Forest Hills shooting guard Alex Hall had that look in his eye. The look can be compared to driving in a snow storm with a frozen windshield wiper, eyes zoned in on the road.

The 6-foot-2 senior, however, had his eyes glued to the hoop on the opposite end of the floor. His glare never let up as he dribbled from baseline to baseline, through a pack of Cardozo players, for a three point play. The said play was a crucial moment in the Forest Hills Rangers' grabbing their first Queens borough championship in a 55-49 overtime win over their league rival (and defending champion) Cardozo Judges.

While both teams started off in the slow lane offensively, Cardozo grabbed the earliest momentum when they found themselves up, 8-3, behind inside play behind 6-foot-7 junior Ryan Rhoomes. The Judges would trap the Rangers' guards to stifle their offense and hold an 11-7 lead after 8 minutes. The Rangers problems would continue to mount in the second quarter, as they missed numerous inside touches, shot 50% from the stripe and promising 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Maurice Harkless couldn't get going offensively. It also didn't help that the Judges' back court trapping and doubling of star guard Andre' Armstrong left Forest Hills' shooters open from downtown and the basket seemed to have a lid on it. Armstrong managed to keep the Rangers alive with seven second quarter points and Forest Hills'zone clogged the lane and created some Cardozo turnovers late in the half to keep the game honest, 22-16, at the half.

Rhoomes would come out with a vengeance in the second half, pounding the smaller Forest Hills front court for paint points. Turnovers and missed scoring opportunities would hurt the Rangers once again, and when junior Terrence Carter calmly drained a three -turning back down court as it cleared net- the Judges took their largest lead of the game, 30-20. Senior shooting guard Damir Beharovic pulled the strings on Forest Hills' unraveling when he cashed in two consecutive three pointers late in the quarter and when he proved the bank was open on Sundays with the second trey, the Rangers were now back within five, 31-26. The teams would each nail a free throw to keep the five point game intact entering the fourth quarter, but the Rangers would begin to chip away at the Cardozo lead. Hall -who only had scored one point over the first three quarters- knew it was now or never if the Rangers were going to avoid being a runner-up.

"Andre' (Armstrong) was getting doubled all game and Maurice was struggling a little bit today", said Hall. "So I knew I had to step in and have confidence in my shot."

When Chris Larmond grabbed a defensive rebound and found Hall with the outlet pass, he pushed the ball up court and confidently popped a 15 footer to bring the Rangers within one, 34-33. Armstrong would then convert a one and one with Cardozo in the bonus, and all of a sudden the Rangers had their first lead of the game, 35-34. Hall would then put the Rangers up three with a pair of free throws himself to complete a 6-6 fourth quarter performance at the stripe for the Forest Hills after shooting a frigid 9-20 over the previous three quarters. Rhoomes wasn't ready to lay down just yet, as he reeled of a personal 4-0 run, capped by a dunk in traffic to give the Judges the lead back, 38-37. Hall, never to be outdone, tip toed behind the three point arc on the next possession and buried a three with 23 seconds left in the game to put the Rangers back on top, 40-38, and the Forest Hills section of the stands into a frenzy.

"At that point, I was wide open.", said Hall. "I just let it fly." Unfortunately, the excitement caused Forest Hills to lag defensively and on the next Cardozo trip down court, junior guard Reynaldo Walters barreled through the Rangers' defense for a lay-up to tie the game at 40 with 13.2 seconds left on the clock. Hall missed a desperation three on the next Forest Hills possession, but when Armstrong tied up Cardozo's Dwayne Brunson as he rebounded the ball, the Rangers' retained possession via the jump ball. Forest Hills' play was intended for Harkless to tip in the inbound pass, as he got a good look but failed to convert, sending the barn burner into overtime.

Hall would continue to be the spark for the Rangers in overtime, as he nailed a long ball from the corner to give his team a 44-41 lead. Forest Hills tightened their defensive screws and Armstrong would make the most of his time on the foul line to help extend the lead, but Walters would answer for the Judges. Armstrong would again stretch the Rangers' lead from the stripe, but when Walters drove in for a deuce and capped the three point play with 35 seconds left in overtime, Cardozo was within striking distance again, 50-47. Hall then put on the aforementioned game face and went coast to coast for his version of the old fashioned three point play and gave Forest Hills a 53-47 lead. Cardozo's Deisean Roberts had a chance to make it a one possession game from the stripe, but he missed both free throws. Armstrong then proceeded to pull the game away on the opposite side, shooting a solid 7 for 8 from the line .

"In practice we shoot two sets of 50 free throws every day", said Armstrong. "We take that seriously." With the win, not only do the Rangers take a 2-1 lead over their division rival, but they've made history in being the very first Forest Hills team to win the Queens Borough Championship after recent dominance from Campus Magnet, Beach Channel and of course, Cardozo.

"I knew that we had the talent to beat any team (in Queens) this year", said Hall. "Last night Andre called me and told me we would beat Cardozo…and I believed him."

Alex Hall and Andre Armstrong led Forest Hills with 17 points each. Ryan Rhoomes led Cardozo and all scorers with 18 points.

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