iS8/Nike Opens with Buzzer Beaters
SOUTH RICHMOND HILL, NY – It was the opening weekend of the iS8/Nike Spring H.S. School Classic and already there were nail biters. On Sunday, NYCHoops.net checked out two of the more intriguing games at the Boys & Girls Club location and in each case the games ended with buzzer beaters.
Beacon Elite Squeaks By 2 The Rack, 70 – 68
The Rack, coached by Antoine Tutt, is comprised of players from Springfield Gardens. They were up against Beacon Elite, a team that consisted of a hodgepodge of talented players from all over NYC.
The team chemistry of 2 The Rack was on display early on as Khayri Harris ‘17 and Jamal Tracey ‘17 gave them a 12 – 2 advantage. An 11 – 0 run by Beacon Elite spearheaded by C.J. Kelly (Q.H.S.T. ’17) and Rheaquone Taylor (Our Savior Lutheran ’17) quickly caused a reversal of fortune for 2 The Rack who suddenly found themselves down by a point with 2-minute left in opening quarter.
An offensive spurt by Hegel Augustin ‘17 knotted the game at 14 going into the second quarter but surge by Jaheem Cornwall (Putnam Science ’17) and Taylor gave Beacon Elite a 39 – 34 lead at the half.
Augustin and Harris took it up a notch in the third quarter, replicating the firepower the tag team has exhibited on numerous occasions with the Springfield Gardens Golden Eagles during the regular season. As a result, 2 The Rack was able to piece together a 16 – 3 run that put them back up front by eight points with 4:13 left in the quarter.
Taj Anderson (Benjamin Cardozo ’19) along with Cornwall and Taylor began to chomp away at 2 The Rack’s lead and with 5 minutes left to play were only down two points. Both team unleashed their big guns as the fourth quarter barreled to a close. With 2:06 left to play the game was tied at 68.
After a minute of play transpired with no one able to score on their possession, it was Beacon Elite’s ball with under a minute left to play in regulation. Kelly had the ball and ran the clock down to seven seconds. He then drilled a pinpoint pass into Cornwall underneath the basket for a lay-up at the buzzer.
Kelly led Beacon Elite with 15 points with Cornwall contributing 13 points. Harris scored a game high 200 points for 2 The Rack with Augustin adding 11 points.
Alvarado helps RENs beat back LPAC, 72 – 71
The final game of the day was an evenly match affair that consisted of five ties before the score was settled by a free-throw. LPAC jumped out front first but at no point did any team lead by more than 5-points.
With LPAC powered early by DeMarley Smith (Eagle Academy ’17) and Joe Toussaint (Cardinal Hayes ’19) but countered by Jose Alvarado (Christ the King ’17) and Phillips Joseph (Christ the King ’19), the game saw it first tie as the warm-up quarter ended and yet another as early in the second quarter.
Even though the RENS committed some unforced errors in the quarter, Justin Steed (Q.H.S.T. ’17) and Joseph did enough to give them a one-point lead at the half.
It continued to be a game of inches but for LPAC they were always playing catch-up as the third quarter ended with them still down 57 – 55. A strong showing by the RENS early in fourth quarter gave them a 63 – 58 lead with 5:29 left to play but Toussaint and Smith once again tied the game at 65 with under 3 minutes.
The REN moved ahead off a basket by Joseph but the sophomore subsequently turned the ball over. A late push by LPAC left them in the driver’s seat, up by 3 with 35.1 remaining but a delay game resulted in a technical foul due to a previous delay of game committed by the team.
Alvarado drove strong to the hole and knotted the game for a fifth time at 71. At the 17 second mark, Toussaint turned the ball over and with 1.4 seconds, Alvarado was fouled driving to the hoop. The Georgia-Tech bound senior missed the first free-throw but nailed the second and Coach Artie Cox’s team held on for a one-point victory.
Joseph paced the RENs with 14 points with Steed putting in 10 points. Smith was high man for LPAC with 13 points.
