Bryce Epps leads EPT to win over Howard Hanna
By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com
Behind an outstanding performance from South Allegheny junior Bryce Epps, Elite Physical Therapy stayed tied for first place atop the Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League boys division.
Epps poured in a game-high 39 points as Elite Physical Therapy used runs of 14-1 and 11-0 to pull away in the second half to roll to an 82-66 win over Howard Hanna Wilson Baum in the opening game of Tuesday’s tripleheader.
“Bryce was on fire today,” EPT head coach Vada Epps said. “Last year, he had to do all the scoring, but this year he has help. Tonight, he showed he can still fill the bucket. He was outstanding.”
Another key for EPT was its defensive effort in the second half against the league’s leading scorer, Keondre Deshields.
The Laurel Highlands’ product came into the game averaging 31.8 points per game. He did finish with 27, but 17 of those came in the first half.
“We did a great job of switching on the screens and trying to face guard him to take him out of the play,” Vada Epps said. “Makhai did a great job on him. He’s going to score. You can’t stop that because he’s such a great player. But we made him work for his points in the second half.”
Behind Deshields’ first-half output, Howard Hanna (4-5) led 38-32 at the break. Howard Hanna’s Robert Cain scored the first four points of the second half to give his team a 10-point lead before Cameron Epps buried a 3-pointer to get the Elite offense rolling.
Cameron Epps finished with 16 points. He hit four 3-pointers, including three in the second half. He had 13 in the final 16 minutes.
“That’s exactly why I wanted to get him up here in this league,” Vada Epps said of his younger son. “He’s gotten so much more confident and now he’s not shy about pulling the three-ball. He’s not scared to drive to the lane. He’s playing against so much talent in the summer that the high school season should be a lot easier on him.”
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Wednesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
