Irby Hunter scores 25 to lead Reservoir boys basketball to 62-38 victory over Oakland Mills
Dec. 9—Reservoir's Irby Hunter looked down the bench before the fourth quarter and saw a teammate nodding his head. Hunter knew exactly what that meant; it was time to lock in.
After not scoring in the third, Hunter delivered a pair of buckets in the opening minute of the fourth. He scored nine of his 25 points in the frame as the Gators defeated Oakland Mills, 62-38.
"I really locked in today," Hunter said. "I have been locked in since last year. I was really working hard, me and Zach Chin in the gym every day, three times a day, we were really going at it. So, it's really a translation of all of the work that we've been putting in over this offseason."
Hunter got into an early offensive groove with nine of the Gators' 17 first-quarter points. He showcased his diverse offensive repertoire, attacking off the dribble and also spotting up from the outside, helping the Gators (2-0, 1-0 Howard County) open an eight-point lead.
Oakland Mills' offensive struggles persisted into the second quarter where the Scorpions were outscored 13-6. Reservoir coach Justin McCoy employed a 2-3 zone which disrupted the Scorpions' offensive rhythm.
Reservoir's 6-foot-8 forward Phoenix Eggleston manned the middle of the zone, keeping Oakland Mills shut down and helping stretch out his team's lead.
"Their length is hard to overcome," Oakland Mills coach Jon Browne said. "The second-chance opportunities that they got killed us. We've got to work on boxing out, it's something we worked on [in practice] because we knew it was going to be a tough challenge. We just got to get back to basics and do the simple things that keep us in games. We've got to make some shots along the way because it just builds and builds and builds."
Oakland Mills (1-1) responded in the third quarter, finding success going to Dejuan Taylor inside. Their defense was also stifling, preventing Hunter and Chin from getting open shots. They outscored Reservoir 14-6 in the frame, cutting the margin to seven after three quarters.
However, the Gators responded quickly to start the fourth, turning to Chin and Hunter.
"My message to the guys was, 'It's time to show how hard we practice," McCoy said. "I just tried to tell the guys, 'Trust yourself, everybody is here for you, to watch the work that you put in. Let's just show them and try to relax.' Once they started to relax and do the things we practiced, that's when the score started to change."
Reservoir only allowed one field goal in the fourth. Swarming to the ball on both ends of the floor, the Gators displayed the same hustle and intensity that built them separation in the first half.
A second-chance basket from Jacobi Jones with 4:48 remaining began a 20-4 run to close the game. During that stretch, Chin delivered a 3-point play and Hunter also added a 3-pointer that brought the Reservoir faithful to their feet.
"Just to play with confidence," Chin said of the key during the late run. "Always just play hard and look for each other all the time, just play as a team."
Hunter and Chin combined for 41 of the Gators' 62 points.
"As a former player, I've never seen two guys lock in the offseason as much as Zach and Irby," McCoy said. "Together they've been working out every day since August. They work out to the point where I've got to kick them out of the gym and send them home. Now the hard work you can see that starting to pay off. Their chemistry together, the guys have no choice but to follow up and that's where the chemistry is starting to build."
