Harmon sparks King's win over Imhotep
Two days before neighborhood rivals Imhotep Charter and Martin Luther King High met on the basketball court, Tyheem Harmon was informed that he would be sitting for the start of the game.
Two days before neighborhood rivals Imhotep Charter and Martin Luther King High met on the basketball court, Tyheem Harmon was informed that he would be sitting for the start of the game.
King coach Sean Colson told Harmon, typically a starter, that the team needed him to be a spark off the bench.
"I could get through it," said Harmon, a 5-foot-11 guard. "Whatever is best for the team."
With a packed and boisterous home crowd in attendance, Harmon sat on the bench and plotted instead of pouted.
"I'm watching on the sidelines to see how I could change things when I got in there," he said. "I felt like they were more aggressive than us."
Once in the game, Harmon pushed the pace. He scored 18 points and dished six assists - all in the second half - to push King to a 55-52 Public League victory.
"Whatever's best for the team, I'm down," Harmon said. "If I have to come off the bench and bring a spark, then that's what I'll do."
Also for King (10-3, 5-1), Sammy Foreman added 11 points and 11 rebounds while Chase Rodgers compiled 12 points and eight rebounds.
For Imhotep (8-6, 3-3), DeAnte Robinson had 14 points and 16 rebounds, while Daron Russell and Cananchet Jordan each scored 11 points. Nysir Marshburn added 11 rebounds for the Panthers, who led by eight points after the first quarter.
Imhotep even maintained relative control with a 23-15 advantage at the half.
That is, until Harmon started the third quarter and scored 10 points to help King outscore Imhotep, 21-9. He finished the game with three three-pointers and four steals.
King's lead ballooned to 49-35 in the fourth, before a furious Imhotep rally ended in controversy.
Back-to-back threes by Russell brought the Panthers within, 52-50, with 1:07 remaining.
Foreman sank two free throws with 9.4 seconds left to put King ahead, 54-50. The clock malfunctioned and did not start immediately as the Panthers dashed down court.
Robinson eventually scored and was fouled on that possession, which ended with 2.8 seconds left. However, after referees conferred with both coaches (for several minutes) the clock was reset to 3.8.
King rebounded the ensuing missed free throw only to have the clock malfunction again.
Referees determined another second had lapsed and play resumed accordingly.
Jabri McCall went 1 for 2 at the line for King and Russell missed a desperate heave from half-court before time expired.
Imhotep Charter 12 11 9 20 - 52
Martin Luther King 4 11 22 19 - 56
IC: Jaekwon Carlyle 5, Khatib Cousins 1, Cananchet Jordan 13, Nysir Marshburn 6, DeAnte Robinson 9, Daron Russell 11, Khalief Tinley 7.
MLK: Nasir Bell 3, Sammy Foreman 11, Tyheem Harmon 18, Tyere Marshall 5, Jabri McCall 3, Chase Rodgers 13, Rasool Samir 3.
@AceCarterINQ
