Yellow Jackets Blast Brentsville 76-55 to Start Season 2-0

For athletes, the offseason means rest, both physical and mental, a reprieve from the daily grind of practice and game routines. For seven players on James Monroe's boys' basketball team, it lasted all of 48 hours.

After Saturday's state championship game, Julian and Jaamir Bumbrey, Tony Scott, A'Darius Brown, Steven Bryant, Torreik Ferguson, and Marcus Finnie didn't have much time to dwell on the result, coming to school Monday ready for yet another season.

"It's good because we have success in football, but we always get a late start," said Yellow Jackets' head coach Antonio Coghill. "With guys coming out from football, we had to be fair and do things a little differently. We had tryouts on Monday, cuts on Tuesday, practiced on Wednesday and Thursday, and played games Friday and today. It's difficult, but we have guys who work hard."

So far, skill appears to be covering up any lack of preparation as the Yellow Jackets are 2-0 after a shellacking of Brentsville High School in their home opener Saturday.

James Monroe opened the game on an 8-0 run, and didn't let up, leading 19-9 after the first quarter and 38-24 at halftime.

Senior guard Jaamir Bumbrey had the play of the day for the Yellow Jackets, slamming down a one-handed jam in the second quarter.

6'9'' senior forward Te'Quan Aler was a dominant force in the paint, finishing with a game-high 20 points and keeping countless possessions alive for the Yellow Jackets.

"He's our go-to guy," remarked Coghill about his big man. "There's no secret about it. He's got to want the ball down there, and we've got to get it to him."

The blistering pace of early season play will continue without a hitch. James Monroe will face a tough test Monday, when they travel to take on a AAA opponent, the Stafford Indians.

James Monroe Scoring

Ayers: 20 points

Ju. Bumbrey: 19 points

Ferguson: 10 points

Baker: 8 points

Ja. Bumbrey: 6 points

Bryant: 5 points

Brown: 2 points

Nguyen: 2 points

Johnson: 2 points

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