WPCNR COURTSIDE By "Hardwood Bailey" December 29, 2006 UPDATED 10:37 AM December 30, 2006: The White Plains Tigers took over the offensive boards in the third quarter, and Jamell Cromartie and Spencer Smith operated the thing of beauty that is the White Plains 2-3 zone defense, creating 5 key Xaverian turnovers to pace the Tigers to a 10-point lead after three quarters. The Tigers drained clock and never let the Clippers get close in the final 8 minutes, to nail the County Center Slam Dunk Championship, 61-55 over Xaverian High from Brooklyn tonight. The Tigers strung together the eighth win without a loss against Xaverian, their toughest opponent to date.
THE TIGER "MO" ZONE--CAN'T GET INSIDE IT CAN'T GET OVER IT: Xaverian (DOWN BY 9!)has run down 21 seconds trying to penetrate the Tiger zone, with 2:23 to go in the third quarter. They passed it, threw it around and when Clipper guards tried to drive, Jamell Cromartie(top of key) and Spencer Smith top right of key) picked their pockets for four easy baskets. The Tigers on the rear guard left to right are Rashad James, Jordan Griffith and Sean Kilpatrick who sealed off the paint. Photos, WPCNR Sports
All Tournament Team: (L to R) Xaverian's Brandon Romain and Reggie Davis, and White Plains Tigers, Jamell Cromartie and Rishawn Johnson (who took the boards back from Xaverian in the second and third quarters), and the Tournament Most Valuable Player, Sean Kilpatrick, who scored 27 Thursday evening and 20 tonight, keeping the Tigers in it to win it.
Tiger Co-Captains, L to R, Jamell Cromartie (12 points, 3 steals, BIG BIG HOOPS), Rishawn "Roadblock" Johnson (13 Bounds, 8 Points, Caretaker of the Glass) and Spencer Smith whose steals highlighted the 15-4 third quarter Tiger TakeOver. The "Stars of the Game" hold the Slam-Dunk Championship Trophy.
Sean Kilpatrick paced the Tigers with 16 points in the first half, then leant athleticism and muscle to help Rishawn Johnson, Smith and Griffith dominate the offensive boards in the 3rd quarter to stretch a 2-point lead at the half to 10. Spencer Smith created two key steals in the third quarter, scored 15 overall, and scored the last 6 Tiger points. Cromartie chipped in with 3 steals in the 3rd quarter and12 points -- contributing his usual heartbreaker 2s.
Xaverian delivered a wakeup call to the Tigers the first fifteen minutes of the game. The rangy and speedy boys from Brooklyn penetrated and rebounded intensely, getting off strong.
Xaverian’s Reggie Smith, Jim Padgett and Brandon Romain dominated the offensive boards in the first quarter getting off to a 9-4 lead in the first 2 minutes of the game. The Tigers picked up 7 fouls in the first five minutes, until Rishawn Johnson rumbled down the lane was fouled and sank two foul shots to cut the deficit to 11-7. Padgett, dominating inside underneath scored five points to give the Clippers an 14-7 lead. Xaverian spread the floor and confused the Tigers with their long passes, but that did not last.
Sean Kilpatrick lead the Tigers back with an underhand baseline bucket to make it 14-9 and a backdoor layup to bring the score to 16-11 after one quarter.
Three Quarter Court Pressure Confuses.
The Tigers warmup jerseys have the word “DEFENSE” emblazoned on the backs. Defense at an other world intensity, brought the Tigers back in the second quarter.
Padgett, continuing to dominate underneath got the X-men an 18-11 lead in the first minute of Quarter 2. Tiger Coach Spencer Mayfield, pacing the sideline and exhorting his boys changed up to ¾ court pressure that Xaverian did not handle, while Rishawn, Kilpatrick and Cromartie pestered with finesse the Xaverian ball-handlers who did not handle it well. Kilpatrick penetrated for an 18-13 lead. Jamell Cromartie, unconfronted put up a bullseye 3-pointer from 20 feet with 5:42 to go in the half for a 18-16 deficit and the Tigers were in the X-men’s faces.
Rashad James disrupted a dribble by X guard got it to Kilpatrick who tied the score on a layup, 18-18. Xaverian went ahead on Romain’s one-hander, 20-18 with 4:28 to go. The Tigers tied, a free throw gave Xaverian its last lead 21-20. Rishawn Johnson, the “Roadblock” tied the score on a free throw and at 2:11, Kilpatrick in an acrobatic, dipsey-doodle windmill-and-up layup across the base of the key gave the Tigers the lead 23-21. They were never headed again.
Rishawn Johnson, Kilpatrick and Jordan Griffith (The Sixth man) and Rashad James fearlessly and deftly took back the defensive boards and the Tigers took over control of the game going to the break. Rishawn Johnson’s free throw stretched the lead to 24-21.
The Killer Shot Specialist, Jamell Cromartie with three X-Men on top of him eclipsing his black uniform, in the paint somehow got up a shot that fell to make the score 26-23 Tigers with 1:35 to go. A long pass from Romain to Padgett cut the lead to 27-25 at the half, White Plains. But this was the last damage Padgett, the big 6-7 Clipper would do. Sean Kilpatrick, on fire, scored 16 in the first half for White Plains while “The Crow,” Cromartie scored 7.
The Tiger Phalanx
In a highly entertaining first half where the Clippers were clearly bothered by the cat-like quickness of the Tiger defenders, and lost their poise in pressure, the question was could the Clippers penetrate as they had the first quarter. They could not.
Off the inbounds, Jamell Cromartie shot a terrific feed to Johnson to make it 29-25 within the first minute of the second half. The Clippers’ Reggie Davis short one-handed to make it 29-27 and Vince Council weaved his way coast-to-coast down court to tie the score on a layup at 29.
Momentum Stopper.
On the following sequence Jamie Blanchard tangled his legs up with "The Roadblock," Rishawn Johnson, tripping him and was called for a Technical Foul. This clearly unhinged Xaverian mentally. Jamell Cromartie made one of the two technicals and White Plains lead 30-29 for good.
The technical foul allowed the Tigers to retain possession and The Crow again applied his knack for the Kill Shot, putting in a one-hander from the foul line for a 32-29 lead.
X-Men enter The MO-ZONE.
The Tigers then set up their 2-3 zone defense and the X-Men could not handle it. With guards Cromartie and Spencer blocking the passing lanes and the backline of James, Griffith and Kilpatrick guarding the bucket like Patrick Roy’s without pads, the Clipper Guards were intimidated, reluctant to throw passes to cutting big men Padgett and Davis.
Cromartie and Spencer Steal the Game.
A steal lead to an contested layup by Kilpatrick to make it 34-29 with 5 minutes to go in the third quarter.
A one-hander by Romain kept pace, but Cromartie pawed away a Clipper dribble and took it to the hoop for a 36-31 lead with 4:20 left in the third.
Cromartie again swatted away a tentative dribble to Spencer Smith who took it in for another uncontested layup and it was 38-31 with 3:12 to go.
The Clippers trailing now bigtime refused to put up threes or shoot from deep because of Cromartie, Spencer and Rashad James ability to come out and front them in an instant. The Clippers played catch at the perimeter of the zone to the frustration of their coach. A timeout did not improve matters.
Scrum: Tigers Dominated Boards in Second Half, getting position, easy layups off steals set up by Cromartie, Smith, Griffith and James.
Precious seconds ticked away as Xaverian played catch as the Tigers swung left, swung right and adjusted their zone and for some reason Xaverian guards did not attempt penetration.
Spencer Smith poked away the ball again to Jamell Cromartie who converted uncontested to extend the Tiger lead to 40-31 with 2:43 left.
Finally Padgett penetrated the lane putting up a flying one-hander to bring The X’s to 40-33 at the 2 minute mark. Sean Kilpatrick took another steal from Jordan Griffith and went in all alone for a 42-33 lead at 1:38.
Rishawn Johnson, and Rashad James congratulate Spencer Smith on the line, whose defensive intensity, ball-hawking and hustle keyed the big run.
Spencer Smith applied the killer steal slapping the ball loose again from a Clipper guard and taking it all the way to hoopsville for a 44-33 advantage White Plains with 1:24 to go. It was an amazing display of a zone that is alive and dangerous – a zone that thanks to the conditioning and superb reflexes of the Tiger guards – actually played like a man-to-man – without risking the foul pressure. At least it did tonight.
White Plains outscored Xaverian 17-9 in the third quarter to lead 44-34.
4th Quarter Holds.
Rishawn Johnson scored with the first 30 seconds on a stunning move underneath for a 46-34 lead and Spencer Smith picked up another steal to extend the advantage to 48-34. Joe Ecock canned a three, but Xaverian had no real outside shooting threats to take back the deficit fast. With six minutes to go, White Plains held a 48-39 lead. Rashadd James popped in a one-hander to extend to 50-39 with 5:50 to go. And still the Xaverians did not foul. Xaverian hung around within 10 points until under the two minute mark. Spencer Smith’s two free throws stretched the lead to 55-45 with a minute to go, while the Tigers whittle down clock.
The Tigers (8-0) play Scarsdale in their next game.
Jamie Blanchard and Chris Doyle Accept Second Place Trophy for Xaverian -- "Woithy Advasawies" from Brooklyn
