iS8/Nike Pool Play Finale

The final day of iS8/Nike Spring H.S. Classic pool play was a showcase in which the stronger teams proved they were playoff contenders. Although the majority of the games were one-sided, a number of players impressed throughout the day. Here's a brief recap of the action.

New Heights Overpowers Almighty Force, 63-57

The young New Heights squad showed great maturity down the stretch, as they turned around a slow start with a strong finish to seal the deal against the Almighty Force Rebels in the first game of the day. New Heights began the game with an 8-0 lead due to the Rebels being penalized for lateness. Mindful of the penalty, the Rebels jumped straight out the gate showing aggressiveness on both ends of the floor. The Rebels took advantage of New Heights' sluggish start, pressuring the ball and converting on turnovers. However, New Heights was able to hold a 25-24 lead at the end of the half.

The cobwebs were brushed off in the second half, as New Heights showed a lot more signs of life. A change of strategy may have been the solution, as New Heights went with a smaller lineup to match the speed of the Rebels. New Heights fought back with some successful defensive pressure of their own as the game went down to the wire.

Towards the end of regulation, Almighty Force seemed to have control of the game, but a few costly misses near the bucket gave New Heights and opportunity to stay alive. Armando Dunn knocked down two free throws on a one and one situation for Almighty Force, putting them up by three with seven seconds to go. However, New Heights guard Idah Tretout hit a long three pointer at the buzzer to tie it up send the game into overtime.

Both teams fumbled the ball numerous times in OT. The first basket came from a left jump hook from Chris Coleman to give New Heights the lead with 1:30 to go. Almighty Force couldn't retain their rhythm, as they were left scoreless in overtime. New Heights hit a couple of free throws and finished the game with the win, earning a spot in the playoffs.

Tretout finished off with 18 points and four threes, leading New Heights. Mathew Berry dropped 20 in the loss for the Rebels.

Team Underrated Outballs Brooklyn Ballers 82-79

In a game that looked to be a blowout early, Team Underrated jumped out to a 10 point lead by the end of the first quarter. However, Nosa Onabur brought his team back into the game, scoring 12 points in the second to spark a 14-0 run for the Ballers. Unfortunately the comeback wasn't enough as Team Underrated closed out the game with a three point victory.

Jarell Cowell and Ramel Powers came up big for Underrated, especially in the second half. Cowell did a good job knocking down some key jumpshots, while Powers was hard to handle as he continued to draw fouls from strong drives to the basket. Point guard Mike Alston was also good for Underrated, as he used his big frame well to drag his opponent to the rim and finish in traffic. Powers had a game high of 28. Alston had 17 points, while Cowell contributed with 14. Curtis Smith finished with 21 points for the Ballers, while Onabur ended up with 25.

NY Panthers Dismantle Queens Entourage 73-57

A tough Panthers squad rolled to an easy victory in a game that was one-sided from the tip-off. The Panthers began the game with a 10-0 run and continued to stretch out the score for the remainder of the contest. The Panthers took advantage of the weak ball protection from the Entourage, as the majority of their points were from turnovers. The loaded guard heavy group had too much offensive power for the Entourage, as they produced balance scoring for the entire team.

Jaquan Mckennon showed a different dimension to his game, as he did well distributing the ball and leading his team at the point guard position. He also locked down defensively keeping his defender in front of him. Chris Atkinson also did well for the Panthers as he upheld his usual floor general duties. Jamel Allen continues to show promise, as the underrated forward showed great upside finishing above the rim and hitting shots around the perimeter. Allen had a team high with 10 points. Shane Herrity finished with 15 for the Entourage.

Sean Bell All Stars Lampoon Metro Mavericks, 100-57

Sean Bell perhaps may have been the most talented team, as every player posted double digits except one. The dynamic duo from Our Savior New American School showed why they're considered the top players in their class. Cal commit Davon Dillard and Pitt signee Damon Wilson suited up for Sean Bell for the most lopsided game of the afternoon. Dillard put on a dunk contest for the crowd as he finished above the rim for most of his shot attempts. Wilson, who took point guard responsibilities for most of the game did well getting the entire team involved. Size proved to be a big issue for the Mavericks, as they weren't able to keep up with the length of Sean Bell. Although a blowout was in the making, the Mavericks continued to play hard all the way to the end. David Eke had a game high of 25 points for Sean Bell, while Dillard finished behind with 23. Derren Horn put up 18 for the Mavericks.

Open Season Unloads on J.Y.O., 77-63

Open Season defeated JYO in an entertaining contest. Open Season came out gunning, knocking down 10 three pointers in the game. The final game of the day turned out to be a more competitive one up until the fourth quarter where Open Season outscored JYO 17-11. Rashond Salnave had some good moments when he showed his ability to beat his defender with a nice move to the rim. However, there were times were he made one too many moves, which led to turnovers. Patrick Jackson did it all for Open Season on the offensive end. Jackson was great with decision making during the game which helped open up shots for his teammates. Dana King also produced knocking down shots around the perimeter. Dejavaughn Utley did all he could to keep the JYO squad within range to win with strong finishes around the rim.

Jackson finished the game with 23 points, while King and Marcus St. Furcy each had 14 for Open Season. Utley had a team high of 17 points. Salnave finished with 8.