Top Seed Left Behind In PSAL Quarters

NEW YORK, NY - Sunday's PSAL "AA" quarterfinals at Hunter College only had one team that had a seed with two digits. When you get that deep in the playoffs, theoretically only the top 8 seeds should still be playing.

The fact that #10 seeded Brooklyn Collegiate was still playing was a minor surprise. The fact that after finishing their quarterfinal matchup against #2 Wings Academy there season still isn't over is officially a major surprise.

Junior forward Davere Creighton got a second chance to knock in a go ahead jumper off a drive and kick from point guard Cheyenne Nettleton with seconds left in the game against Wings. After missing badly with less than 0:20 seconds left and B.C. trailing by a point, his team was able to get the ball back after a travel. Creighton made the most of his second chance and swished it though the net for a 56-55 victory.

Creighton was one of three Lion players who scored 10 points each. None was bigger than the final one basket, the one that gave his team the win. Creighton was asked how he felt after making the game winning shot. He didn't show a lot of emotion describing how he felt after making the shot and sending his team the quarterfinal.

"It wasn't nothing at all. It wasn't no feeling. It was the biggest game of the year, big shot" Creighton said. "I guess we're playing on Wednesday"

The other two players were Craig McKenzie and Adrian Williams. Nettleton led the team in scoring with 13 points. Wings was led by junior Jessie Govan with 14 points, while Desure Buie added 13.

The game is classified as a major upset because Wings was the #2 seed and some thought that Wings would be the only team really capable of giving top seed Lincoln the best game if both teams made it to the final game. Now that theory can't be tested directly because of Brooklyn Collegiate and their one point win over Wings.

Maybe B.C. is the team that can give heavily favored Lincoln problems. Creighton definitely didn't mince words when he was asked how he felt after his team sent Wings home.

"We can beat anybody in the city to be honest with you" Creighton said. "We just got to buckle down and do what we do"

Brooklyn Collegiate may not suppose to be here at the stage of the journey, but they are. They will play Cardozo in the next round of the playoffs which tips-off on Wednesday.

#1 Lincoln knocks off #10 Westinghouse 89-67

This game was basically over in the first quarter. Lincoln came out with force and led the game from wire to wire. They had their main guys in double figures as usual. Isaiah Whitehead led the Railsplitters with 26 points. Elisha Boone was especially active and finished with 21 points. Desi Rodriguez didn't play as many minutes as usual, but still finished with a convincing 16 points.

Westinghouse tried to play strong, but Lincoln was too tough for them to handle. They have already seen Lincoln multiple times this season, but always with the same result, a loss. Isaiah Gurley scored a team high 24 points for Westinghouse, while Tremaine Elder added 15.

Cardozo Edges South Shore, 69-66

The first game of a quadruple header for the PSAL play-offs was a foul fest. The referees were constantly blowing their whistles and stopping play. The result was a play-off game that was almost as long as a college game. Still, sophomore guard Rashond Salnave was able to shine through a murky, ugly, free throw shooting contest. The sophomore was on fire from behind the arc in the second half, nailing 5 triples on his way to a game high 31 points.

Salnave had an impressive showing and put Cardozo on his young shoulders. He led the team despite only being a sophomore. The result is a game against Brooklyn Collegiate Wednesday night to see who will play in the championship game.

Cori Johnson and Donnell Clayton had 11 points to lead South Shore in scoring.

#4 Jefferson Bangs Out #5 Curtis, 73-57

Jefferson jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, and after Curtis fought back to make it a game early. However it was only a close contest for a few more moments. After Curtis cut their deficit to 20-15 late in the first quarter, Jefferson got back to business and scored the next 11 points to take a firm hold of the game. They were never seriously threatened the rest of the way to an easy victory.

Sophomore guard Curtis Smith led Jefferson with 17 points. Devonte Wilson and Papa Ekow Donkor each scored 12 for The Orange Wave. Curtis was led by Innocent Kukulu who scored a game high 19 points.

Jefferson will play Lincoln Wednesday night in the PSAL semifinals.