Bradshaw and Washington help Williamsport thump Selinsgrove
SELINSGROVE–Kyreek Bradshaw tore his ACL his junior year. Micah Washington required shoulder surgery last summer. The injuries limited what the Williamsport seniors could do throughout the offseason, but they have come back strong.
And they continue growing stronger.
The team could be following, too, as Williamsport put together one of its most complete performances this season Thursday at Selinsgrove. Bradshaw produced a defensive clinic, while scoring a game-high 21 points and Washington scored a career-high 20 points, helping Williamsport win, 63-48.
The Millionaires (3-8) have gone against District 4’s most demanding schedule with their 10 opponents compiling a .743 winning percentage. The team has encountered adversity like Bradshaw and Washington did with their injuries, but Thursday was a reminder of how dangerous all can be.
“A lot of people look at our record and think we’re not that good, but we still feel like we’re the best around (the Sun-Gazette area),” Bradshaw said. “We’ve played a lot of strong teams, and it’s been frustrating sometimes, but I feel like all that is making us better.”
It showed against Selinsgrove. The Millionaires dominated the second half, blowing open a game it led by four at halftime and leading by 20 before the starters excited. Williamsport played physical, with purpose and received quality contributions from both starters and reserves.
Every journey starts somewhere, and if Williamsport makes its 2025 season a successful one, it may have begun in Selinsgrove.
“We know what we’re capable of and I think we showed that tonight,” Washington said. “We were more aggressive. We just had to get after it more on defense, and I think that rattled them and the defense helped us get the offense going.”
Bradshaw was the lead agitator as Williamsport frustrated Selinsgrove all night. The 6-foot-1 guard used his quickness, length and intelligence to play textbook defense against Seals leading scorer Xaivier Jackson who entered averaging 16.4 points per game.
Selinsgrove had won three straight games, scoring at least 60 points each time, and Jackson erupted for 39 points in a late December win against Montoursville. But Bradshaw swarmed him all 94 feet while never leaving the court until the outcome was decided. Jackson was limited to nine points and only two came when Bradshaw, who made five steals, was guarding him in a set offense.
The ability to hound one of the district’s top underclassmen impacted the entire Selinsgrove offense as it lost its steam. Even with Williamsport struggling to finish shots in the first half, it built a 23-19 lead. When the offense caught up to the defense in the second half, it was game over.
“I just wanted to be aggressive and stay in his face and stay locked in,” Bradshaw said. “I wanted to try and frustrate him and get him off his game.”
“Kyreek did an excellent job leading tonight. We’ve been on him, telling him that there are a lot of ways you can impact the game if you’re not scoring,” Williamsport coach Allen Taylor said. “He did an excellent job on Xaivier. He did an excellent job getting off to a good start with his defensive presence. That ignited his offense.”
It sure did.
Even if he had not scored Thursday, Bradshaw’s defense would have made him one of the most valuable players. But the combination helped the senior play, arguably, his best high school game. Bradshaw had everything working, scoring 20 points through three quarters, hitting 9 of his first 14 shots and adding four assists.
Bradshaw helped Williamsport fight off Selinsgrove in the third quarter, connecting on two straight shots after the Seals had again made it a four-point game. He then hit a jumper which sparked a game-changing 13-2 run which put Williamsport ahead by 15 late in the third. The Seals never pulled closer than nine again.
“I think the defense I was playing helped me get going offensively,” Bradshaw said. “I felt like everything was flowing.”
Washington authored a similar story. A hard-working senior who has provided strong defense throughout his scholastic career, Washington is now becoming quite an offensive weapon. A strong, physical presence in the post, Washington, who also had seven rebounds, has scored at least 13 points in three consecutive games and helped Williamsport seal victory by scoring five quick fourth quarter points.
Bradshaw and Tevin Williams, who was sidelined Thursday, are players who can get to the basket and finish over defenders. Guard Zion Hughes (6 points, 4 steals) has had some big games, too, so having Washington do damage in the post is something which could provide defenses a dilemma going forward. It could become a pick your poison scenario.
“I feel like it took me a while to get going offensively because I wasn’t fully healthy,” Washington said. “It took some time but I’m feeling good and feeling like my teammates are setting up well and that I can make an impact on both ends.”
“Micah is starting to be more assertive around the basket,” Taylor said. “We’ve been talking about that. We want those guys driving to the basket, but now that Micah is starting to make himself available and is coming through, now they know to look for him.”
Everything clicked in the second half and Williamsport made 12 of 17 shots, getting quality looks inside and outside while not forcing things. Selinsgrove did cut the 15-point deficit to nine early in the fourth quarter, but the momentum was short-lived. Jahki Brister found Washington inside for a basket before they reversed roles a possession later and Brister (5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) converted a 3-point play.
Naazir Lowe usually comes off the bench but played well starting in place of Williams and helped Williamsport come out strong in the third quarter when he opened it with a 3-pointer. He added four rebounds, while Quincy Williams and Kye Diakite provided some key inside muscle in the first half.
Each season consists of many steps as teams try climbing the ladder. The key is to keep moving in a positive direction and Williamsport took a big step forward Thursday.
“We didn’t practice Tuesday. We just looked at film, so they could see some of the stuff I’ve been talking about,” Taylor said. “We came out and our presence was felt. We were a lot more physical than we were in the past and guys were engaged on the bench as well.”
WILLIAMSPORT (63)
Kyreek Bradshaw 9 1-4 21, Micah Washington 6 8-10 20, Zion Hughes 0 6-8 6, Jahki Brister 2 1-1 5, Naazir Lowe 2 0-2 5, Quincy Williams 0 0-0 0, Ja’sir Cobb 0 0-0 0, Kye Diakite 1 0-0 2, Dezmyr Noble 0 0-0 0, Kason Ulmer 2 0-0 4. Totals 22 16-25 63.
SELINSGROVE (48)
Xaivier Jackson 3 3-8 9, Gavin Bastian 7 2-2 17, Jace Diehl 4 0-2 9, Noah Walter 2 1-2 6, Mac Defazio 0 0-2 0, Julian Torres 3 0-0 7. Totals 19 6-16 47.
Williamsport 9 14 24 16–63
Selinsgrove 9 10 15 14–48
3-pointers: Williamsport 3 (Bradshaw 2, Lowe); Selinsgrove 4 (Bastian, Diehl, Walter, Torres).
Records: Williamsport 3-8.