WESTBURY, NY - Sometimes in an AAU tournament you get to play the same team twice. In the second game, you might see a different result and the team that lost will turn around and be the winner.
The NY Rens played Rising Stars a second time on Sunday after beating them in pool play, and this time it was in the Game Over Classic 17 & Under championship game.
Same opponent, same result.
The Rens were just too big in the long run for the Rising Stars, outlasting them 58-53 in the final game. Still, even though the Rens had a few players who were 6-7 and better, it was 6-0 point guard Chris Hargraves who led the way in the scoring column for the Rens.
Hargraves scored a game high 19 points and was named the MVP. He played really well and made a number of critical baskets during the game. No basket was bigger than the lay-up he made to give his team a 53-51 lead late in the game. Hargraves took exploited the Rising Star defense, which continuously gave Hargraves lanes to drive. He did that and more, being especially aggressive and looking to score when he penetrated.
Of course there were other players who contributed to the win. 7-1 sophomore center Paschal Chukwu, whose length in the paint was formidable for the Rising Stars. Chukwa was a force on the offensive boards, getting a few of them and then easily dropping them through the hoop. Also 6-5 forward Terry Tarpey was extremely active. He was involved in almost every aspect of the game, scoring while cutting to the basket or in transition. Tarpey also was productive on the offensive and defensive boards.
We are One Decimate Jayhawks 68-49; Win 16U Chip
We are One jumped out to a 12-0 lead over a smaller and overmatched NYC Jayhawk team. What was obvious was one team was more aggressive and invested in winning the game, while the other team seemed just to be taking up space on the court.
Early on, the Jayhawks were lackluster and allowed We are One to jump out to that big lead and they never recovered from it. They didn't seem to be playing with a lot of confidence. The reason might have been their opponents. We are One was just bigger and more athletic than the Jayhawks. The put the pressure on from the jump ball and never relented. Every time they got the ball they pushed the ball at a break neck pace. The result was an impressive win and the 16 & Under Game Over championship trophy.
The game MVP was awarded to Derrick Jones, who had a thunderous one-handed dunk in the game. They were led by Tim Patton who scored 16 points, while Todd Hughes added another 15.
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