John Bowne Re-Beats Cardozo

OAKLAND GARDENS, NY- Wanting to come in and show that their win in December over Cardozo wasn't a fluke, John Bowne H.S. came out on Thursday with fire and intensity, as if they had something to prove. Everyone chipped in, and down the stretch when the Wildcats needed to make a play, they came up with one as a balanced team effort led Bowne to the 82-72 road victory over the Judges.

Since beating Cardozo just before the Christmas break, John Bowne has been up and down. They recently took down Eagle Academy last weekend, but losses to Springfield Gardens, Queens H.S of Teaching, H.S. of Construction, and Curtis had Wildcats head coach John Tsapelas frustrated.

He knew his team had the capabilities of putting it all together as they did show against Cardozo last month, and he was hoping a return trip to face the Judges on the road was just what the doctor ordered to get his group back on track.

"We came back from the break and just never were in synch," Tsapelas said. "I think at times they just felt they could step onto the court, roll the balls out, and win. We aren't in the A anymore though, we are in the AA and we can't do that."

More focus was needed, and more intensity, as that word was a focal point for the team in recent days as focus to him would be the driving force to if they would be able to knock off Cardozo on the road in this one.

While it was a big game for John Bowne to cement themselves once again as a legitimate Queens Borough title contender, the Judges needed the win just as badly as they are needing a statement win on their resume, and they most definitely wanted revenge after the beating that the Wildcats put on them in December.

It was a great start for John Bowne as wing Christian Hinckson '17 was able to drain and early three, and with the sophomore duo of guard Alejandro Vasquez '19 and big man Kareem Reid '19 able to finish in transition in the opening minutes, the Wildcats opened up a 13-4 lead.

Not quite the enormous lead that they got out to last month, but Bowne still had to be feeling good in the early going. The good vibes didn't last long though as guard Collins Onyeike '18 was able to finish on a floater over Reid in the lane, while Zion Stephens '17 provided good versatility finishing both inside and outside to bring the Judges back into the game.

Neither team was allowing the other to pull away as even though Bowne held a lead for most of the 2nd quarter, the lead never got higher than 5 as each time someone would try and pull the Wildcats away with a couple of baskets, Cardozo was right there with an answer.

Bowne took a 36-33 lead into halftime but Cardozo was finding a rhythm as unlike the first time the two teams met, the Judges were doing a better job on the glass, and they were attacking the frontline of the Wildcats more, which paid off early in the 3rd quarter when Cardozo was able to take their first lead of the game.

It came when guard Marcus Hammond '18 was fouled with 6:40 to go in the 3rd as he would step up and connect on two FT's to make it 37-36 for the Judges. The two teams would trade the lead back and forth for most of the stanza, but Stephens aggressiveness down in the paint would be key to putting Cardozo up 46-42 with 1:12 left in the period.

The momentum was swinging to Cardozo's side and there was silence on the floor for John Bowne, seemingly stunned by the tide turning, but that is when Vasquez knew it was his time to take charge.

"I wanted to go at them and I figured that I had to step up because everyone was shy and quiet so I felt I had to be the leader," Vasquez stated.

What Vasquez would do would be huge as he connected on back to back threes from nearly the same spot on the floor, and then after a steal he would hold for 1 shot as the final seconds of the 3rd wound down, he would drive into the lane and kick to an open Reid who would throw down a big dunk at the buzzer to put Bowne back up 50-46 heading into the 4th.

It was an enormous last minute of the quarter in the eyes of everyone associated with John Bowne, with Tsapelas saying that he was confident in Vasquez knowing that while he can be streaky at times, his ability to step up and make the big play all year has been a big plus for the Wildcats.

Into the 4th Bowne knew they were struggling with Hammond's ability to create so Tsapelas inserted little used guard Richard Selembo '18, someone who the coach felt had the athleticism to make things happen. He switched his team into a 1-2-2 zone, and felt that Selembo could be a difference maker.

Credit to Tsapelas because he was proven right as Selembo would steal cross court passes on back to back possessions, throwing down dunks in the open floor, which opened up the lead a bit for John Bowne.

For Selembo it was simple as even though he may not have gotten a ton of minutes leading up the 4th quarter, he knew what Cardozo was doing, paying attention from the bench for the entire game, and knew he could take advantage.

"They were throwing predictable passes so I just kept my eyes open, got the steal, and went on the fast break," Selembo explained.

While Selembo may have been the unsung hero late, it wasn't just him as Reid came up big when he threw down a monster dunk with just under 2 minutes to play, going down the left side and throwing it down with authority to put John Bowne up 73-66, giving them a bit of breathing room down the stretch.

Having always stressed finishing games strong, Tsapelas was getting that and more on Thursday as they played the 4th quarter with the intensity that he had been looking for, making sure that they would not let this game slip away as the Wildcats played strong defense, and maintained their composure down the stretch to finish off an impressive 82-72 road victory over Cardozo.

Vasquez was the high scorer for John Bowne as he had 23 points, but it was the efforts of Reid who had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Hinckson added 13 points and 11 rebounds that proved to be just as valuable. Add in the 12 points from Selembo, 10 of which came in the 4th quarter, and you have a great team effort that Vasquez believed proved that they are certainly for real.

"We wanted as a team to prove that we won't be beat anymore. We wanted to prove that the last win over them wasn't a fluke and we came together and did that," Vasquez said.

Even in defeat, Cardozo got a strong and balanced scoring effort as well as Onyeike had 19 points, Hammond added 16 points, Stephens chipped in with 12 points, while Dejavaughn Utley '18 also added 11 points in what was a disappointing loss for a Judges team that remains extremely talented, but still searching for that statement making win.

Once again though this was John Bowne's day, as they made sure that even after a tough stretch of games, that they cannot be taken lightly. It was a chance for the Wildcats to show New York City that they can be a force to reckon with the rest of the way, a statement that Reid says he feels is now crystal clear as he expressed with his final words after his team's victory.

"Bowne is coming."