For the second time in as many days, the eight Brass City high schools gathered Sunday for the annual boys basketball jamboree. Holy Cross took down WCA, 23-16, in the final to win the jamboree, which was played in the Reggie O’Brien Gymnasium at Wilby High School.
Here are some thoughts from the day:
Holy Cross: The Crusaders have a budding star in senior Akili Evans. When Evans’ three-point shot is on like it was in the last two eight-minute quarters against Crosby and WCA, Holy Cross has a major threat in its arsenal. Evans had the last 13 points in the 19-17 comeback win over Crosby, then made three 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Crusaders close out WCA. Holy Cross won its first game, 14-2, over Kaynor Tech.
WCA: The Spartans have a chance to be a real formidable foe to anyone, in the NVL and beyond, if they play the way they did for most of Sunday. WCA has quick guards that can get into the lane and knock down outside shots. As one person observed on Sunday, it seems like the Spartans don’t drop off in talent when they go to their bench. WCA knocked off Wilby, 27-10, and Sacred Heart, 12-6, to reach the final.
Sacred Heart: The Hearts have a bunch of talent, but getting it all to mesh is the key. No one has a seven-foot center, except Sacred Heart, which has Connor Tierney. Tierney put on a bunch of weight and could be a formidable force under the basket. Several Hearts showed off some terrific athleticism as well. Sacred Heart beat Kennedy, 13-4, in its opening game before falling, 12-6, to WCA in a semifinal matchup. The Hearts rallied from six points down to take down Crosby, 15-14, in their last game of the day.
Crosby: Speaking of the Bulldogs, it was a frustrating ending to a day that started off with a great comeback win over Chase Collegiate, 25-17, in overtime. Crosby blazed its way to an 11-0 lead against Holy Cross, only to see its opponent come back for a 19-17 victory. In the final quarter against Sacred Heart, Crosby led, 14-8, before the Hearts scored the last seven points to steal the win. The Bulldogs will need to make better decisions with the ball in late-game situations to realize the tremendous potential that they have.
Wilby: When the Wildcats get out and run and share the ball, they can be a dangerous group. Wilby had a bad start in the 27-10 loss to WCA, but recovered with a 22-11 victory over Kennedy in the next game. The Wildcats ran out to a big lead against Chase in the final quarter and wound up winning 24-3 in a stanza played more by the reserves. The starters from both Wilby and Chase were having a ball watching their teammates play in the final minutes, which was fun to watch.
Chase Collegiate: The Highlanders nearly pulled off an upset of Crosby before falling, 25-17, in overtime. Head coach Tim Fitzpatrick loved the effort from his group, which is a very talented one. Chase can play inside and shoot the 3, which make it a tough matchup defensively. The Highlanders rebounded from a tough opening game against Crosby (25-17 loss in overtime) with a 13-11 victory over Kaynor Tech. Chase lost the final quarter to Wilby, but the Highlanders clearly enjoyed their time at the jamboree.
Kaynor Tech: The Panthers also had a rough opening quarter (14-2 loss to Holy Cross), but they played better as the day went along. That was all head coach Hank Spellman wanted from his team, which hasn’t played a lot, due to the trauma surrounding the tragic deaths of classmates Della Jette and Sterling Jette Jr. Kaynor gave Chase a game before losing, 13-11, in its second contest of the day. In the final game, the Panthers beat the Eagles from Kennedy, 16-13.
Kennedy: It was a rough day for the Eagles with losses to Sacred Heart (13-4), Wilby (22-11) and Kaynor Tech (16-13).
Gallery
Here are my photos from Sunday’s jamboree.
