Happy Holidays everyone. Looking forward to a Happy New Year, but first comes a game that I especially looked forward to this year. The rivalry game that is played in the heart of Roxbury every year since 1992 between Madison Park and O'Bryant has been a lop-sided one. The last time the Tigers of O'Bryant won a game over their rival was the 2005 Boston City Conference Championship. This year OB hosted. Madison Park walked into this with a winning streak to maintain in their rivalry and a 2 game losing streak to snap. They lost the "infamous" buzzer beater at home to East Boston that made the top 10 ESPN plays and that was followed up by a 16pt loss at Tech Boston (Dorchester). So, it's about time to get a win don't you think?
Well, in the first quarter, MP's full court press was thoroughly ineffective. But what wasn't ineffective was the triple team down low OB set up on the Cardinals' only big threat, David Stewart. To end the period, MP had only scored 5 pts, all which came from the free throw line. O'Bryant's junior captain, Ricardo Ortiz, got his team started with 6pts including 4pts from the strip.
O'Bryant 16 Madison Park 5
In the second quarter, OB took a timeout (5:54) after MP took a 6pt run. A rotation of Tigers including Ortiz hit 3s to keep the steady lead into the half despite the guard play of Shaq Robinson and Mike Benitez heading to the free throw line numerous times.
O'Bryant 29 Madison Park 19
The Cardinals 12 pt run to start the half gave them a small lead. But they soon took a timeout (1:00) after a 3 pointer by Harry Demosthene. At that point, the score was 34-33 OB. Then, the game got interesting seeing as MP fouled into the bonus (0:24). David Stewart would close out the quarter with a buzzer beater to tie it up.
O"Bryant 35 Madison Park 35
The Tigers hit 4 quick points off of 2 steals that forced an MP timeout (7:08). Then Gabriel Vieira, for the Tigers, hit both free throws when MP fouled into the double bonus with just under 5 minutes to go. Benitez, would get a steal and score to bring his squad within 1. OB called timeout as a result (2:22). Stewart would score 2 pts and then commit his 3rd foul which sent him to the bench. Ortiz, made both FTs to keep OB up 1. MP timeout (1:36). Out of that, MP got a shot clock violation (1:23) and then they caused a reach'-in foul (0:52). The Tigers lack of made free throws at the end kept the lead close. MP timeout was taken after Ortiz missed those ensuing FTs. (0:47) But after another foul was committed, Ian Jaffier would hit a FT. The next inbounds never made it down the court and as MP tried to foul time ran out.
O'Bryant 45 Madison Park 43
Madison Park will now have to finish out their vacation with a 3 game losing streak and 3rd year coach Drew Brock of the Tigers recieved his biggest victory of his tenure so far, a streak breaking win over the rival Cardinals. This takes them to 4-2 on the year including a 3 game win streak.
O'Bryant Tigers 45
Ricardo Ortiz 13, G. Vieira 9, I. Jaffier 9, H. Demosthene 6
J. Hall 4, B. Lawler 4, J. Butler 1
Madison Park Cardinals 43
David Stewart 11, #34 10, Mike Benitez 10, S. Robinson 8
T. Williams 2, M. Silveira 2
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
New Mission at Brighton
New Mission walked into Brighton undefeated at 3-0. They went to New York and won their first game and then toasted Charlestown in their house by 27. Brighton on the other hand just came off a 19 pt loss to Charlestown. Well, to both squads I say, welcome to the North Division of the Boston City Conference. But you still have to face each other. With a big crowd on hand and an electrifying crowd, here we go.
Nick Simpson, who is oh so used to playing against his AAU coach during the high school season started by only missing 1 of first 8 FTs. He dropped 10 pts in the quarter. New Mission's size beat themselves. With the hustle of the Bengals post players, the Titans found themselves on the wrong end of the then 18-10 score and called a timeout(1:33). More of the same pressure from the post had the gym excited.
Brighton 23 New Mission 15
New Mission came on next period though. In an attempt to contain Simpson who added another 7 pts that quarter, 6 different players scored. One of which was 6'1 sophomore transfer, Juwan Gooding from Milton High School, who along with bench forward, Samuel Freeman, who both put up 5 pts a piece to lead the 2nd quarter push. When they had finally succeeded in getting Simpson into foul trouble, Jason Jones would prove a good backup in the paint. He always seemed to be there in the heat of it. He put up 12pts. He hit a buzzer beater to keep the game tied at the half just as the Titans had established a small lead. Nick Simpson, even after returning to the game later would not score again. He finished with 17.
Brighton 37 New Mission 37
Immediately after the start, a couple hard fouls kept the ball in Brighton's hands. New Mission was slowly losing it. The Bengals' guard play led by all city point guard Malik James forced a Titan timeout(2:57). James had 13 at that point. It became very repititious for New Mission. A guard would miss a long ball. Brighton would rebound and one of those guards would shoot and/or go to the line.The Bengal lead increased to 10, which drew another New Mission timeout(1:29). In the same instance, during the timeout, James of Brighton would recieve a technical foul. (It was a small price to pay, after establishing a lead and getting their home crowd energized.)
Brighton 56 New Mission 49
James would only be seated briefly. In the midst of the return of Simpson and James for Brighton, it was the Titans turn to turn up. Fred Rivers would lead the comeback with 10 4th quarter points. Shaquan Murray would hit a 3 that caused a Brighton timeout(5:54) as the Titans took a 1 point lead. During another timeout, the already reseated Simpson caused a ruckus when he was taunted by New Mission fans. A 66-64 Brighton lead was in progress at this point. James started up again with 4 straight points to cause a Titan timeout(3:04) to retake a 2 pt lead. A technical was called on Juwan Gooding during a tie up(2:35) which sent James to the line to hit 2 more FTs. They led by 4. The possession after the technical in addition to an inside miss by New Mission led to 4 more points and a timeout called by New Mission(1:37) who was now down 8. A double technical involving Isshiah Coleman of the Titans caused a ruckus after Brighton's Prince Unaegbu secured the ball in a tie up(36.3). Two more fouls while they were in the bonus added 4 pts to James' total as he finished with 30pts. When the game was over, New Mission and Brighton had lost their cool so bad that officials at the game wouldn't allow the teams to shake hands for the safety of all players and people in the gym. Too much had transpired. The Titans took their first loss to their rival. This is the 3rd straight loss to them in 2 years and they see each other at least once more in Hyde Park at New Mission. Brighton improved to 2-2. The Titans are 3-1.
Brighton Bengals 79
Malik James 30, Nick Simpson 17, Jason Jones 12, Mark Mojica 10
D. Edwards 5, P. Unaegbu 5
New Mission Titans 68
Fred Rivers 14, Juwan Gooding 10, B. Jones 9, S. Murray 9, N. Anderson 6
C. Ebele 6, I. Coleman 5, S. Freeman 5, K. Harris 2, P. Gomez 2
Nick Simpson, who is oh so used to playing against his AAU coach during the high school season started by only missing 1 of first 8 FTs. He dropped 10 pts in the quarter. New Mission's size beat themselves. With the hustle of the Bengals post players, the Titans found themselves on the wrong end of the then 18-10 score and called a timeout(1:33). More of the same pressure from the post had the gym excited.
Brighton 23 New Mission 15
New Mission came on next period though. In an attempt to contain Simpson who added another 7 pts that quarter, 6 different players scored. One of which was 6'1 sophomore transfer, Juwan Gooding from Milton High School, who along with bench forward, Samuel Freeman, who both put up 5 pts a piece to lead the 2nd quarter push. When they had finally succeeded in getting Simpson into foul trouble, Jason Jones would prove a good backup in the paint. He always seemed to be there in the heat of it. He put up 12pts. He hit a buzzer beater to keep the game tied at the half just as the Titans had established a small lead. Nick Simpson, even after returning to the game later would not score again. He finished with 17.
Brighton 37 New Mission 37
Immediately after the start, a couple hard fouls kept the ball in Brighton's hands. New Mission was slowly losing it. The Bengals' guard play led by all city point guard Malik James forced a Titan timeout(2:57). James had 13 at that point. It became very repititious for New Mission. A guard would miss a long ball. Brighton would rebound and one of those guards would shoot and/or go to the line.The Bengal lead increased to 10, which drew another New Mission timeout(1:29). In the same instance, during the timeout, James of Brighton would recieve a technical foul. (It was a small price to pay, after establishing a lead and getting their home crowd energized.)
Brighton 56 New Mission 49
James would only be seated briefly. In the midst of the return of Simpson and James for Brighton, it was the Titans turn to turn up. Fred Rivers would lead the comeback with 10 4th quarter points. Shaquan Murray would hit a 3 that caused a Brighton timeout(5:54) as the Titans took a 1 point lead. During another timeout, the already reseated Simpson caused a ruckus when he was taunted by New Mission fans. A 66-64 Brighton lead was in progress at this point. James started up again with 4 straight points to cause a Titan timeout(3:04) to retake a 2 pt lead. A technical was called on Juwan Gooding during a tie up(2:35) which sent James to the line to hit 2 more FTs. They led by 4. The possession after the technical in addition to an inside miss by New Mission led to 4 more points and a timeout called by New Mission(1:37) who was now down 8. A double technical involving Isshiah Coleman of the Titans caused a ruckus after Brighton's Prince Unaegbu secured the ball in a tie up(36.3). Two more fouls while they were in the bonus added 4 pts to James' total as he finished with 30pts. When the game was over, New Mission and Brighton had lost their cool so bad that officials at the game wouldn't allow the teams to shake hands for the safety of all players and people in the gym. Too much had transpired. The Titans took their first loss to their rival. This is the 3rd straight loss to them in 2 years and they see each other at least once more in Hyde Park at New Mission. Brighton improved to 2-2. The Titans are 3-1.
Brighton Bengals 79
Malik James 30, Nick Simpson 17, Jason Jones 12, Mark Mojica 10
D. Edwards 5, P. Unaegbu 5
New Mission Titans 68
Fred Rivers 14, Juwan Gooding 10, B. Jones 9, S. Murray 9, N. Anderson 6
C. Ebele 6, I. Coleman 5, S. Freeman 5, K. Harris 2, P. Gomez 2
West Roxbury at O'Bryant
Well off to the O'Bryant I went to see another 0-2 team try and find their first win. That team was the West Roxbury Raiders on the road after losing to Madison Park and Latin Academy. The Tigers prepared to host them after comin off a win vs CASH to have a 1-1 record. Markus Neale did not start for the Raiders due to injury. Here we go.
After a couple early traveling calls and some sloppy plays, Westie forced a timeout (2:35) when they went on a 9 pt run led by Timoy Jarrett. He scored 5 of that 9. He would finish the quarter with 10pts. That wouldn't be enough to hold off the post presence of O'Bryant's Jared Butler who would end the period with a buzzer beater as he put up 11pts.
O'Bryant 19 West Roxbury 18
In the second, here come the Raiders' Taquan Skeen with 6pts in a team 10-2 run that forced another OB timeout (2:19). Jarrett added another 9 to his total. With Westie in the bonus though, the Tigers' Gabriel Vieira went to the line a few times dropping 7 of his 11 halftime points. That kept them in range.
West Roxbury 34 O'Bryant 32
In the next quarter ,Westie turned it up. Deven Robinson would put up 6 of a team 8pt run to cause another opponent timeout (4:16). In comes Marcus Neale who scores 6 straight points off the bench. That forced another timeout (2:02). He would finish with 13. That run brought the Raiders into a double digit lead that they would keep.
West Roxbury 58 O'Bryant 39
Despite a couple small runs by O"Bryant, West Roxbury would hold the cushion they had established. Timoy Jarrett would finish with 29.
West Roxbury 73 O'Bryant 58
The Raiders win their first game on the road moving to 1-2. The Tigers drop to 1-2.
Interview to be posted later.
West Roxbury Raiders 73
Timoy Jarrett 29, Markus Neale 13, Deven Robinson 11, T. Skeen 8
B. Henri 4, R. Delarosa 3, J. Wheeler 3, R. Charitable 2
O'Bryant Tigers 58
Jared Butler 16, Gabriel Vieira 15, Ian Jaffier 12, J. Hall 6
R. Ortiz 5, J. Martin 3, H. Demosthene 1
After a couple early traveling calls and some sloppy plays, Westie forced a timeout (2:35) when they went on a 9 pt run led by Timoy Jarrett. He scored 5 of that 9. He would finish the quarter with 10pts. That wouldn't be enough to hold off the post presence of O'Bryant's Jared Butler who would end the period with a buzzer beater as he put up 11pts.
O'Bryant 19 West Roxbury 18
In the second, here come the Raiders' Taquan Skeen with 6pts in a team 10-2 run that forced another OB timeout (2:19). Jarrett added another 9 to his total. With Westie in the bonus though, the Tigers' Gabriel Vieira went to the line a few times dropping 7 of his 11 halftime points. That kept them in range.
West Roxbury 34 O'Bryant 32
In the next quarter ,Westie turned it up. Deven Robinson would put up 6 of a team 8pt run to cause another opponent timeout (4:16). In comes Marcus Neale who scores 6 straight points off the bench. That forced another timeout (2:02). He would finish with 13. That run brought the Raiders into a double digit lead that they would keep.
West Roxbury 58 O'Bryant 39
Despite a couple small runs by O"Bryant, West Roxbury would hold the cushion they had established. Timoy Jarrett would finish with 29.
West Roxbury 73 O'Bryant 58
The Raiders win their first game on the road moving to 1-2. The Tigers drop to 1-2.
Interview to be posted later.
West Roxbury Raiders 73
Timoy Jarrett 29, Markus Neale 13, Deven Robinson 11, T. Skeen 8
B. Henri 4, R. Delarosa 3, J. Wheeler 3, R. Charitable 2
O'Bryant Tigers 58
Jared Butler 16, Gabriel Vieira 15, Ian Jaffier 12, J. Hall 6
R. Ortiz 5, J. Martin 3, H. Demosthene 1
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Brighton at Charlestown
Charlestown Townies 66
Taris Wilson 17, Frederick Oliveira 13, Alijah Robinson 13, Colin Collins 10
J. Edwards 9, R. Gunter 3, W. Abdullah 1
Brighton Bengals 47
Daivon Edwards 10, M. James 8, M. Mojica 6, P. Unaegbu 6, J. Edmonds 5
K. Hemingway 4, J. Jones 4, N. Simpson 2, N. Succes 2
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
BOSTON CITY BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP
Oh boy, what a treat! It's gametime and it's a rematch of the top 2 teams in the Boston North. After a close 3 point win over South champion Brighton, Madison Park would advance to the final which was hosted in their own house. They would have to play visitor though as the team they faced had beating them twice during the regular season cleaning house pretty much as they achieved the North division regular season title. The first loss was by 20 and the second loss was only by 2. So the Cardinals were getting closer and closer to beating them, could they do it in this game? We will see.
Gametime...Again with the defensive pressure, the Jets who only came in 9 deep to play came hard with it. It would cause a little issue for the refs as they issued a quick warning to both teams for being physical. Pat Santos would sit for the half once he got his 2nd foul at the 26. 2 mark of the 1st. Eastie would walk out with a 12-8 lead to end the quarter.
But here comes MP battling right back and this time they showed equal toughness taking their first lead 14-12 after a 6 pt run that ran to the 6:02 mark of the 2nd. They took alot of rebounds both ways to make that happen when they caught the Eastie guards under the basket. That caused those same guards to pick up small fouls. Dakim Murray for Madison Park would step up getting 11 pts in that quarter alone. And on defense the Cardinals' 2-3 zone really went to work for them. But still the halftime scored left them puzzled as Eastie led 23-22.
The answer would show itself in the 3rd. Zach Gattereau started hitting 3s and when he gets a stroke the 6'4 senior can work some things. But the combination of bench guard O'Shea Joy (hitting long range)and Dakim Murray (dominating inside) would cause issues. The underlying asset was senior captain Ray Matthews who would have no trouble finding both men for multiple assists. He also hit a buzzer beater to end the quarter. Now they're cooking. 39-35 Cardinals to end the 3rd.
David Stewart would get into trouble with his 4th foul to start the quarter for MP. Even with R. Matthews running the floor and Murray on the boards, here comes Eastie. With Santos back in the game as a pawn at point, we saw the unorthodox play of Kwandell Bush handling the ball. This came as a surprise seeing as he is a back up center in most games. So they spread the floor forced the big men out and the Jets now have something going. Kyle Fox hits a long 3 to tie it at 45 with 2:05. They Joy would score to put MP up 2 at 1:59. Then Kenny Ramos (watch out for him)would get fouled and miss on a 1 and 1 but Fox got the rebound and Ramos scored to tie it again. But then he would goaltend a shot by Stewart putting Mp up 2. This then was followed by a Santos foul on R. Edwards who made 1 of 2 to put MP up 3 with 29.0 sec left (50-47 MP). East Boston took the ball down for the last possession to tie it. (Flashback...MP was up 3 on Brighton to end the 4th and Theo Oribhabor would misfire twice to lose the game the day before which is how MP got here.) Gattereau for 3 to tie...and HE MAKES IT!!! with 7.1 sec left. The MP inbound was picked off by Ramos 3/4 of the way down court with 6.4 left. Time expired and we are going to OVERTIME tied 50-50!
To start here comes Joy with another score, then Stewart was goaltended on his shot again! This put MP up 4. But then Dakim Murray would foul out with 2:54 left. He finished with a team high 18. Ramos would make both to put the Jets within 2. Then he would come back and score again to tie it at 2 min mark. Another shot by Joy for MP and Ramos for Eastie would tie it again (56-56). But then Joy would hit a 3. He finished with 17 off the bench. Will March would score a basket bringing the Jets within 1. After an East Boston timeout at 34.7, with the Jets down 1 they would go to Ramos who would score under the basket in traffic. (60-59 EB) Time would run out and for the 3rd time this season EAST BOSTON beat MADISON PARK to become the BOSTON CITY CHAMPIONS! Kenny Ramos who finished with 18 would be the MVP. And both Coach Smith and the MVP would have this to say after the game.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Final
East Boston 12 11 12 15 10 60
Madison Park 8 14 16 12 9 59
East Boston- K. Ramos 18, Z. Gattereau 16, K. Fox 8, K. Bush 7, W. March 5,
E. Jean 3, P. Santos 3
Madison Park- D. Murray 18, O. Joy 17, D. Stewart 10, R. Matthews 8, T. Matthews 2
D. Lawladonnie 2, D. Jackson 2
Gametime...Again with the defensive pressure, the Jets who only came in 9 deep to play came hard with it. It would cause a little issue for the refs as they issued a quick warning to both teams for being physical. Pat Santos would sit for the half once he got his 2nd foul at the 26. 2 mark of the 1st. Eastie would walk out with a 12-8 lead to end the quarter.
But here comes MP battling right back and this time they showed equal toughness taking their first lead 14-12 after a 6 pt run that ran to the 6:02 mark of the 2nd. They took alot of rebounds both ways to make that happen when they caught the Eastie guards under the basket. That caused those same guards to pick up small fouls. Dakim Murray for Madison Park would step up getting 11 pts in that quarter alone. And on defense the Cardinals' 2-3 zone really went to work for them. But still the halftime scored left them puzzled as Eastie led 23-22.
The answer would show itself in the 3rd. Zach Gattereau started hitting 3s and when he gets a stroke the 6'4 senior can work some things. But the combination of bench guard O'Shea Joy (hitting long range)and Dakim Murray (dominating inside) would cause issues. The underlying asset was senior captain Ray Matthews who would have no trouble finding both men for multiple assists. He also hit a buzzer beater to end the quarter. Now they're cooking. 39-35 Cardinals to end the 3rd.
David Stewart would get into trouble with his 4th foul to start the quarter for MP. Even with R. Matthews running the floor and Murray on the boards, here comes Eastie. With Santos back in the game as a pawn at point, we saw the unorthodox play of Kwandell Bush handling the ball. This came as a surprise seeing as he is a back up center in most games. So they spread the floor forced the big men out and the Jets now have something going. Kyle Fox hits a long 3 to tie it at 45 with 2:05. They Joy would score to put MP up 2 at 1:59. Then Kenny Ramos (watch out for him)would get fouled and miss on a 1 and 1 but Fox got the rebound and Ramos scored to tie it again. But then he would goaltend a shot by Stewart putting Mp up 2. This then was followed by a Santos foul on R. Edwards who made 1 of 2 to put MP up 3 with 29.0 sec left (50-47 MP). East Boston took the ball down for the last possession to tie it. (Flashback...MP was up 3 on Brighton to end the 4th and Theo Oribhabor would misfire twice to lose the game the day before which is how MP got here.) Gattereau for 3 to tie...and HE MAKES IT!!! with 7.1 sec left. The MP inbound was picked off by Ramos 3/4 of the way down court with 6.4 left. Time expired and we are going to OVERTIME tied 50-50!
To start here comes Joy with another score, then Stewart was goaltended on his shot again! This put MP up 4. But then Dakim Murray would foul out with 2:54 left. He finished with a team high 18. Ramos would make both to put the Jets within 2. Then he would come back and score again to tie it at 2 min mark. Another shot by Joy for MP and Ramos for Eastie would tie it again (56-56). But then Joy would hit a 3. He finished with 17 off the bench. Will March would score a basket bringing the Jets within 1. After an East Boston timeout at 34.7, with the Jets down 1 they would go to Ramos who would score under the basket in traffic. (60-59 EB) Time would run out and for the 3rd time this season EAST BOSTON beat MADISON PARK to become the BOSTON CITY CHAMPIONS! Kenny Ramos who finished with 18 would be the MVP. And both Coach Smith and the MVP would have this to say after the game.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Final
East Boston 12 11 12 15 10 60
Madison Park 8 14 16 12 9 59
East Boston- K. Ramos 18, Z. Gattereau 16, K. Fox 8, K. Bush 7, W. March 5,
E. Jean 3, P. Santos 3
Madison Park- D. Murray 18, O. Joy 17, D. Stewart 10, R. Matthews 8, T. Matthews 2
D. Lawladonnie 2, D. Jackson 2
BOSTON CITY GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP
It's playoff time. After both teams came off of blowout wins in the semifinals in addition to winning their respective division regular season titles, the championship was up next. The reigning champions of the city, the Lady Tigers of O'Bryant would play host to the opponent they beat last year, the Lady Panthers of Fenway High School. Both teams pretty much had no trouble beating their opponents in the semis. They both did so by double digits.
Here we go, Fenway right from the start had their chemistry together. In addition to their excellent rotation of the ball, they used their new center 6'2 Jalissa Ross to completely dominate the paint. The other 4 girls would straight press forcing shots from the perimeter and easy turnovers in the post. Due to the short height in the post under a towering Ross, they got into early foul trouble. the quarter ended with a breakout 15-4 lead from the Lady Panthers.
It got ugly real quick with O'Bryant fouling into the double bonus with amazingly 6:08 left in the half. Then the pressure really turned up as they missed open shots and didn't crash the boards hard enough. To add insult to injury, Tajanay Veiga-Lee would hit a couple long balls to close the half. Fenway was sitting pretty 27-11 at halftime.
But, not so fast, O'Bryant came out with a hard half court press that translated into a 6-0 run that spanned from the start of the 3rd until the 3:25 mark of the 3rd. That's where Veiga-Lee would score and go back to the line. 4 of the starting 5 for O'Bryant (Daley 4, Kelsey 4, Bradshaw 3, and Green 3)would now be in personal foul trouble. This would lead to the double bonus by the 2.2 sec mark of the 3rd. Much of this was caused by Veiga-Lee who took over scoring 8 of the team's 11 3rd quarter points. So into the 4th after an unintimidating run to start the half, Fenway led 38-22.
A couple clutch shots by Veiga-Lee and C. Matthews would seal the game and foul out Kiana Daley who finished with O'Bryant's team high 11. It was all over and the revenge that was sought for last year's defeat at the hand of O'Bryant was achieved. Even with the coaching change of John Rice to the Fenway team, the city title was accomplished. It helps that title MVP Tajanay Veiga-Lee and most of her squad returned from last year's game, so Rice (13 previous girls city titles) had no problem coaching them to victory. Both Coach Rice and the MVP had these words to say after the win.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Fenway 15 12 11 20 58
OBryant 4 7 11 12 34
Fenway- T. Veiga-Lee 23, C. Matthews 16, K. Cox 10, J. Ross 8, L. Chandlor 1
OBryant- K. Daley 11, R. Kelsey 9, A. Bradshaw 5, S. Kaba 4, A. Green 3, L. Dorsinville 2
Here we go, Fenway right from the start had their chemistry together. In addition to their excellent rotation of the ball, they used their new center 6'2 Jalissa Ross to completely dominate the paint. The other 4 girls would straight press forcing shots from the perimeter and easy turnovers in the post. Due to the short height in the post under a towering Ross, they got into early foul trouble. the quarter ended with a breakout 15-4 lead from the Lady Panthers.
It got ugly real quick with O'Bryant fouling into the double bonus with amazingly 6:08 left in the half. Then the pressure really turned up as they missed open shots and didn't crash the boards hard enough. To add insult to injury, Tajanay Veiga-Lee would hit a couple long balls to close the half. Fenway was sitting pretty 27-11 at halftime.
But, not so fast, O'Bryant came out with a hard half court press that translated into a 6-0 run that spanned from the start of the 3rd until the 3:25 mark of the 3rd. That's where Veiga-Lee would score and go back to the line. 4 of the starting 5 for O'Bryant (Daley 4, Kelsey 4, Bradshaw 3, and Green 3)would now be in personal foul trouble. This would lead to the double bonus by the 2.2 sec mark of the 3rd. Much of this was caused by Veiga-Lee who took over scoring 8 of the team's 11 3rd quarter points. So into the 4th after an unintimidating run to start the half, Fenway led 38-22.
A couple clutch shots by Veiga-Lee and C. Matthews would seal the game and foul out Kiana Daley who finished with O'Bryant's team high 11. It was all over and the revenge that was sought for last year's defeat at the hand of O'Bryant was achieved. Even with the coaching change of John Rice to the Fenway team, the city title was accomplished. It helps that title MVP Tajanay Veiga-Lee and most of her squad returned from last year's game, so Rice (13 previous girls city titles) had no problem coaching them to victory. Both Coach Rice and the MVP had these words to say after the win.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Fenway 15 12 11 20 58
OBryant 4 7 11 12 34
Fenway- T. Veiga-Lee 23, C. Matthews 16, K. Cox 10, J. Ross 8, L. Chandlor 1
OBryant- K. Daley 11, R. Kelsey 9, A. Bradshaw 5, S. Kaba 4, A. Green 3, L. Dorsinville 2
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Blue vs Red
This is a little projection of what I would like to see in the city's annual all star game. Right now, this is my current fantasy roster of top 5 players at each position. There are alot of honorable mentions, but for now this is just the list of best by position.
Point Guards
1. Jahkari Christopher (Burke)*
2. Greg Bridges (New Mission)
3. Pat Santos (East Boston)-
4. Malik James (Brighton)
5. Ray Edwards (Madison Park)
Shooting Guards
1. Jeduan Langston (Dorchester)*
2. Rony Fernandez (Charlestown)-
3. Paul Maurice (Snowden)
4. Kwame Townsend (English)
5. Daivon Edwards (Brighton)
Small Forwards
1. Tyrese Hoxter (Charlestown)-
2. Nick Simpson (Brighton)*
3. LeRoy Hamilton (New Mission)
4. Marcus Neal (West Roxbury)
5. DeVaughn Riley (Boston Latin Academy)
Power Forwards
1. David Stewart (Madison Park)-
2. Isshiah Coleman (New Mission)*
3. Kenny Ramos (East Boston)
4. Jerard Mayes (Brighton)
5. Joseph Farrell (OBryant)
Centers
1. Jared Butler (OBryant)*
2. Tyrik Jackson (Charlestown)-
3. Dakim Murray (Madison Park)
4. Nathaniel Anderson (New Mission)
5. Frederick Oliviera (West Roxbury)
* means I want them to start for the South all stars
- means I want them to start for the North all stars
I am sure there are different opinions and I am sure I might have overlooked some but here are just a few of the honorable mentions...
F Omar Orriols (Charlestown)
G Sterling Brown (West Roxbury)
F Alexander Brown (South Boston)
G Travon Moore (East Boston)
F Will March (East Boston)
F Dane Lawladonnie (Madison Park)
G Wiley Shipman (English)
F Anselm Engebe (Dorchester)
F Javaughn Kittrell (Snowden)
G Nick Thomas (Boston Latin Academy)
F Euclides Semedo (South Boston)
G Curtis Alger (Fenway)
F Justin Phillips (Fenway)
...there are a couple of captains for the CASH Chargers who I think are good but I don't have their current roster. There are alot of athletes in the city under the radar...looking forward to the playoffs(city and state) and the all star game.
Have a goodnight!
Point Guards
1. Jahkari Christopher (Burke)*
2. Greg Bridges (New Mission)
3. Pat Santos (East Boston)-
4. Malik James (Brighton)
5. Ray Edwards (Madison Park)
Shooting Guards
1. Jeduan Langston (Dorchester)*
2. Rony Fernandez (Charlestown)-
3. Paul Maurice (Snowden)
4. Kwame Townsend (English)
5. Daivon Edwards (Brighton)
Small Forwards
1. Tyrese Hoxter (Charlestown)-
2. Nick Simpson (Brighton)*
3. LeRoy Hamilton (New Mission)
4. Marcus Neal (West Roxbury)
5. DeVaughn Riley (Boston Latin Academy)
Power Forwards
1. David Stewart (Madison Park)-
2. Isshiah Coleman (New Mission)*
3. Kenny Ramos (East Boston)
4. Jerard Mayes (Brighton)
5. Joseph Farrell (OBryant)
Centers
1. Jared Butler (OBryant)*
2. Tyrik Jackson (Charlestown)-
3. Dakim Murray (Madison Park)
4. Nathaniel Anderson (New Mission)
5. Frederick Oliviera (West Roxbury)
* means I want them to start for the South all stars
- means I want them to start for the North all stars
I am sure there are different opinions and I am sure I might have overlooked some but here are just a few of the honorable mentions...
F Omar Orriols (Charlestown)
G Sterling Brown (West Roxbury)
F Alexander Brown (South Boston)
G Travon Moore (East Boston)
F Will March (East Boston)
F Dane Lawladonnie (Madison Park)
G Wiley Shipman (English)
F Anselm Engebe (Dorchester)
F Javaughn Kittrell (Snowden)
G Nick Thomas (Boston Latin Academy)
F Euclides Semedo (South Boston)
G Curtis Alger (Fenway)
F Justin Phillips (Fenway)
...there are a couple of captains for the CASH Chargers who I think are good but I don't have their current roster. There are alot of athletes in the city under the radar...looking forward to the playoffs(city and state) and the all star game.
Have a goodnight!
city action update
What's up folks? Playin a lil bit of catchup here. It's really heating up. A couple of big games just finished in this past week in the Boston North.
Charlestown 73 East Boston 66
East Boston 68 Madison Park 42
For those of you that dont know... all 3 teams are fighting for 2 playoff spots representing the north division of the city playoffs at the end of this month. Right now Eastie has finished the biggest threats this season in the division by finishing 3-1 in the 4 games they have against those 2. So barring any upsets from teams lower than 3rd in the conference they have won the North and will be a city contender.
Brighton and New Mission will be facing off next Wednesday and this time...freshman phenom Greg Bridges will be active. Will it be the same outcome? The bengals could sweep the season series this year which is great for seeding in the playoffs as well as rankings in the state...in addition to the fact that they havent beaten Mission in the last 5 games before that including the tough loss in the state playoffs all the way in neutral turf on the campus of UMass Lowell.
I'm beyond ready for the playoffs. Cities and states..and the all star game.
Upcoming big games
New Mission at Brighton Feb 8
Madison Park at Charlestown Feb 14
See you soon!
Charlestown 73 East Boston 66
East Boston 68 Madison Park 42
For those of you that dont know... all 3 teams are fighting for 2 playoff spots representing the north division of the city playoffs at the end of this month. Right now Eastie has finished the biggest threats this season in the division by finishing 3-1 in the 4 games they have against those 2. So barring any upsets from teams lower than 3rd in the conference they have won the North and will be a city contender.
Brighton and New Mission will be facing off next Wednesday and this time...freshman phenom Greg Bridges will be active. Will it be the same outcome? The bengals could sweep the season series this year which is great for seeding in the playoffs as well as rankings in the state...in addition to the fact that they havent beaten Mission in the last 5 games before that including the tough loss in the state playoffs all the way in neutral turf on the campus of UMass Lowell.
I'm beyond ready for the playoffs. Cities and states..and the all star game.
Upcoming big games
New Mission at Brighton Feb 8
Madison Park at Charlestown Feb 14
See you soon!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Brighton vs Dorchester
81-59...and a break from the stats and story. Got some nice dominant clips.
@:24 Jerard Mayes with a steal and dunk @:50 Theo Oribhabor with a tre-ball
@:24 Jerard Mayes with a steal and dunk @:50 Theo Oribhabor with a tre-ball
@4:00 Jeduan Langston crosses over Daivon Edwards
@2:50 Daivon Edwards for 3 after another steal
@4:25 Malik James 3 to end the 3rd quarter
@2:40 Malik James to Jerard Mayes alley-oop
Nick Simpson highlights
Interview with Jerard Mayes
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
BRIGHTON AT NEW MISSION
Gametime...this is for sole position of Boston South Division. Brighton Bengals and New Mission Titans at the Tobin Gym in Roxbury Crossing (heart of the city, I love it!). Bengals with a record of 7-1 having only lost to Brockton at the Rotary Classic Holiday tourney and New Mission with a record of 6-2 only loss to St. John's Prep and St. Anthony's (NJ) both come into this game undefeated in the city. So to the game we go...the first quarter was interesting as Mission shared the ball like crazy. They were at one point up 16-5. 7 players scored in the 1st. They kept it high pace and the Bengals defense couldn't contain sprints in the full court press they had. Since their 3-2 zone was using an inside focus, they couldn't stop the long ball in the first quarter. But the tempo switched in the 2nd quarter real quick, junior Nick Simpson would lead his squad with 8 of the teams 20 point 2nd qtr points. They walked into the half only trailing by 5 which is better than the 11 they tried to make up after the 1st. New Mission still didn't need much 2nd chance opportunities as their long ball was deadly to run through the half.
But onto the 3rd qtr we go...Brighton's hustle picked up and this time, it involved more players. Junior captain Daivon Edwards stepped up dropping 9 of his 12. Simpson added another 7. He finished with a team high 23. (It helps when the opponent you are playing has the coach you play AAU for.) Therefore, even if your team doesn't come up, no one will stop you from dominating. The slow climb in 2nd become a 3rd quarter ending 1 point deficit. It's on now!
This quarter was all about crucial turnovers in which New Mission would show weakness. The shots stop dropping and the inside focus from the height Brighton brought earlier in their zone started working. And then quick stops from the half court press that walked into a zone would bring the Titans to their knees. They couldn't hardly breathe except for the clutch 4 straight free throws at the 1:30 mark by Dashawn Fennel (only points of the game) and a couple baskets from Isshiah Coleman. With him playin post and being double and triple teamed most of the game through the ugly zone Brighton's bigs gave him he only dropped 10. After trailing the whole game, Malik James got the go ahead bucket at 1:33. He put up 10. With the rotation of James, Edwards and Theo Oribhabor who added another crucial go ahead basket around the minute mark. It was all over.
With this 60-58 win, Brighton did a few things. They move to a mark of 8-1. They end the 2 year home winning streak of New Mission and they take sole posession of first place atop the Boston City South Division. I spoke with Daivon Edwards, Malik James and Head Coach Hugh Coleman of the now leading Bengals. They had this to say after the game.
But onto the 3rd qtr we go...Brighton's hustle picked up and this time, it involved more players. Junior captain Daivon Edwards stepped up dropping 9 of his 12. Simpson added another 7. He finished with a team high 23. (It helps when the opponent you are playing has the coach you play AAU for.) Therefore, even if your team doesn't come up, no one will stop you from dominating. The slow climb in 2nd become a 3rd quarter ending 1 point deficit. It's on now!
This quarter was all about crucial turnovers in which New Mission would show weakness. The shots stop dropping and the inside focus from the height Brighton brought earlier in their zone started working. And then quick stops from the half court press that walked into a zone would bring the Titans to their knees. They couldn't hardly breathe except for the clutch 4 straight free throws at the 1:30 mark by Dashawn Fennel (only points of the game) and a couple baskets from Isshiah Coleman. With him playin post and being double and triple teamed most of the game through the ugly zone Brighton's bigs gave him he only dropped 10. After trailing the whole game, Malik James got the go ahead bucket at 1:33. He put up 10. With the rotation of James, Edwards and Theo Oribhabor who added another crucial go ahead basket around the minute mark. It was all over.
With this 60-58 win, Brighton did a few things. They move to a mark of 8-1. They end the 2 year home winning streak of New Mission and they take sole posession of first place atop the Boston City South Division. I spoke with Daivon Edwards, Malik James and Head Coach Hugh Coleman of the now leading Bengals. They had this to say after the game.
Brighton Bengals (8-1)- N. Simpson 23, D. Edwards 12, M. James 10, J. Mayes 9, T. Oribhabor 4, T. Dowman 2
New Mission Titans (6-3)- L. Hamilton 11, P. Gomez 11, I. Coleman 10, S. Murray 8, T. Watson 6, J. Deane 4, D. Fennel 4, F. Rivers 4
Ready to see what happens Feb. 8 for the rematch...SEE YOU THERE!
Monday, January 9, 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR UPDATE
Happy New Year folks, My blog has been running a little bit slow to finish the year. I have gotten interviews after most of these games, but no story to really break down how it happened. Stay tuned for the interviews, my computer was having technical difficulties getting the videos uploaded. I will be back in full swing in the next couple of weeks. As the 2nd half of this season gets started, the divisions will pick up the intensity and I might have a little surprise for you this coming weekend. The only way to find out is to stay tuned. Thank you for your support in advance and I hope you all had a Happy New Year in addition to a Merry Christmas. For now, here are some of the scores from games I did catch in the past few weeks.
New Mission 60, St. John's Prep 69- BABC Class A 1st Round Match
West Roxbury 48, New Bedford 55-BABC Invitational Holiday Bracket
Madison Park 59, East Boston 61-Boston North Current 1st Place Game
Dorchester 58, New Mission 72
Brighton 89, Burke 47
Interview with Nick Simpson and Coach Kurtis Grant
New Mission 60, St. John's Prep 69- BABC Class A 1st Round Match
West Roxbury 48, New Bedford 55-BABC Invitational Holiday Bracket
Madison Park 59, East Boston 61-Boston North Current 1st Place Game
Dorchester 58, New Mission 72
Brighton 89, Burke 47
Interview with Nick Simpson and Coach Kurtis Grant
Snowden 76, South Boston 71
Interview with Coach Megan Waterbury and Paul Maurice
New Mission 64, Cambridge Rindge and Latin 53- BABC Holiday Classic Class A 3rd Place
Interview with Coach Cory McCarthy and Leroy Hamilton
Madison Park 85, O'Bryant 62-School Rivalry
Interview with Coach Dennis Wilson and David Stewart
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