Made the trek to Archbishop Williams for the opening day of the twenty seventh annual BABC Slades Holiday Classic. Always a thrill to take a seat subsequent to BABC founder Leo Papile and his trusty sidekick Cotton. Many because of Archbishop Williams athletic director Sean McDonagh and Sully Coady for his or her tireless work in guaranteeing the occasion went off and not using a hitch.
Host workforce Archbishop Williams opened the festivities in opposition to Western Mass. energy Springfield Central. Thanks to the sensible all-around play of guard Tristan Rodriquez (35 factors), the Bishops had been capable of grasp robust for a half (35-35), earlier than the Golden Eagles’ superiority took over within the second half.
Zavion Monroe scored 22 factors, whereas Rakesh Reid added a double-double with 12 factors and 11 rebounds as Springfield Central rolled to a 77-56 victory.
Worcester North (4-0) despatched a loud message that it has no intentions of relinquishing its Division 1 state title any time quickly. The Polar Bears turned in a powerful show on each side of the ground in cruising to a 78-51 win over Hillhouse. In equity to the Academics (2-2), they had been with out their greatest participant (Avery Sutton) and so they struggled to get something going.
That being stated, Worcester North got here out able to play from the beginning. Point guard Amir Jenkins (10 factors, 12 assists) is your prototypical old-guard playmaker, at all times seeking to move first. Forwards Teshaun Steele (23 factors, seven rebounds) and Joseph Okla (18 factors, 14 rebounds) are going to be a handful for anybody to deal with.
One of the staples of the BABC Slades match through the years is Windsor and its no-nonsense coach Ken Smith. The proud proprietor of greater than 600 wins in a profession which began at Windsor in 1989, the Warriors got here into city and improved to 5-0 with a 85-75 win over Brockton.
An enormous second quarter gave Windsor a 43-25 halftime lead and so they coasted from there. Anthony Williams had 20 factors and 11 rebounds, whereas Jakeel Martin poured in 20 factors within the first half on his option to a game-high 25.
If there was a shiny spot for Brockton, it must be heart Chidi Nwosu. A talented large man, Nwosu completed with 24 factors, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. He goes to be a handful for a lot of MIAA groups heading into 2024.
The most heated of the 5 contests got here within the fourth recreation the place Eagle Academy (NY) outlasted Burke in a defensive tussle, 57-54. Mangok Lok had 13 factors, whereas Jakai Sanders and Jeremiah Jacobs got here up with large performs down the stretch.
Burke was taking part in with out two starters and should have run out of fuel on the finish, no shock given the depth displayed by each groups all through the competition. Jaeden Roberts, the son of former South Boston nice Roger Roberts, was excellent with a game-high 27 factors.
In the ultimate recreation of the sport, BC High began slowly however picked up the tempo late within the first quarter and coasted to a 77-51 win over Brookline. James Jones led the best way with 19 factors and 11 rebounds, whereas Dan Civello knocked down 5 from past the arc and completed with 19 factors as nicely. Julian Sustache tallied seven of the his 13 factors within the first quarter when BC High was desperately in want of a spark.
The Eagles obtained some well timed contributions from the bench, notably Ritchny Blaise. He contributed six factors, six rebounds and 5 assists (one among three BC High gamers to perform that feat).
Source: www.bostonherald.com