The Chosen Ones used a strong second half defensive effort to beat the defending champions Hoyas 94-81 Monday night at the Educational Complex gymnasium in a battle of the New Breed Basketball Association’s two remaining unbeaten teams.
The game, played in front of easily the biggest crowd of the season, was everything the fans could ask for and more, and was not decided until the last minutes of the contest.
The opening quarter for these two high octane offenses was a low scoring, defensive one. The Hoyas got off to the better start, and led by 10 points from star Karl “Mike Jones” John, was able to outscore the Chosen Ones 22-14 in the opening stanza.
A 10-2 run by the Chosen Ones began the second quarter and they were quickly within two points of the lead at 26-24. They were still trailing by two points at 29-27 when the Hoyas’ Darnel “Burger” Hendricks got hot and led his team on a 12-4 run to open up a 10p-point lead at 41-31 with 3:51 left in the half. James Sneed hit a couple of big three-pointers to keep his team within striking distance as they outscored the Hoyas 9-7 to go into intermission trailing by eight at 48-40.
The Hoyas started out the third period full of confidence, pushing the lead to as many as 11 points in the period before the momentum began to shift to Chosen Ones. Their defensive intensity, led by the ever-hustling Ryan Rawlins, was beginning to wear down the Hoyas.
The Chosen Ones were looking fresher, getting to most of the loose balls and just out-working the champs. They closed the third period on an 11-3 run that just about spelled the beginning of the end for the Hoyas – what was just an eight point advantage was down to one at 62-61 after three quarters.
Joey Wallace, who had a good fourth quarter for Chosen Ones, gave them their first lead at 63-61 since early in the opening period, with a driving layup. It was a lead that they would not relinquish again as it started a 6-3 run in the opening moments of the fourth and they led by three at 67-64 after two minutes of play. The Champs continued to battle and would get to within one point of the lead at 72-71. It would be the last time they would be that close.
Rawlins responded with an in-your-face three-pointer and a layup, sharpshooter Steve Gardner hit another tough three to highlight a 10-4 run, and just like that the lead was seven at 82-75 with 2:38 left. From that point on the Chosen Ones had an answer for everything the Hoyas threw at them and then some. Fatigue was now visibly an issue with the Hoyas as it was obvious they were being out hustled all over the floor. The Chosen Ones, to the delight of their loudly cheering fans, would close out the contest with 14-6 run to remain the only unbeaten team in the NBBA.
“The Key tonight was our defense," said Chosen Ones’ coach Dean Heywood. “We used a box-and-one on their main shooter “Burger” (Hendrickson) and kept his touches limited. I also knew that we would eventually wear them down — and as you can see those guys were walking out there in the fourth quarter."
Hoyas Coach Sammy Lee was unflappable. “We took a loss tonight – that’s basketball, but they can’t beat us again!” he said.
So the battle lines have been drawn, and with the playoffs looming, there is a very strong possibility that these two teams will see each other again. And Guidance, the league’s other powerhouse, can’t be counted out either.
Gardner led four Chosen Ones players in double figures with a game-high 21 points. He was well-supported by arguably the game’s MVP, Rawlins, who netted 17 points, pulled down seven rebounds and played a huge role in defending Hendrickson, keeping him to 18 points.
Wilson Ferrance and James Snead rounded out the four Chosen Ones in double figures with 14 and 10 points respectively. For the Hoyas, it was Karl John leading the way with a team-high 19 points and Andre McIntosh dropped in 12 in a losing cause.
