iS8/Nike Semifinals Action: Hot Spicy

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SOUTH JAMAICA, N.Y. -- Sometimes you can make something even more attractive if you stack layers of what the people crave.

And, when it comes to high school basketball, spectators crave hot and spicy competition.

The long-awaited iS8/Nike Fall Tip-Off Classic playoffs were, again, in full effect on Saturday, as all quarterfinal games and both semifinal matchups were played at the gymnasium of Intermediate School 8 (Queens, N.Y.).

The anticipation of a high level of intensity and physicality brought out a full-capacity crowd from the New York City area.

While the day started off with eight squads vying to survive and advance all the way through to compete for the championship, there could only be two teams left standing when the slugfest ended, smoke cleared and dust settled.

The semifinals, which were scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. featured Montibello (Queens, N.Y.), which entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed from the South division; the Ravens (Bronx, N.Y.), which began the playoffs as the No. 1 seed of the Mideast division; the Rens - White (Queens, N.Y.), which entered as the No. 1 seed of the North division; and 2GZ - Steph (Queens, N.Y.), which began post-league play as the No. 1 seed of the West division.

After the trying day of each team playing two grind-it-out contests, it was sealed in the record books that it would be Montibello and 2GZ - Steph that will meet on Championship Saturday next week for a noon tip-off.

Let's recap the semifinal matchups.

SEMIFINAL GAME 1: MONTIBELLO v. RAVENS

Despite a hard-fought first quarter by both teams, Montibello would separate itself from the Ravens, which is composed of players from St. Raymond High School (Bronx, N.Y.), and effectively fought to do just enough when it mattered to win the contest, 77-66.

The Ravens struck first in the matchup, as Sid Wilson ('17) knocked down a 3-pointer. Though Montibello would match the Ravens' productivity, a basket by Cahiem Brown ('16) gave the Ravens a four-point lead, 8-4.

However, by the 5:24 mark of the period, Montibello knotted the contest at eight. Although the team would slowly earn a four-point advantage of its own, 14-10, behind the efforts of Justin Cole (Archbishop Molloy H.S. (N.Y.) '16) and Aaron Walker (Benjamin Cardozo H.S. (N.Y.) '16), the Ravens went on a 7-2 mini-run -- punctuated by an emphatic throw-down by Wilson -- to regain a lead of one-point, 17-16.

Montibello tied the game, and closed out the period one point ahead, 19-18, following a free throw by Isaac Grant (Archbishop Molloy H.S. (N.Y.) '16).

In the second quarter, Montibello extended their slim advantage with a 12-0 surge, capped with a step-back jumper and a 3-pointer from the corner by Grant. As a result, Montibello led by 13 points, 31-18, at the 5:05 mark of the period.

The Ravens' Lydell Geffrand ('16) plugged the leak with a bucket. While Montibello was able to maintain a double-digit lead for most of the period, a long 3-pointer by Rich Ross ('15) from the far corner cut the deficit to seven points, 37-30, with 45 seconds remaining before the break.

Still, Montibello led by 10 points, 40-30, at halftime.

With the help of Isaiah Washington ('17) and Wilson, the third phase opened with the Ravens working down the deficit, as the Bronx, N.Y. team whittled down Montibello's advantage to just four points, 48-44. However, the completion of a conventional three-point play by Cole lifted Montibello by seven, 51-44. Montibello kept up the momentum, pushing its lead to 13 points, 57-44, by the 2:48 mark of the period.

While the Ravens were able to bring the game under 10, 57-48, Montibello's Jaheam Cornwall (Francis Lewis H.S. (N.Y.) '16) began to fire away at the 3-point line. Cornwall's trey was the first of four 3-pointers hit in the second half.

A basket by teammate Cole with 46 seconds left in the phase gave Montibello its largest lead of the matchup, 66-49.

The Ravens attempted to narrow the deficit once again in the fourth quarter, slicing the Montibello advantage to nine points, 66-57, after Wilson completed a conventional three-point play. But Cornwall stroked another one of his treys, giving Montibello a 15-point lead, 71-56

Free throws by Wilson and a jumper by Washington brought the Ravens within 12 points, 75-63. The closest margin the Ravens would attain would be the final score's differential.

Montibello's Grant finished with a game-high of 17 points (12 in the second quarter), while Cole and Cornwall each had 14 points. Cornwall recorded 12 of his 14 points from beyond the arc. Walker added 13 points in the win.

The Ravens' Wilson also had a game-high of 17 points, while Washington posted 15 points. Geffrand and Brown had nine points apiece. Ross chipped in five.

SEMIFINAL GAME 2: 2GZ -STEPH v. RENS - WHITE

It was quite the story of a tale of two halves. The Rens - White, which is primarily composed of student-athletes from Christ the King Regional High School (Middle Village, N.Y.), dominated the first half of the contest. However, with basketball being a game of runs, 2GZ - Steph owned the second half and, ultimately, delivered the knockout punch to win, 93-80.

At the outset, the Rens - White proved themselves to be a more cohesive and organized squad, using the first quarter to run plays and capitalize on the helter-skelter style of 2GZ - Steph. With Jose Alvarado ('17) and Rawle Alkins ('16) both knocking down jumpers and attacking the basket, the Rens surged ahead.

On a 3-pointer by the hot-handed Alvarado, the Rens led by 12 points, 25-13. Still, 2GZ's Shamorie Ponds (Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.) '16) and company cut the Rens' lead in half. A 3-pointer by 2GZ's Jaquan McKennon (Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.) '15) helped close the period with his team trailing by just six points, 27-21.

In the second phase, the Rens earned as much as a 14-point advantage, 38-24. A nice pass from 2GZ's McKennon to the silent assassin Davon Dillard (Our Saviour New American (N.Y.) '15) trimmed their deficit to 12 points by the 5:19 mark of the period.

Although, at times, it seemed as if 2GZ was on a hamster wheel going no where because of the Rens consistent counter-punches for 2GZ's baskets, slowly but surely 2GZ inched back into competitor's status.

Doing the seemingly little things, like outrebounding the Rens in spurts, thanks to Dillard and Jaquan Lightfoot (Boys & Girls H.S. (N.Y.) '16), 2GZ earned more possessions. And 2GZ increasingly showed that it was better valuing each possession.

The 2GZ squad became quite a contender, as Virginia-commit Ty Jerome (Iona Prep (N.Y.) '16) began knocking down 3-pointers, short jumpers and lay-ups. As a result, by the 1:08 mark of the second, 2GZ was within four points, 45-41.

To counter, the Rens' Jared Rivers (Christ the King (NY) '16) effectively executed a steal, spin move and dunk, while teammate Jahlil Tripp (Abraham Lincoln H.S. (N.Y.) '16) netted a basket to extend their team's advantage to eight points, 49-41.

Yet, with some help from Davere Creighton (Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.) '15), 2GZ went into halftime down by six points, 51-45.

Out of the gate in the third period, paced by Jerome, 2GZ went on a 13-0 surge to take a seven-point lead over the competition, 58-51. Alvarado stunted the unanswered run with a left-handed lay-up, 58-53. Still, a shot attempt by Ponds shortly thereafter was cleaned up by teammate Dillard to give 2GZ a nine-point lead, 62-53, with 3:02 remaining in the quarter.

At about the two-minute mark of the period, Jerome drilled a trey to give 2GZ a 10-point advantage, 67-57. In response, the Rens' Alkins tried to light the fire under his team, taking flight from midway between the free throw line and the basket to strongly dunk on one of the 2GZ players.

With a minute on the clock, Alkins' Rens teammate Ryan Preston (South Shore (N.Y.) '15) helped cut the 2GZ lead to four points, 67-63.

While Alkins and the rest of the Rens tried to play catch-up in the fourth and final phase, that four-point margin would prove to be the closest the Rens would get to overcoming the 2GZ advantage.

For the remainder of the fourth quarter, 2GZ, which found a great strategy to keep the Rens at bay, stayed with it. The 2GZ squad had sustained energy and controlled play, which paved the way for the team to lead by as much as 17 points, 91-74, with 1:49 left in the game.

For 2GZ - Steph, Jerome posted a game-high 27 points (13 in the third quarter), while Ponds recorded 19 points. Teammate Dillard, who was also active on the boards, finished with 18 points, while McKennon and Creighton each had 11 points.

Rens - White's Alkins had a team-high 22 points, while Alvarado finished with 18 points (12 in the first half). Rivers had 11 points, Tripp added 10 points and Preston chipped in eight points in the loss.

In conjuction with the iS8, Nike has invited the two semifinaliststo NikeTown on Friday @ 6pm. They will receive gear and be worked out by professional trainers

Montibello (N.Y.) and 2GZ - Steph (N.Y.) will meet in the iS8/Nike Fall Tip-Off Classic championship on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Intermediate School 8 in South Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. Tip-off is slated for noon.