M.T.G. Summer League Quarterfinals

SOUTH RICHMOND HILL, NY – Eight teams made it to the More Than A Game Summer League quarterfinal rounds on Sunday but only four advanced to next week’s semifinals. Due to inclement weather event was not held outdoors in St. Albans Park but indoors at the Boys & Girls Club.

Game number one of the quarterfinals set the tone that level of play had been raised as Team Up, the defending champions ending up falling short against Almighty Force. Team Up received some fire in the first half from recent Cardozo graduates Marcus Hammond ’18 and Dejavayghn Utley ‘18 but their entire squad was almost outscored from 6’1” Dion Wright (Upper Room ’21) who netted 20 first half points.

Down 41 – 24 to start the second half, Team Up mounted a comeback led by Utley and Justin Forest (Campus Magnet ’18). With 9:45 left in regulation the duo drained back to back four-point plays capped off by Forest giving them their first and only lead at 59 – 57.

Wright was hampered by cramps in the second half but Sean Gordon and Jermain Griffiths (Upper Room ’20) picked up the slack and with help from Odeen McIntosh (South Shore ’19) regained the lead for Almighty Force. The lead did exchange hands down the stretch, but the overall momentum swung away from Team Up as Almighty Force pulled off the upset.

Wright paced Almighty Force with 26 points with Griffiths and Gordon contributing 18 points and 15 points respectively. Utley was high man for Team Up with 26 points.

The second game of the afternoon was over almost before it began as the combination of St. Francis bound Larry Moreno ’18 and Davontae Cook ’19 proved to be too hot to handle. With only sparse scoring as a team led by Kelvin Addingi (Upper Room ’18), Team Underrated found themselves in a 17-point hole by half time.

The second half didn’t fare much better as a Team Underrated player chided Moreno who then proceeded to go on a 19-point scoring spree at his expense. With 7:45 left in regulation, Brooklyn Law’s lead grew to 21 points and with 2 minutes remaining the refs pulled the plug.

Moreno finished with a game-high 31 points with Cook adding 13 points. Addingi scored 12 points for Team Underrated.

On paper, NYC Finest should have mopped the floor with PD Nation. After all they touted at least three players with multiple division I offers in their starting five. Fortunately for PD Nation, the game is played on the court.

Hassan Diarra (Putnam Science Academy ’20), Alejandro Vasquez ‘19 and Kareem Reid ‘20 seemed to set the stage early as the trio quickly scored, giving NYC Finest an early advantage. PD Nation, however bided their time and chipped away at its deficit. Perimeter shots by Vasquez briefly kept NYC Finest out front by three points but scoring from Anthony Marshall (Metro BDA ’20) and 6’8” Bernard Kovina (Our Savior Lutheran ’19) tied the game at 10 all with 11 minutes left in the opening half.

NYC Finest promptly regained their advantage but the PD Nation once again rose up. After knotting the game again at 22 late in the half, they out hustled NYC Finest and went on an 8 – 0 run.

PD Nation was up 34 – 29 to start the second half but Marshall, Kovina and Tay Lynch (Q.H.S.T. ’18) increase that lead to 10 points with 2 minutes remaining in the game. NYC Finest would get no closer.

Kovina was the high scorer for PD Nation with 22 points with Marshall contributing 19 points. Vasquez netted 23 points for NYC Finest

The Elite 84 struck first and kept Dozo on its heels during the top of the half as Richard Martelly (Our Savior Lutheran '19) and David Petit-Homme (Boys & Girls '18) spearheaded the offense. Dozo rallied back with multiple three pointers by Coby Barrington and Donte Howell and assumed a 41 – 36 halftime advantage.

The Elite 84 upped the ante as Odessa JuCo bound Aquarn Butler (Robeson ’18) and Martelly scored by land and by air with addition firepower coming from Syl Granda (Environmental Studies ’19). Six minutes remained in regulation and a Barrington 3-ball tied the game at 57. Jaylen Davis ‘19, who struggled mightily from the perimeter, put his short-term memory on display, draining a clutch trey to once again put Dozo out front.

That lead was fleeting as the Elite 84 clapped back to take a 4-point lead with 12 seconds left to play. Dozo had a long shot of a chance when Davis was fouled attempting a three-pointer but missing 2 of 3 from the charity stripe sealed their fate.

Butler scored 21 points for Elite 84 with Martelly and Granda netting 21 points and 15 points. Barrington led Dozo with 21 points.