Edison's Baker makes record 13 treys in win over King
Remember a few weeks ago how Thomas Edison High's Luis Martinez hit 10 three-pointers to tie the city record, but was outdone in another gym that very same day by Math, Civics and Sciences' Eric Johnson, who hit 11?
Well, an Edison guy now owns the mark, but his name is George Baker.
Yesterday, the 6-foot, 185-pound senior wing guard rained down 13 treys (in 21 attempts) as the visiting Owls rolled past Martin Luther King, 89-71, in a Public A game.
His by-quarter breakdown: two, three, two and six. He shot 17-for-27 total en route to 48 points, five short of Steve Martin's 2005 school record, but went just 1-for-5 at the line. He added four rebounds, two steals and one assist (can't have everything), and a 14th trey went halfway down before popping out.
"With 4 1/2 minutes left, our scorekeeper was saying I had eight," Baker said. "That shocked me, but I knew about the record being 11, so I thought maybe there was a shot. Nobody gave me the game ball, or anything, but everybody was excited."
In unorthodox style, Baker has been an accomplished mad bomber since making varsity as a freshman. He barely gets off the floor on his jumper, but compensates with an incredibly quick release.
He now boasts 1,298 career points for an 18.3 average. His current season includes just 10 games (he was slowed early by a lingering right-ankle injury) and this was his first appearance since Jan. 17, owing to a school suspension that cost him four games.
"I didn't work on my game [during the layoff] as much as I usually do," he said. "I was still so mad at myself for what happened. It was one of those wrong-place, wrong-time things. Sitting out was tough. When they said the suspension was over. I got excited about getting out there again to help my team."
Baker said he made "no more than two deep shots" during warmups.
"By the end of the first quarter, I was feelin' it," he added. "I couldn't wait to get the ball again and my guys were feeding me nice. But when I messed up at the line [1-for-4] in the second quarter, I wasn't even thinking about threes. I spent the halftime break shooting nothing but foul shots. Not one other kind of shot."
Because his squad severely lacks height, coach Kevin Reilly is a big proponent of three-balls. Anthony Colon (four) and Martinez (three) raised the team's total in this one to 20 (in 36 attempts). Martinez added six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Eric Jones dealt 10 assists.
"I have some little shooting contests with Luis," said Baker, who lives near 5th and Allegheny and will go the junior-college route. "He's good, too. We go back and forth. At the end of practice, when we're real tired, coach has us shoot 50 threes apiece. One time I made 27 straight."
Twenty-seven straight?! So, hitting 13 over the course of a game was a snap.
"Nah," he said, laughing. "Because in this game people were guarding me."
Kinda.