BROOKLYN, NY- It was the final Saturday of the regular season at the Rose Classic and that meant big time action as the teams playing looked to make one last push for a strong playoff seed.
While everyone knew going in due to the matchups on paper that it would be a strong and solid day of games on Saturday, there was one game that stood out proving to be one of the bigger upsets of the season at the Rose, while top to bottom it was full of great competition with many of the top stars in the area on the floor.
We at NYCHoops.net got to the J.H.S. 113 gym bright and early and splitting our time between their and Bishop Loughlin, we were able to catch a days’ worth of action, and now recap the last Saturday before the playoffs from the Rose Classic.
Brooklyn Stars Tops D1 Bound (Seniors), 48-46
With the Stars featuring the freshmen and sophomores from Paul Robeson H.S., along with a pair of 7th graders, there were few if any who felt that they could hang with D1 Bound, a team that brought 7 Division 1 signed players to the floor.
That is why they play the games though as the Stars got off to a strong start while D1 Bound just had 5 players, going up by as many as 14 early in the second half before eventually holding on for a 2-point victory.
Early on it looked as if the long-distance shooting of Angelique Rodriguez (Capital Prep, CT '17) would carry the day for D1 Bound, but Tyginae Wright (Paul Robeson '19) was unfazed by the competition on the other side as she attacked and fought her to way to the rim time and time again, while also showing the ability to pull up and connect from the midrange as well.
Tariah Bryant (Paul Robeson '19) was another weapon who pushed the tempo for the Brooklyn Stars as they were able to get out and go against a D1 Bound team that didn't have their backcourt of Qadashah Hoppie (The Patrick School, NJ '17) and Milicia Reid (The Patrick School, NJ '17) in this one because of graduation practice.
Even though D1 did have their interior players, Keisy Villanueva (Paul Robeson '19) was able to hold her own inside and do a solid job defensively while allowed the Stars to go up by as much as 33-19 with 13:08 to go in the game.
You had to wonder if this was going to keep up for the Brooklyn Stars as D1 began to feed the ball to the McDonald's All-American in Raven Farley-Clark (Queen of Peace, NJ '17) where she got more and more comfortable as the game went on. The lead for the Stars was cut all the way down to 44-43, but when they needed a big bucket, Wright was there for a leaner along the baseline to put her team back up by 3.
Farley-Clark would finish with her back to the basket soon after, and then after Gabi Redden (Rutgers Prep, NJ '17) went 1 of 2 from the FT line, the game would be tied at 46 with just under a minute to go. It looked as if Wright would be the one to get the chance for the win but she would feed the ball to Phinnette Edwards (Paul Robeson '20) and finish off a backdoor pass to put the Brooklyn Stars up by two with 13.4 seconds to play.
D1 Bound did have a couple looks at the rim, but a steal by Wright would end it as in one of the more surprising finishes of the season, the young Brooklyn Stars were able to shock their older opponents 48-46.
As the long double digit scorer for the Stars, Wright had a game high 18 points, with Bryant and Villanueva adding 8 and 6 points respectively in the win. In the defeat, it was Rodriguez who had 16 points, while Farley-Clark added 10 points as well in the loss.
Exodus 16u KO’s Triple Threat Poughkeepsie, 65-41
The Exodus EYBL team took the floor at Bishop Loughlin early on Saturday in what would be their final pool play game before next week's playoffs, and they made quick work of their Westchester County opponents as Dara Mabrey (Manasquan, NJ '18) made sure that she left her imprint on the game quickly to put things away.
From the get go Mabrey was able to get the ball in excellent spots to get good looks from long range. Getting feeds from Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin '18) and Grace Stone (Long Island Lutheran '18), Mabrey hit on 5 three's in the opening 16 minutes, going off for 21 points in the opening half overall.
Exodus would push out to a 21-1 lead and Triple Threat really didn't have a response to the quick barrage that Exodus put on them.
Mabrey, Annecchiarico, Stone, and Aziah Hudson (Baldwin '18) all connected on first half three's for Exodus as they would push out to a 45-12 lead at the half, and from then it was clear that Exodus was taking it easy and making sure they all stayed healthy without rubbing it in to their opponents.
Jada Rencher (Ketcham '18) had a strong second half for the Poughkeepsie team as she was able to use her versatility and finish both inside and outside, scoring all 7 of her points in the second half to help Triple Threat actually outscore Exodus in the final 16 minutes, but the deficit was just far too much to overcome as the EYBL team was able to easily go home with what would be a 65-41 victory.
It was Mabrey who had 27 points to lead Exodus in the win, while Emma Cuccurullo (Long Island Lutheran '18) had 12 points, with Hudson adding 10.
Exodus 15u Takes Down Jersey Shore Elite, 45-41
The younger Exodus squad is thought to be just as talented, if not more so than the 16u EYBL team, but missing two of their main guards meant that playing Jersey Shore Elite would be a challenge tough to overcome.
From the start, it looked as if Tori Hyduke (Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ '18) would be carrying her team as she had 14 opening half points, doing near anything she wanted off the dribble to put her team up 23-20 at the half.
Instead of trying to play from the outside, Exodus started to use their size more in the second half going inside to Klarke Sconiers (Christ the King '19) and Nataljia Marshall (Christ the King '20), and their solid play led to more looks from the perimeter for Taliyah Medina (Bethlehem Catholic, PA '20) which allowed Exodus to take their first lead of the game at 26-25 early in the second half.
Hyduke though would put Jersey Shore Elite back on top quickly with a personal 7-0 run, but Medina started to be able to thrive more off the dribble in the halfcourt, attacking the rim and getting herself to the FT line, and with the pressure on late, Exodus would come through with big play after big play.
Medina proved to be a major star of the future, while Sconiers was critical on the glass to allow Exodus to fight back from being down by as many as 9 and take a 45-41 win.
It was a 15-point effort for Medina, with 9 coming in the second half, while Sconiers added 10 points as well in the victory. In the loss, it would be Hyduke who had 21 points to lead her team and prove to be one of the best individual performers of the day.
NYC Heat (White) Fries Harlem USA, 59-35
With talent, all around the court for the Heat, Kadaja Bailey (St. Mary's '18) had one of her best Rose Classic games ever as her ability to play inside and outside caused Harlem a lot of trouble. Bailey scored with her back to the basket in the paint, but more often than not drew her defenders outside and take them off the dribble where she finished in a variety of ways.
Alongside of Bailey was Brandy Thomas (Christ the King '18) and she was able to finish using her strength pushing towards the basket, and with the lack of athletic wings on the outside for Harlem USA, the Heat were able to take a 38-21 lead at the half.
Kayla Charles (Bryant '17) was able to have a solid game posting up and finishing down low with her back to the basket, along with doing a good job on the glass in a game that pitted Charles against Bailey, a pair of future St. John's players.
Harlem USA were able to get it within 10 with 11:18 to play, but that was as close as they got as Jamie Behar (Oceanside '20) made a critical three, and then Bailey took over from there to put the Heat on top with the easy 59-35 victory.
Bailey had a game high 23 points for NYC Heat (White) in the win, with Thomas going off for 12 points as well in the win. For Harlem, it was a strong outing for Charles who had 11 points in the loss, doing a strong job in finishing against double teams all game in the defeat.
Christ the King Smacks Harlem USA, 37-25
Listed as Christ the King, it was a Callie O'Brien (Xaverian '20) who carried the show from the lead guard spot for CK as she was able to punish Harlem USA off the dribble and finish in transition to control the game and lead them out to a quick 27-8 lead en route to the victory.
Charles was solid in the paint for Harlem, but Allyah Brown-France (Christ the King '20) did an excellent defensive job against her down low, while also proving to be a valuable offensive weapon as well in the victory for the young CK and Xaverian based squad.
Brooklyn Saints Over NDO Elite, 60-42
Lastly it was the Saints, a team comprised entirely of James Madison H.S. players that took control in the second half to pull away from a commanding victory that saw Ericka James (James Madison '19) and Sarah James (James Madison '19) lead the way from long range.
The sisters combined for 27 points, while Ketsia Athias (James Madison '18) was a solid rim protector against the NDO guards trying to drive in, as even though Tamia Tart (Boys and Girls '18) was able to score 17 points to lead her team, it wasn't enough as the Saints from start to finish led en route to the 18-point victory.
