Boston Shootout - Day 1 Recap

by Matt Elkin | Sunday, June 5th, 2016

On Saturday, the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) kicked off the first day of its 44th Annual Boston Shootout at beautiful Cathedral High School in Boston’s South End. The weekend long tournament hosted by the BABC matches up of some of the most well-known and talented AAU programs from across New York and New England against each other in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade divisions.

The morning kicked off with the host BABC 9th grade squad taking on a talented Maine Blue Wave team from Portland. The first half went back and forth, ending on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by the team from Maine to tie the score at 33-33 heading into halftime. BABC’s Quest Harris got off to a hot start, scoring 11 of his 15 points on the day in the first, while big man Matt Cross proved to be a force on the inside, bullying the opponents on both ends by blocking shots and being aggressive in the paint on his way to 12 points for the day.  BABC picked it up in the second half and their pressure was too much for the Blue Wave to handle as the host team went on to win 65-53. Pedro Fonseco was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points in a losing effort.

Game 2 on the day featured another local powerhouse, the New England Playaz battling it out against the Blackbear North program also from the state of Maine in the 9th grade division. The Playaz got off to a hot start, heading into halftime up 20 led by Dyondre Dominguez, who scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the first half. Connor Raines ended the game with 14 points while Rakesh Tibby chipped in 12 points in an 82-43 blowout victory for the Playaz.

The first game for the 10th graders was arguably the best game of the entire day, as Metro Boston defeated Maine Blue Wave 86-85 on a 3-point shot from Moses Flowers as time expired. Flowers finished the game with 15 points, while three other Metro players, Shemar Moore (18 pts), Mohamed Traore (15 pts), and Conor Gibson (10 pts) each finished in double figures. The game’s leading scorer in a losing effort was the Blue Wave’s Terlon Moss, who ended the game with 23 points.

With the 9th graders having already competed earlier in the day, it was time for the New England Playaz 10th grade group to battle it out, this time against the United Sons and Daughters (USAD) program out of Stamford, CT. Just like the 9th graders, this game proved to be not much of a contest, with the Playaz jumping out to a 20-point lead heading into halftime on an incredible offensive showing from Newton’s Ethan Wright. Wright showed a knack for scoring the basketball, hitting four 3-pointers in the first half alone on his way to a game high 25 points. Joey Luchetti proved to be a force on the interior, scoring 18 points on the game while serving as a tough matchup due to his size and strength. Will Antrum led USAD with 18 points in the 83-62 loss for his group.

After both teams lost earlier in the day, the Maine Blue Wave matched up against in-state foe Blackbear North in the 9th grade division. Pedro Fonseco continued to impress, scoring 24 points in a 66-57 win for the Blue Wave. Blackbear North’s Keenan Marseille contributed a game-high 26 points in a losing effort, followed by Bryce Gilbert who chipped in with 13 points.

The biggest blowout on the day came in the 10th grade division as USAD returned to face a very strong Albany City Rocks team. The final score read 116-44 in favor of the City Rocks, as five players scored in double figures for the team from New York, led by Jeenathan Williams who finished with 22 points. Buddy Boeheim, son of long-time Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim, finished the game with 20 points while hitting 4 straight 3-pointers mid-way through the second half to put the game out of reach. On the other side, USAD’s Victor Rosario tried his best to keep his team in it, ending the game with a team-leading 17 points.

Next up it was time for the hosts to take a crack at it in the 10th grade division, as the BABC matched up against a Maine Blue Wave team with one loss already under their belt. With Shandon Brown still out recovering from an elbow injury, the BABC backcourt didn’t miss a beat, as Brycen Goodine and Maurice Works combined for 23 points to go with a game high 26 points from Cole Swider, who continued to impress after a successful outing in the EYBL circuit. Swider showed why so many Division I programs have gained interest in the St. Andrews School product recently and why he continues to be one of the brightest young stars in New England. BABC finished the game with a 71-45 victory over the team from Maine.

Back in the 9th grade division, the New England Playaz were finally challenged and suffered a 59-50 defeat at the hands of the Albany City Rocks. The City Rocks went into the half with a 6-point cushion, going 11/13 from the charity stripe in the first to go with 13/18 in the second half. In the end, it was the free throws shooting that determined the outcome, as The City Rocks shot 77.4% from the line in comparison to just 41.2% from the Playaz, who attempted less free throws in the entire game (17) than the City Rocks took in just the second half. August Mahoney led the City Rocks with 25 points in a winning effort, going 5/6 from the free throw line and hitting three 3-pointers in the second half alone.

In the first of two back-to-back games for the BABC 11th grade squad, 6 players scored in double figures as the host program took down USAD 93-58. Vermont Academy was well represented on the BABC side as Marcus Santos-Silva led the way with 21 points, showing off an impressive skillset inside with a variety of post moves, strong rebounding, and the ability to finish through contact. His prep school teammate Bailey Patella scored 14 points while yet another Wildcat Corey Romich chipped in with 11. For USAD, Tyreke Perkins tied Santos-Silva’s mark with 21 points, while Jon Brown and CJ Seaforth each contributed to the scoring with 12 points apiece.

Immediately following their victory over USAD, the 11th graders from BABC were back to play against the Maine Blue Wave team in a game that ended in a 15-point victory for the hosts. It was a chippy game at times as five players ended the game with four or more fouls, including three players fouling out of the game and technical fouls by players from both sides. The Vermont Academy trio was once again impressive for the BABC, this time with Corey Romich leading the way with 21 points, 15 of which came from long range. Marcus Santos-Silva scored 18 points and continued to dominate inside while Bailey Patella chipped in 11 points. Terrell Brown showed his versatility as he scored at will from inside and out, finishing the game with 11 as well. For the Blue Wave, Tyus Ripley and uncommitted senior Amir Moss each added 18 points in the loss.

The final game of the evening was between the DC Blue Devils and Metro Boston in the 11th grade division. The contest included some highlight reel plays from both sides, as Metro’s Kendrick Gray and the Blue Devils’ Tshiefu Ngalakulondi each threw down monstrous dunks, showing off their high-major athleticism. Gray finished the game with 14 in a losing effort, while the backcourt duo from Proctor Academy of Geo Baker and Caleb Green combined for 24 points in the 89-72 victory for the DC Blue Devils. Ngalakulondi added 12 points while Javaughn Edmonds led all scorers with 17 points in the win.

The action continues on Sunday at Cathedral High School, with the first game set to tip off at 8:00am. Stay tuned for a recap of Day 2 of The 44th Annual BABC Boston Shootout.