By Matthew DeGeorge
With the music at Glen Mills’ raucous arena hushed between songs at the end of the first quarter, just about everyone in attendance could hear coach Tony Bacon upbraid his team for a lackadaisical start.
After three quarters, Bacon’s message was even louder, audible over the blaring tunes and boisterous fans whipped up to a frenzy. The content couldn’t have been more different, though.
Bacon was quick to praise his team after a come-from-behind 67-51 win over No. 6 seed Bishop Shanahan in the District One Class AAA quarterfinals Monday night.
The win sends the No. 3 Battlin’ Bulls (17-6) into Wednesday’s semifinal against No. 2 Lower Moreland, an 89-69 winner over No. 7 Pope John Paul II Monday. The game for a berth in the PIAA Tournament will tip at Harriton High at 6.
The 32-minute journey to that final was anything but as comfortable as the spread would indicate. Shanahan started with a hot shooting touch, running out to a 29-14 lead early in the second quarter and confining Glen Mills big man Anthony Johnson to the bench with two flimsy fouls near the hoop. But Glen Mills roared back, turning up the heat with a full-court press that forced 16 turnovers and trimmed a double-digit deficit to five at halftime. Over the game’s final 20 minutes, Glen Mills outscored its opponent, 53-22.
Epitomizing that turnaround was Tyrique Lyons. The recent JV callup was playing just his third game of the season, thrust into the starting lineup for the first time after Mills’ second-leading scorer, Tyreek Brickus, was discharged from the school last week.