Late in the first quarter, Bedford Academy found itself in a 12-point hole. The Panthers were struggling, turning the ball over against the Brooklyn Collegiate press as the capacity crowd roared.
Robert Phelps, Bedford’s first-year coach, called timeout.
“Relax,” the former Providence College standout and Nazareth HS star told his players. “Be patient.”
Adhering to Phelps’ mantra, the Panthers rebounded from the slow start and knocked off the Lions, 67-64, in East New York Friday evening. Brent Jones led Bedford with 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Anthony Mason Jr. had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Sean Snagg followed with 13 points and seven steals. Chris Van Buren led Brooklyn Collegiate with 26 points and Jarrell Swan had 24.
“Anytime you can win a game on the road – I don’t care if it’s high school, college or pro and you go into a tough environment – it’s big for you,” Phelps said.
That it came against Brooklyn Collegiate (3-1, 1-1 Brooklyn A West) added to the victory’s significance. The two teams split two meetings last year, and finished first and second in Brooklyn A East, arguably the best ‘A’ division in the city. The win, however early in the season, gives the Panthers a leg up in their quest to repeat as division champs.
“It’s all about confidence,” Jones, a senior guard, said. “Once you know you’re a good team, and you have that confidence, you think you can beat anybody. … We really were struggling in the beginning, but we fought back and stayed together. We stayed focused and played smart.”
Phelps credited Jones with keeping the Panthers (5-2, 2-0) poised. When they trailed earlier, he echoed his coach’s sentiment, encouraging point guard Tovante Reid to relax. Once he started playing well, everybody else – Mason, Snagg and Jones – followed. Instead of rushing, as Bedford had done to dig itself into the early hole, the Brooklyn school started methodically breaking the press, which created easy baskets.
“That was the key,” Phelps said. “Taking our time.”
There was also plenty of added incentive with a Homecoming dance later that night at Bedford. Phelps told the team they would be practicing early Saturday morning if they lost.
“They know they had to get it done or they wouldn’t have been able to attend,” Phelps joked. “It was extra motivation.”