City Rocks China In Rumble
NEW YORK, NY - When the Chinese 18u National team walked in to the main gym at Baruch College midway through the first game of the evening, one thing was startling. They were tall. Almost all of them were beyond average height, even for basketball players. They walked in midway through the first game of the night, and you wondered if they were any good. Most of them appeared to be at least 6-4 and better. They were the size of a legitimate college student.
Well, the Chinese National team was a good team, but not good enough. They played City Rocks, one of three exhibition games at Rumble in the Bronx. They fell behind early and were never able to quite catch up to City Rocks. It was a 5 point game going into the fourth quarter, but City Rocks went on a decisive 10-0 run and squashed the young Chinese National team’s comeback attempt. The final score was 66-56.
The game was played in four 10 minute quarters. City Rocks led by 8 after the first quarter ended. The margin increased to double digits by halftime, with City Rocks holding a 39-27 lead. They were in control for almost the entire game, led by 13 first half points from Andrew Platek. Also setting the pace was Anthony Gaines, who scored all 8 of his points in the first two quarters.
As a whole, City Rocks played with more energy and urgency than the Chinese team in the opening half, but the effort started to gradually lessen as the game continued. It seemed that the Chinese team finally started to settle down and play basketball. Both teams seemed a little tight at the beginning of the game, neither team able to actually put the ball in the basket. The ailment lasted longer for the Chinese team, but they finally loosened up and started to play better.
Chinese guard Tang Jie started the second half scoring with a three pointer. After another field goal by the Chinese national team, all of a sudden it was a 7 point game in the 3rd period. The Chinese team was playing better, but on the flipside City Rocks also seemed a bit sluggish. You didn’t want to say they were disinterested, because it would be hard to know their mindset. However, they took bad shots which in turn allowed the Chinese team back into the game.
The breakthrough for City Rocks came early in the fourth quarter. Two free throws by China made it 50-44. After a rebound and put back, City Rock guard Keith McGee found Nahzarah Carter running on the baseline for a backdoor alley-oop slam. The dunk made it 54-44. On the next possession Hameir Wright found Platek on the left wing for an open three. The shot forced a timeout, but after Carter mistimed his jump on another backdoor alley-oop attempt from McGee, he gathered the rebound and scored. He was fouled and he completed the old fashioned three-point play to give City Rocks an almost insurmountable 16-point lead.
Platek led all scorers with 22 points. Wright and Carter each dropped in 12 points for the victors.
Taruike was impressive offensively inside the paint. The 6’9” big man showed the ability to finish short field goal attempts, which makes him a dangerous opponent.
The Chinese National Team will play another exhibition game against Expressions on Saturday night.
