By Steve Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
TRENTON, N.J. - Different month, different state, same result.
Eleven months after defeating Rice in New York's Class AA title game last March, the Lincoln (Brooklyn) Railsplitters took the court at the Soveriegn Bank Arena as part of Saturday's PrimeTime Shootout and once again edged their CHSAA rival 75-68.
Junior star Lance Stephenson was Lincoln’s catalyst, scoring from the perimeter early on and from the block late in the game en route to a dominant, 35-point effort.
The common denominator in each contest was an unmistakable big game atmosphere, something Stephenson said he feeds off of.
“When I first got here, people were asking me for my autograph,” Stephenson said. “I just want to show them that I work hard to get where I need to be.”
Stephenson’s wide-ranging abilities were key throughout. In the first quarter, he nailed two early three pointers and ran the ball up and down the court, challenging Rice at its own game. The Railsplitters led from start to finish, thanks in large part to their 18-4 run to start the game.
As the game wore on, Lincoln began slowing down the pace, allowing the 6-foot-5 Stephenson to go inside against smaller defenders, like Rice’s Kemba Walker. Stephenson’s inside scoring coupled with his rebounding prowess proved too much for Rice to handle.
“I just do whatever I need to win,” Stephenson said. “I think if I start outside and then end up inside, then nobody can stop me.”
Lincoln coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton recognized the significance of beating Rice, whose only other losses came at the hands of St. Benedict's (N.J.) and Christ the King (N.Y.)
“It’s always good when you can beat Mo Hicks,” said Morton, referring to Rice’s highly-regarded head coach, who has guided Rice to a 17-2 record this season against some of the nation’s stiffest competition.
The victory for Lincoln comes four days after Lincoln got clipped 67-66 in a game against PSAL rival Boys & Girls.
“The Boys & Girls game was a different type of game, different atmosphere,” Morton said. “A lot of our kids weren’t as focused. But I think that was a good loss for us.”
Rice refused to go down without a fight. Durand Scott led a fourth quarter rally that saw the Raiders pull to within one at 55-54, after a Dorvell Carter jumper with just over six minutes remaining. Walker also played with a refuse-to-lose attitude, tallying a team-high 23 points.
Scott finished with 17 points, while sharpshooter Chris Fouch had 11.
At certain points in the game, it seemed as if each team were trying to one-up the other. During one span of four-straight possessions, the familiar foes traded three pointers.
In the end, Lincoln delivered the final blow, as Darwin Ellis’ free throws put the game out of reach.
Ellis finished with 14 points, half of which came in the fourth quarter.
Other action Saturday at the PrimeTime Shootout;
Academy of New Church (Pa.) 72, Timber Creek (N.J.) 58
Behind 23 points from Larry Loughery, Academy of New Church was able to hold off Timber Creek 72-58 in Saturday’s opening contest.
The Lions also received a strong performance from the Givens brothers. Older brother Sam dropped 15 points, while the younger Shannon added 12 points.
Marquise Smith was the leading scorer for Timber Creek. He finished with 19 points, 13 of which came in the second half.
Collin Johnson and Montez Blair contributed 17 and 16 points, respectively, in the loss.
Hun School (N.J.) 76, St. Augustine (N.J.) 56
In the day’s second game, the Raiders of the Hun school overpowered the Hermits of St. Augustine 76-56.
It was a balanced offensive attack for Hun. Sterling Melville had 18 points, while teammate Doug Davis tossed in 14. Lance Goulbourne, Hun’s athletic, Vanderbilt-bound forward, also did some damage with 15 points.
St. Augustine received a valiant effort from Isaiah Morton. The freshman guard finished with 19 points, including three fourth-quarter three pointers. Senior forward Josh Thompson totaled 16 points for the Hermits.
Mt. Vernon (N.Y.) 74, Roman Catholic (Pa.) 73
For the second consecutive Saturday, Philadelphia's Roman Catholic let a fine performance by junior point guard Malik Wayns go to waste, this time losing to New York power Mt. Vernon 74-73 on a last-second foul shot.
Wayns scored 26 points, including a huge three pointer that knotted the score at 71-71 with one minute remaining.
However, a free throw with three seconds left by freshman guard Jabarie Hinds gave Mt. Vernon a late lead they would not relinquish.
Last weekend, at the Scholastic Play by Play Kobe Bryant Classic, Wayns had another big game, but Roman Catholic was defeated by another Pennsylvania power, Chester.
Leading the way for Mt. Vernon in the victory were senior forward Kevin Jones and junior guard Sherrod Wright. Jones received player of the game honors after scoring a game-high 27 points. Wright added 22 points.
American Christian (Pa.) 73, Rancocas Valley (N.J.) 48
In a prep school-high school crossover game, American Christian defeated Rancocas Valley 73-48.
Louisville-bound junior Lamont Jones exploded for 25 points, including six three pointers in the third quarter, to put the game out of each for the Eagles.
Jeremiah Kelly also showed his long-range shooting prowess, nailing four three pointers in the first quarter for American Christian.
St. Benedict's (N.J.) 77, Our Savior New American (N.Y.) 63
Any fears of a St. Benedict's let down after an emotional win against St. Patrick Friday night were quickly erased, as head coach Danny Hurley's squad eased past Our Savior New American, 77-63.
A night after being stifled by the St. Patrick pressure, Gray Bees guard Tamir Jackson bounced back with a strong performance, leading the way for the nation's No. 2 team with 26 points. Down low, Samardo Samuels had another impressive effort, racking up 25 points.
With his string of dominating performances in big games, Samuels is building a credible claim to national player of the year honors. In addition to the two wins at the PrimeTime Shootout this year, Samuels has also led the Gray Bees to victories in the City of Palms Classic and Bojangles Tournament, as well as individual showcases against Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and American Christian (Pa.)
Gerardo Suero had a monster game for Our Savior New American. He accounted for 27 of the team’s 63 points.
Helen Cox (La.) 62, Whitney Young (Ill.) 58
In a match up between two of high school basketball’s biggest stars, Helen Cox’s Greg Monroe shined brighter.
The 6-10 Monroe, considered by many to be the top senior in the country, poured in a game-high 24 points, out-dueling perhaps the best known junior in the country, Whitney Young’s Marcus Jordan, who was held to seven points.
Monroe displayed impressive versatility in his game. Not only did he finish down low, but he also pushed the ball coast-to-coast, and showed tremendous range in his jump shot.
He admitted that playing Michael Jordan’s son was something special, even though Air Jordan was not visibly present.
“He’s Michael Jordan. He’s a very busy man,” Monroe said. “He can’t be everywhere at one time.”
Despite globetrotting around the country with teammates since his senior year began for high-profile, in-season events, Monroe admits he’s still not used to all the coverage.
“I’m from a football state,” Monroe said. “There’s not a lot of basketball attention.”
For Whitney Young, Ahmad Starks tallied 21 points. A.J. Rompza had 12 points, including five points in a last-minute spurt that turned a 13-point fourth quarter deficit into a 56-56 tie with less than a minute to play.
Helen Cox was able to hold off the Dolphins in the final seconds, thanks to a big bucket by Travon Flores, who finished with 18 points.
St. Patrick (N.J.) 63, Oak Hill Academy (Va.) 54
Taking the court one night after its first loss to rival St. Benedict's, St. Patrick bounced back in a big way, defeating Virginia powerhouse Oak Hill Academy 63-54 in Saturday’s finale.
“Coach Boyle has never lost three in a row, so we had to win tonight,” junior Paris Bennett said.
Bennett followed up his nine-point effort Friday night with another solid performance on both ends of the court. His strong play helped seal a win for the Celtics on the heels of losses to Fairfax (Calif.) at the Nike Extravaganza and St. Benedict's.
However, the player of the game for St. Patrick was not Bennett. Nor was it star junior guard Dexter Strickland, or the imposing 6-8 Quintrell Thomas.
It was freshman Michael Gilchrist, whose hustle and scrappy play landed him the game’s MVP award. Gilchrist scored 10 points, but his presence was felt in a number of ways. He drew fouls, rebounded and blocked shots - including a big swat on Oak Hill star Brandon Jennings.
“It feels great because I’m in front of my whole crowd,” Gilchrist said. “I just came to play.”
St. Patrick led throughout, but Oak Hill hung in until the end. The Warriors came within a point on three different occasions, but could never get over the hump.
Brandon Jennings finished with 27 points, delighting New Jersey fans with acrobatic moves for the second time in as many nights. He was hounded by autograph seekers after the game.
The Celtics will now begin preparations for the Union County tournament. Oak Hill Academy, which plays an independent schedule that does not include any state playoff, gears up for an end of the season showdown with local foe Montrose Christian (Md.).
