FunSport H.S. Classic Championship Rounds

BROOKLYN, NY - It was a torrential downpour outside South Shore HS but it was reigning buckets inside the gym as the semifinals and championship rounds of the FunSport H.S. Classic took place in Canarsie.

LES/Coney Island Outlast Gotham Hoops, 69-58

The road to the championship ended up with four teams in the hunt. Gotham Hoops would get there via defeat of 2GZ Entertainment, a team who also lost the day before in the iS8 Spring HS Classic chip.

Gotham, coached by Ray Anczelowicz and fortified with the star power of Jahlil Tripp (15 points & 2 blocks), Travis Atson (15 points, 5 rebounds & 2 assists) and Devonte Green (9 points), would fall short in the first semifinal game against and resourceful LES/Coney Island squad.

Abraham Lincoln's freshman point guard Tyler Bourne (14 points & 1 assist) with long and lanky Isaiah Deas '15 (9 points & 1 assist) from Thomas Jefferson proved to be a formidable offensive weapon for the Coney Island team and along with the dominance of Sam Idowu (16 points) LES/Coney Island would eventually advance them into the finale.

Expressions smashes Jefferson, 73-48

Expressions Basketball out of Rhode Island came to the semifinal battlefield fully loaded and quickly overwhelmed the Shamorie Ponds-less Jefferson squad from the onset. Ponds, who is Jefferson's go-to-guy, was in Cali participating in the Pangos All-American Camp.

Paced by the assertiveness of their point guard Elijah Bailey '15 (21 points & 5 rebounds), Expressions jumped out in front. Bailey floor generalship along with an aerial posterization by 6'7" sophomore Kimani Lawrence (8 points, 4 rebounds & 1 block) energized Expressions who led 44-27 at the half after a 12-1 run over their undersized opponents.

The second half was an extension of the first with high octane 6'6" sophomore Sampson George (14 points & 12 rebounds) stepping to plate to anchor down Expressions on the boards. With the sophomore's exploits and Expression seemingly unending momentum, Jefferson simply did not have the firepower or maturity to compete. The Rhode Island Travel team who led by as many as 30 points and coasted into the championship round.

The stage would be set for the championship round with LES/Coney Island versus a colossal Expressions Squad.

LES/Coney Takes Down Expressions, Wins FunSport HS Championship, 56-52

Giving credence the sayings, "The bigger they come, the harder they fall" and "speed kills", LES/Coney Island chopped away at Expressions and clawed their way to the possession of championship hardware. But it wasn't that way at first blush.

Expressions seemed to be taking apart Coney Island in a similar way as they did Jefferson. Bailey, who had 15 first half points, would penetrate to the cup, draw defenders and either finish at the rim or kick it to his wing players. That tactic along with rebounding by Nicholas Richards led Expression to a 27-20 halftime advantage.

Things would change in the second half as LES/Coney Island defenders keyed on Bailey and minimized him to only 2 second half points. The tide would reverse significantly late in the second half as Idowu got smoking hot from the perimeter, draining back-to-back-to-back three-pointers, putting LES/Coney Island in front for the first time. Bourne followed that up with a trey of his own and suddenly Expressions trailed 47-42 with 7:09 left in regulation

It became evident that Expressions as unable to fight as effectively while laying on its back and LES/Coney Island increased its lead to 9 points with 2;27 left to play. The Rhode Island team made one final push but was only able to cut its deficit in half.

The Co-MVP's went to Idowu who finished with a double-double (16 points and 10 points) along with Bourne who notched 8 points and 10 assists. Deas added 11 points. Expressions high man was Bailey with 17 points and 1 assist.