Tight games headline M.T.G. Semifinals
SOUTH RICHMOND HILL, NY- It was wall to wall action at the More than a Game Back 2 School H.S. Preseason Invitational on Sunday as the semifinals featured 4 teams with championship dreams.
In the opener Eagle Academy took on Brooklyn Law and Tech, while the second matchup saw John Bowne going up against Brooklyn Collegiate.
With so much on the line we at NYCHoops.net made our way over to the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens to take in the action and here now is a recap of what took place on Sunday morning.
Brooklyn Law and Tech 55- Eagle Academy 53
For much of the first half it was all about what Law and Tech did right as the PSAL A Division power saw everyone get into the scoring action as Isaiah Folk ‘21 and Kamari Ware ‘21 each draining threes at the start, and once the main stars got going soon after the Jets found themselves flying high.
Davonta Cook ‘19 wasn’t doing much in terms of scoring but he was pushing the tempo and getting others involved, and with Joseph Pena ‘19 finding the hot hand as the half went on to the tune of 15 points, Law and Tech saw the lead grow to double digits.
If there was a bright spot for Eagle in the first 16 minutes it was DeMarco Watson ‘20 as the St. Raymond’s transfer was proving to be able to get into driving lanes and finish, though the deficit at the half for Eagle Academy was still at 35-22.
Eagle did a better job of rotating defensively and not give up as many open looks from three in the second half with Pena and Ware each only hitting on one a piece, while offensively they were more efficient as Julian Avila ‘19 and Mike Caldero ‘20 pushing the tempo and scoring up court in transition allowed them to get within 46-39 with just over 5 minutes to play.
The Jets though were able to get Cook going offensively as he weaved his way to the basket to score a pair of big buckets and get the lead back up to 11.
Moving the ball around the court and making sure they limited Eagle Academy’s possessions meant FT’s for Law and Tech in which they struggled at times to give Eagle life as it became a two possession game with just over a minute to go.
A made Joshua Williams ‘20 three would get Eagle as close as they had been in the game with 7.7 seconds left at 53-51 and then an immediate foul put Calvin Jenkins ‘20 on the line for 2 FT’s, though he had just missed a pair seconds before so his confidence had to be questioned.
Jenkins though calmly stepped up and knocked both FT’s down to up the Jets lead to 55-51, and even though they inexplicably fouled with 0.2 left with Williams hitting two from the charity stripe it wasn’t enough as Brooklyn Law and Tech did just enough to hold on and take the 55-53 victory.
Pena showed why he could be among the top scorers in the PSAL this season as the senior had 21 points for the winners, with Ware adding 11 and Jenkins chipping in with 9 for the Jets.
For Eagle Academy in the loss it was Watson who had 18 points, while Edwin Santiago ‘21 had 12 points of his own in the defeat.
Brooklyn Collegiate 73- John Bowne 69
In the second semifinal it was the names of the Lions against the youngsters of the Wildcats. Many may have expected a one sided contest but Bowne was out to shock as they came out hot and made sure it was going to be close throughout.
They may have been full of young players who are just making their names in NYC but the likes of Tyshawn Trail ‘21, Cherif Diarra ‘20, and Aguibou Balde ‘21 has Bowne taking a quick lead as they matched Brooklyn Collegiate’s tempo and were unafraid to push and score in the open court.
Struggling to score in transition themselves, the Lions got a great opening half from Jaylin Anderson ‘20 as he was able to dominate inside, while also stretching out and hitting from the outside as well in keeping Brooklyn Collegiate close.
Just about everyone got involved in some form or fashion for John Bowne as 8 of their 9 players got on the scoreboard in the opening half, but a late push from Majesty Johnson ‘20 helped the Lions go in front in the closing minute and take a 37-35 lead at halftime.
With Brooklyn Collegiate not finishing a good number of chances early, they were more persistent around the rim and capitalized on their chances to score the first 6 points of the second the half and go up 43-35.
Glen Anderson ‘19 may not have the size to be a force on the glass but he was able to get in strong positions and put back a pair of misses as the Lions pressure started to take affect with the Brooklyn Collegiate lead going to double digits with 10 minutes to play in the game.
John Bowne stayed close as Amadou Diallo ‘21 connected on a three, while Diarra continuously finished on floaters and putbacks around the rim as the young Wildcats showed no fear in staying tight with one of NYC’s expected best.
It wasn’t until the up and down tempo seemed to wear on John Bowne that the Lions started to pull away. Instead of getting stops the Wildcats were just trading baskets, and with Johnson creating and being a master playmaker for his teammates, the Brooklyn Collegiate lead opener up once again, and this time for good.
Credit has to go to the young Bowne kids who never quit and stayed close most of the way, including getting a couple late turnovers and Trail hitting a pair of late threes, but behind Anderson’s 20 points the veteran play of the Lions won out as they were able to pull away in the closing minutes for a 73-69 win.
Along with Anderson scoring 20 the Lions also got 18 points from Johnson in the victorious performance.
Bowne played extremely well in defeat and got great effort from both Trail and Balde who had 20 and 16 points respectively in the loss, though they showed those in the Queens AA that the Wildcats are no question a team to reckon with this season.
