 Mount Pleasant dominates No. 2 Newark

PENNY HILL – Delaware’s No. 1 team was on a one-game losing streak coming into Thursday’s showdown against No. 2.

That was all the motivation Mount Pleasant needed.

The top-ranked Green Knights turned a close game into a rout with an explosive third quarter, pulling away from second-ranked Newark for a 76-51 home victory that put their season back on track.

Mount Pleasant (15-2, 6-0 Blue Hen Flight A) was coming off a 55-51 loss at No. 5 Hodgson on Tuesday, a setback that sent coach Lisa Sullivan back to basics.

“I never hit the panic button or the doubt button,” Sullivan said. “But after Hodgson, I definitely hit the reset button. We had to go back to what we believe in, defense wins championships.”

The Green Knights’ defense dominated during a 19-4 third quarter that thrilled the home fans in their sold-out gym.

“These last few games, we’ve been in a slump,” senior guard Keon Taylor said. “We weren’t playing that well, and we just came off a loss. So it was like revenge. We took it out on [Newark].”

Taylor was the glue, driving past defenders repeatedly and hitting 11 of 16 shots on his way to a game-high 24 points.

“I could make an argument for Keon being our MVP, and I don’t think many people would deny it,” Sullivan said. “Keon does whatever we need him to do.”

Chaz Knox led Newark (13-3, 5-1) with 18 points. The senior got off to a flying start, scoring five of his team’s first six buckets as the Yellowjackets went up 12-7. But Mount Pleasant’s Ny’Jere Hodges hit a 3-pointer right off the bench, and Taylor followed with a three-point play for a 13-12 lead.

Another 3 from Brian Miles pushed the Green Knights ahead 21-15 after the first quarter. An evenly played second quarter sent Mount Pleasant into the locker room with a 36-31 lead.

“We stayed focused, we stayed positive, and we just reemphasized at halftime what we were trying to do,” Sullivan said.

The Green Knights found another gear, scoring nine of the first 11 points in the second half. Miles dropped a 3 from the left corner, and KVonn Cramer’s rebound quickly turned into Doug Sneh’s fast-break layup for a 45-33 lead.

The Yellowjackets called a timeout, but there was no stopping Mount Pleasant. Knox got a tip-in before the Green Knights ran off 10 straight. Taylor scored on Hodges’ assist, then flipped to Cramer for an alley-oop dunk. Cramer sealed his defender for a layup, then dunked again following Ty’Reek Johnson’s rebound and pass.

Then Cramer rebounded and fired ahead to Sneh for a fast-break score that made it 55-35 and prompted Newark coach Shannon McCants to call another timeout with just 2.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

“I just knew they would come to play after the loss to Hodgson,” McCants said. “My gut was just telling me that we wouldn’t come out to play. I want to congratulate Mount Pleasant on a great game, and I want to apologize to everyone associated with Newark High School. Hopefully, we’ll just learn from this.”

The lead reached 30 before both teams substituted liberally in the fourth quarter. After a quiet first half, the 6-foot-5 Cramer finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Sneh added 10 points and seven rebounds.

“I just knew I had to pick up the slack,” Cramer said. “I had to turn it up.”

All of the Green Knights turned it up Thursday.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Mount Pleasant’s Fah’Mir Ali (left) drives against Newark’s Michael Drumgo-Sharpe in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 76-51 home win Thursday.

Mount Pleasant’s Ty’Reek Johnson moves for the basket as Newark’s Eric Marshall joins the defense in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 76-51 home win Thursday.

Mount Pleasant’s KVonn Cramer reacts after a slam in the second half of Mount Pleasant’s 76-51 home win Thursday.