Northeast Basketball Club Rules iS8/Nike Spring H.S. Classic
SOUTH JAMAICA, NY -The Championship game in the 2018 iS8/Nike Spring HS Classic looked like it was going to be a cool breeze in the summer. Still, we know what happens sometimes. That cool breeze will go away and all of a sudden, it’s a hot day and you start to sweat a little bit. That’s kind of what happened when Northeast Basketball Club tipped off against Sean Bell All-Stars in the chip.
Northeast Basketball Club had the lead for most of the game until the SB All-Stars found some momentum and came back from being down by 17 points in the final quarter. The game was tied at the end of regulation, and it was only in the extra 4-minute period that NEBC was finally able to lock in a thrilling 96-95 victory over a game Sean Bell All-Stars squad.
Frankie Policelli was the high scorer in the game, finishing with 31 points for the SB All-Stars. He was almost the player of the game but was only able to get the Sportsmanship award which is given out to the MVP of the losing team most of the time.
NEBC was led by senior guard Ron Harper Jr., who led his team in scoring with 30 points including 8 three-pointers. Harper Jr. hit shots when it was crucial and was named the MVP of the game. However, it was far from a one man show as a few players contributed to the win, but none more than LSU commit and NBA prospect Nazreon Reid. The 6-10 senior big man showed flashes of his tremendous talent throughout the game, dropping in an easy 25 points. In fact, it was Reid that hit the triple in the final seconds to tie the game and send it into overtime in the first place.
The game was close in the first quarter when it seemed both teams were just trying to feel each other out. However, the first few minutes were a sign of things to come. Senior Dean Noll (15 points) was the guard that shot the first bullets, knocking down four triples in the first quarter. Harper wasn’t too shabby himself, knocking down three bombs himself. The score at the end of the first period was 25-18 in favor of NEBC.
Reid had not scored yet in the game, but he made his presence known in the 2nd quarter. After Noll hit his 5th and final triple of the game, Reid scored 11 points in a row. His last two field goals in that run were a 3 pointer and a dunk. Harper put the icing on the cake when he drained a three from the left elbow, and then moved over a few feet and drilled another from the wing. After a timeout by Sean Bell All-Stars, the score was 47-30 with a little bit of time remaining in the half. The break came with NEBC holding a 49-34 lead.
The game looked to be well in hand with no real threat of a comeback, but that’s why they play every second of the game. Sean Bell All-Stars methodically made a comeback, finally reaching the promised land in the fourth quarter.
Harper Jr. made the score 74-57 after knocking down another three early in the period. 17 points is a big deficit, especially when it’s in the fourth quarter of a tournament where you can’t even see the clock. You can only hear the time announced at various intervals at IS8 in case you’ve never been to the middle school gym in Queens. Still, SB All-Stars was able to overcome it and almost pull it out.
SB All-Stars went on a 10-0 run right after the Harper basket. Policelli and Tykei Greene really turned up the heat, both hitting threes in that mini-run before Harper Jr. finally stopped the scoring. But that was just a band-aid because the bleeding didn’t stop.
Policelli and Greene again knocked down a pair of threes while the team scored another 12 points in a row, the last triple by Greene (23 points) tying the game at 79 and forcing NEBC to call a timeout. The run finally was over after the SB All-Stars scored another two field goals to end a massive 26-4 run. Policelli and Greene combined to score 20 of those 26 points, with Policelli scoring 12.
The game was tied at 83 when Policelli made another three-pointer to give his team the lead with 23 seconds left and what looked to be the game winning shot. NEBC would only have one more possession to tie the game or lose a heartbreaker. Reid got the ball and started to drive to the basket despite being down 3 points. He was stopped by SB All-Stars who had a foul to give. On the next possession, Reid made the right decision and pulled up for three. He knocked down the shot to tie the game and smiled for what might have been the only time in the entire game. The game went to overtime tied at 86.
The overtime period was back and forth, but NEBC was able to get baskets from Reid and Harper Jr. to get the lead back. With the score 96-95, the game came down to a final shot from Policelli. After the ball was almost turned over on the last possession, Policelli was able to get a nice look at a mid-range jumper, but it was slightly off and NEBC survived the onslaught.
The result was a well-earned victory and the 2018 IS8/Nike Spring Classic championship crown for Northeast Basketball Club.
Harper Jr. committed to play for Rutgers at the next level. Noll is committed to play for Cornell. Sean Bell All-Stars Policelli committed to play for Dayton, while Greene is signed to Loyola (Chicago). There was a lot of division one talent in the IS8/Nike final.
The games that got them there:
Northeast Basketball Club Overtakes Above & Beyond, 72 - 58
Ron Harper Jr. led with 23 points and Naz Reid had 21 for NEBC. Sam Sessoms scored 22 for Above and Beyond, while Ray Bethea added 17. Sessoms is signed to Binghamton, while Bethea will be going to Howard.
Sean Bell All-Stars Unseats 2Gz, 77 - 63
Tykei Greene led SB All-Stars with 24 points. 2Gz was led by Anthony Marshall Jr. with 26 points, and Tyler Bourne added 16. UCLA commit Moses Brown didn’t show up for the playoff game, but he had a decent enough reason. He was graduating on Saturday.
