Sunday, December 23, 2018

SOUTH SHORE 62, COLLINS 59

South Shore (Brooklyn, NY)
2018 King of the Bluegrass Champions
In a matchup of teams making their first appearance in the King of the Bluegrass Championship it was South Shore (Brooklyn, NY) that claimed their first tournament title becoming the fifth out-of-state champion in the last eight years. 

Collins got off to a great start with Marcellus Vail connecting on the first of six three-pointers to give the Titans an early 3-0 lead. A putback by Dwight Davis Jr gave South Shore their first lead of the game at 5-3 two minutes into play. A three-pointer by the Vikings' Femi Odukale capped a 12-2 run by South Shore leading 12-5. Sam Edwards only basket of the game came at the perfect time for Collins tying the game at 12-12 with a minute to play in the opening quarter. Kadary Richmond ended the first quarter with three straight points to give South Shore a 15-12 lead at the quarter break. Dayvion McKnight tied the game for Collins on the first posession of the second quarter. A Kareem May basket two minutes later capped an 8-2 run for South Shore to put the Vikings back in control at 23-17. McKnight would get the Titans back on top with six straight points to push Collins ahead 26-25 with three minutes to play in the first half. The Titans would not trail for the remainder of the half with Darrian Crittenden's three-pointer in the final minute extending the Collins lead to 7 points. A last second dunk by South Shore's Davis Jr. would cut the lead to 34-29 at halftime. 

The second half opened with five straight points for Davis Jr. and the Vikings as they tied the score at 34-34 less than a minute into the half. It took another two minutes though for the Vikings to take their first lead of the half with back-to-back layups by Richmond putting South Shore ahead 42-38 midway through the third quarter. The Titans wouldn't go away though with Vail connecting on another key three-pointer to tie the game 44-44 with less than two minutes to play in the quarter. A huge block by by Isaiah Richards led to a big dunk by Richmond on the other end putting South Shore back ahead with a 48-44 lead at the end of the third quarter. Collins opened the final quarter with a key spurt started by Darrian Crittenden taking a charge defensively and Vail connecting with another three-pointer. A 7-2 run by the Vikings was highlighted by a Kareem May three-pointer keeping South Shore ahead 55-49 three minutes into the final quarter. A key defensive stretch that held South Shore scoreless for two minutes was backed up by a pair of three-pointers by Vail to Collins their first lead of the quarter at 57-55 with 3:13 remaining in the game. A quick dunk by Richards on the next possession though would pull the score even at 57-57. A three-pointer for Dwight Davis Jr would give South Shore the lead for good at 60-59 with just over a minute remaining in the game. A pair of free throws by Richmond on the Vikings next possession extended the South Shore lead to the final margin of 62-59 with 32.5 seconds remaining. Marcellus Vail missed on a three attempt for Collins on their next possession and South Shore came down with the rebound before a foul on Tyson Turner stopped the clock with 1.9 seconds remaining. A foul on the ensuing in-bound pass sent Richmond to the free throw line with a chance to seal the victory for the Vikings. A miss on the free throw gave the Titans one last chance but a last second attempt by Dayvion McKnight sailed wide left as the clock expired.

Collins was led by Marcellus Vail with a game-high 22 points and Dayvion McKnight added 19 for the Titans. Both Vail and McKnight earned All-Tournament Team honors for their performance. South Shore was led by Kadary Richmond with 16 points which was enough to earn Richmond Bob White Most Valuable Player honors. Dwight Davis Jr added 15 points for the Vikings. All-Tournament Team selections Isaiah Richards and Femi Odukale added 9 points and 8 points respectively for South Shore.

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