BeeGraphix beats Elite PT, earns No. 1 seed in playoffs

By JOSE NEGRON
jnegron@yourmvi.com

With over four minutes left in the second half of a tightly contested bout against Elite Physical Therapy Thursday night, BeeGraphix head coach Tim Tyree shared a few words with his team while manning the sidelines.

“If you’re hooping to win,” Tyree said, “I’m for that.”

BeeGraphix responded to its leader’s message and found a way to win, outlasting Elite Physical Therapy, 64-60, to clinch the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League boys playoffs.

Both teams were deadlocked at 60-60 with under a minute to go before Jayden Pratt converted on a bucket inside with 35.7 seconds remaining. After an EPT miss on the other end, Shea Champine put the game away by converting a layup with 11.1 seconds to go at Marx’s Court Time Sports Center.

“We want them to understand that it’s not always about making the home run play, but making the winning basketball play,” Tyree said. “I think that’s really what we did down the stretch.”

For BeeGraphix (7-3), timely shots were crucial. But a strong defensive performance, especially in the second half, ultimately made the big difference.

BeeGraphix upped the intensity on the defensive end of the floor, and while Makhai Valentine, Bryce Epps and Cameron Epps all finished in double figures for EPT (6-4), the defending champions managed to get the job done after trailing 28-25 at halftime.

“We went out there and played tremendous defense on the Epps brothers and made it tough on Makhai Valentine, too,” Tyree said. “I think it was an excellent job by us to make winning basketball plays.”

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