While it was technically a road game for the Lehigh men’s basketball team Sunday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center in Easton, the visitors had a solid cheering contingent on hand for a showdown with Lafayette.
And in a game that was decided well before the final minutes of action, that’s when some of the loudest roars were heard.
The Mountain Hawks had built up a substantial lead against the Leopards on the way to an 81-55 win, enough that coach Brett Reed was able to clear out his bench and get all 11 players who dressed some time on the court — and in the scoring column.
That included a pair of walk-ons in junior Jay Jay Davis, an Allen grad, and freshman Josh Wolf.
Wolf, a 6-foot-10 center, scored the second basket of his collegiate career on a layup off an assist from Davis with 1:02 to go and followed it up with a block at the other end on the ensuing possession.
Davis then had a fast-break layup of his own, which he followed up with a steal and a trip to the foul line for two more points.
“Those guys don’t get as much credit as they deserve,” senior forward/center Tim Kempton said. “Jay Jay, Josh, (senior Devon Carter), those kids toward the end of the bench, per se, bust their butts every day. If it’s not our goal, it should be one of our goals to get them in every time we play the game. They don’t take it for granted and I know we don’t as well.”
Fired-up Lehigh hounds Lafayette
It wasn’t just the crowd that was feeling good for the walk-ons, it was the Mountain Hawks regular starters, then on the bench, who jumped out of their seats when Wolf and Davis made their plays.
“We love that stuff,” sophomore guard Kyle Leufroy said. “When we play to where we’re supposed to and can put them in positions where they’re able to do that, we love that. That’s part of the reason we play and part of the reason we love each other and why we say we’re brothers. I think we’ve been playing for each other as of late.”
Davis, who played four seasons at Allen and graduated in the top five percent of his class, began his career at Lehigh as a team manager during his freshman year. He then joined the team as a walk-on last year and got into 12 games, tallying seven points, four assists and a rebound.
This season, Davis has seen action in 10 games with eight points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Wolf, meanwhile, has now gotten into seven games in his rookie year, recording four points and a block.
“They work their tail off in practice (and) they’re ready to fulfill a role, whatever that role might be,” coach Brett Reed said. “And it’s very pleasing for a coach to see genuine — and I mean genuine — appreciation and even being happy for other guys on the team to have success, because they understand the type of commitment that those young men have made. They’re so pleased to see them out there playing and translating that into competition.
“I even told the bench, ‘I’m so proud of you for cheering for Jay Jay and Josh and everybody else, all your teammates, the way in which you did.'”
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @GJoyce9.
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