iS8/Nike Jumps Off At Home Base

QUEENS, NY - The iS8/Nike Fall Tip-Off Classic is in its second week but Friday was the first games held at its historic home base of Intermediate School #8 in South Jamaica.

Ben Gordon locks up NYC Finest, 76-58

The Ben Gordon All-Stars aka Mt. Vernon HS moved ahead 10-5 over NYC Finest. With 2:25 was up 15-7. Defensive pressure and aggressiveness overwhelmed NYC Finest in the first quarter.

Ben Gordon led 16-9 as the 2nd quarter began. Ethan Harris (19 points) scored for Finest but Devonte Banner (9 points) countered and then some. Yhanni Bartley (22 points) started doing chin up dunks or Ben Gordon and with 3:40 seconds were comfortably ahead by 13.

NYC Finest provided some perimeter offense from Hamidou Diallo (12 points) who got their deficit down to eight points but the Ben Gordon All-stars were still up at the half.

Down 33-24 to start the third, NYC Finest cut Ben Gordon's advantage to five points due to early turnovers. Bartley began to right the ship, powering up inside. With 4:30 the Ben Gordon All-Stars were up by 12 until Luis Hernandez (12 points) drained treys to slice that lead in half with 2 minutes remaining in the quarter.

Transition buckets by Ben Gordon dictated the latter moments of the quarter and the Mt. Vernon, NY team was back up, 50-40 at the end of three.

O'Shayne Reid (10 points) battled on the boards for NYC Finest but could not fend off an entire squad on both ends by himself. Only able to exchange buckets, it was 58-44, Ben Gordon with 5 minutes left to play.

Midway through the quarter, NYC Finest, down 11, made a final push. Unfortunately for them, the Ben Gordon All-stars pushed back harder.

Prime Time smacks Impact, 62-46

Prime Time, a team filled with D1 talent and literally no bench exchanged baskets with Impact (Campus Magnet) who led by a point early. Temple Gibbs (18 points) knocked down a 3-ball and Prime Time was up by two. Another Prime Time bucket inspired a timeout by Impact with 1:54. Devonte Green (17 points) and Gibbs extended the lead to 6 points at the end of one.

PG Noah Vicker (28 points) finally ended Prime Time's run. Justin Myers (11 points) and Khari Jones (5 points) tied the game at 20 but buckets Khadeen Carrington (15 points) and Green put Prime Time back up by 5 with 4 minutes. Vicker kept impact in the hunt with jumpers and floaters.

Only down 33-28 at the midway point, Impact was benefiting from a shorthanded Prime Time team that was trying to play without getting into foul trouble. The benefits were beginning to run out for Impact as Prime Time's talent began to ooze to the surface. 49-30 was the score late in the quarter as Impact's players and coach imploded. A Vicker buzzer beater from half court to end the quarter was the only bright spot.

Down 52-37 to start the fourth, Impact was unable to put a dent in Prime Time's lead as Gibbs went highlight reel on them. Impact called their last timeout with 3:35 left in the game. Impact simply did not have the horses to compete as Prime Time led by 20 with a 1:05 left on Impacts life support.

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