Fraser, Sumpter Team Up Again

Keyed by 26 points and a boatload of blocks by Jason Fraser and 24 points by Curtis Sumpter, the Long Island Panthers rolled to a 86-66 victory over feisty Wings Academy, the PSAL class B champion, at the IS8 League in Queens Thursday night.

The Panthers hopped out to an early 15-4 lead on the strength of their defense, handcuffing Wings with their traps and presses. A resilent Wings team would claw back into the contest and ultimately take a 33-31 lead in the second quarter before the Panthers went on a 12-1 run before the half, sparked by Aubin Scott's pull-up and putback and a three-point play by Fraser, taking a 43-34 lead into the half.

Gary Charles' team would hold the lead at 13 points through three quarters, buoyed by Fraser's bullish defensive play. Wings generated scant offense with Fraser patrolling the paint, swatting away scores of

attempts and altering countless others. A Fraser flush off the break kept the Panthers up 62-49 through three quarters.

The Panthers would finally pull away early in the fourth quarter as Fraser and Sumpter worked the two-man game to perfection. A give-and-go between the two puntuated by an emphatic slam by Sumpter roused the crowd and put the Panthers up 67-49 at the seven minute mark, with Wings finally running out of gas. The Panthers closed out the game by an 86-66 count.

The future Villanova teammates Sumpter and Fraser proved to be a devastating combo on this night, while Hempstead High School's Aubin Scott added 10 points, and Christ the King's Mike Claxton impressed with his intelligent play.

For Wings, 6'6'' swingman Elton Barry had the unenviable task of matching up with Fraser for most of the night, but the junior still chipped in 15 points. The Bronx crew's other standout- and remember this name(it's a distinctive one)- was sophomore point

guard Garfield Johns, who tallied 20 points.

The 6'1''lefty lead guard, fresh off an appearance in the Wheelchair Classic Wednesday night(extremely rare for an underclassman), played with poise and showed off a slick handle. Johns impressed with his maturity if not his consistency shooting the ball. He no doubt will be a Division I prospect to keep tabs on down the road.