By Matthew De George
At halftime Monday afternoon, Ajiri Johnson was the only occupant of Bonner & Prendergast’s locker room with even a remote reason to feel good about his performance in the opening 16 minutes.
Only one other Friar scored in the half, a dreadful frame that sent Bonner into the break down seven and busied coach Jack Concannon for an eventful conversation.
For the myriad adjustments Bonner made after the break, they preserved a steady supply of looks for Johnson, and the junior center duly rewarded them.
Johnson compiled a domineering stat line of 25 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks as Bonner came from behind to top St. Joseph’s Prep, 60-50, at Kelly Fieldhouse.
“When we came to the locker room, coach yelled at everybody and said, ‘You’ve got to put your heads in the game. Even though you’re missing shots, that doesn’t mean you don’t take more,’” Johnson said. “Coming out of the second half, they did a good job of coming back, and they kept feeding me the ball.”
Concannon called Monday the best game he’s seen from the 6-foot-9 Nigerian center, who transferred from Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut. That assessment stemmed as much from Johnson’s growing tenacity on the boards and the defensive end as the fact that he supplied 13 of Bonner’s 15 first-half points.
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