Both Mt. Vernon Teams Strike Gold
The dynasty town of Mount Vernon, NY must be gleaming with pride as it is now the home of not one, but two Championship teams.
This Sunday marks the first time that both boys and girls team won Section One Basketball. The Mount Vernon Knights and the Lady Knights brought home the gold with impressive performances.
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The Knights finished in a big way, bringing home their ninth Section One title, defeating the Poughkeepsie Pioneers 77-47. The amazing Lady Knights brought home the win, after a twenty-six year drought, defeating Ossining 70- 61.
The first quarter was too close to call and the Knights would lead by only one point. Poughkeepsie came out strong, sharing the ball and scoring early. Pioneer's Dayvone Whitaker and Brandon James gave their team seven buckets, increasing their lead over the Knights. With three minutes left in the first quarter, Sherrod Wright went on to score four points, including a three from the arc for Mt. Vernon. The Knights got into foul trouble early but the Pioneers failed to capitalize. The Knights, as a result, would quickly regain control of the game and the lead by the second quarter.
The Pioneers would begin to unravel, turning over the ball and missing free throw opportunities. Jabarie Hinds would make a play, stealing the ball to score five points straight in the quarter. Vaughn Allen would have a huge game, stepping in to block shots. This total team effort would extend Mt. Vernon's lead.
Poughkeepsie started to make a push late but with 45 second left in the quarter, Sean Harris would score big with a three pointer closing out the half for Mt. Vernon on a positive note with a 38-23 lead.
Mount Vernon just continued to dominate in the second half as the Pioneers could not break down the Knights wall of defense. With assistant coaches from George Mason and UCF head Coach Kirk Speraw watching the Mt. Vernon team from the stands, Allen would go up in the paint, knocking down two points with an impressive dunk. The Pioneers didn't give up and tried to respond. Nate Gause would make a pass to Dayvone Whitaker for a one handed dunk but even with his fire power, Poughkeepsie would still trail, ending the third quarter by down 12.
Poughkeepsie unraveled down the stretch with turnovers, missing key opportunities to gain on Mount Vernon's lead. With four minutes left in the game, the Knights would ride the wave to victory for the win.
Sherrod Wright would take the MVP award, with 24 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks. Jabarie Hinds would add 19 points, 7 boards, 6 steals, and 6 assists. Vaughn Allen finished with 12 points, 15 boards, and 4 blocks. Poughkeepsie's Dayvone Whitaker and Nate Gause would score 11 points apiece while Brandon James would contribute 8 points.
Next round for the Knights is at Pace University the Knights play the winner of Section 4 at 8pm.
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