Elite Physical Therapy uses big run to get by Farmers

By JOSE NEGRON

jnegron@yourmvi.com

Less than a week after playing a fast and physical brand of basketball en route to their first win of the summer over shorthanded Campy’s Pizza, Elite Physical Therapy replicated the same gameplan Tuesday. 

EPT took advantage of Farmers Insurance having just five players and used a 15-0 run midway through the second half to gain separation in a 75-58 triumph in Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League play. 

The lengthy spurt helped EPT (2-1) turn a 49-44 deficit into a 59-49 advantage with just over seven minutes remaining. They then went on to finish the game on a 10-4 run to seal the win at Marx’s Court Time Sports Center. 

“I think fatigue started to set in for Farmers,” EPT head coach Vada Epps said. “They only had five and we tried to wear them down as much as we could. I stuck with my guns because something told me to just go to the half court and shorten the rotation, but I said, ‘Nope, we just have to stay with it.’ It worked out for us in the end.” 

The play of Notorious Grooms and Makhai Valentine stood out during EPT’s run. Grooms, a freshman from Uniontown, scored the first five points as part of a 12-point effort. He had 10 of his points in the second half. 

“He struggled in the first half and I had never seen him struggle like that,” Epps said of Grooms. “I was really interested in seeing how he would respond when he struggled, and he showed a lot of maturity. He hit some key shots when he had to, so I was very proud of him.” 

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