By Dylan Butler
“Getting to overtime against Cardozo took a lot out of us,” he said. “But we still get the W in the win column. That's fine.”
For the second straight division game, Van Buren (9-3, 4-2) opened up a sizable lead on its opponents by slowing up the play. In the run-and-gun, thoroughbred-race style of game in the PSAL, the VeeBees patiently pass the ball around, not having to worry about a shot clock violation, opting to play marathon basketball rather than a 100-meter dash.
“We look to run,” Dortch said. “But we do it smart. We're fairly disciplined for a PSAL team. From day one, we think five guys on the court playing together.”
Utilizing that Princetonesque style of play, the VeeBees extended an 8-5 first quarter lead into a 22-11 halftime advantage.
Melvin Jackson hit a 16-foot jumper then stole the inbound when the VeeBees pressed. Darryl France (14 points, eight rebounds) followed with a 6-footer in the lane and then Josh Puello (13 points) hit a 10-foot jumper and John Darby stole the ball in the backcourt. Puello then found Darby on a rare fast break for a layup to cap a 8-0 run to give Van Buren a 16-6 lead with 3:57 left in the half.
“We just try and play solid defense,” Puello said. “And then take good shots on offense. We don't want to rush into bad shots.”
The Van Buren defense also stymied Francis Lewis' best player, as St. Francis College-bound Damien Herard was held to just six points.
“That was the key, that's who we were watching out for,” Darby said. “Once we shut him down, we shut their team down.”
Van Buren held a comfortable lead through the third quarter and was up by 11, 38-27, with 4:54 left – a seemingly insurmountable lead with the slowed down offense the VeeBees run.
But after first successfully denying Puello the ball by having Dave Musialik shadow the VeeBees point guard, Francis Lewis ( 3-3 Queens A-II) got Van Buren to play their style of game, running up and down the floor.
Marlon Marshall, who scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the second half to go with his 12 rebounds, scored on a layup and Jermaine Johnson (14 points) followed suit with four straight points. Marshall then slashed through the lane for another bucket and Van Buren's lead was down to just three, 38-35 with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter.
“We went out and put pressure on them, we pressed,” said Francis Lewis head coach Randy James. “[At the end] we got them to play helter skelter.”
France's tip in put the VeeBees back ahead by five, 40-35, but Herard answered back from the right side to make it a one possession game with 2:55 to play.
The VeeBees turned ice cold from the field and from the free throw line down the stretch. After going 5-of-5 from the line, Van Buren missed two straight free throws and when Marshall picked Darby's pocket at halfcourt and scored an uncontested layup, the Patriots trailed by one, 40-39, with 1:13 remaining.
It looked like the VeeBees were about to turn the ball over and give Lewis a chance to go ahead when an end-to-end touchdown pass appeared destined for the back wall of the gym. But Darby (10 assists) made a great save, getting the ball to Ian Hastings for a key layup that put the VeeBees ahead, 42-39, with 1:06 left.
The Patriots were not done though, as a free throw by both Johnson and Musialik cut the VeeBees lead to 42-41 with :25.2 seconds left in the game. After Puello hit two free throws with :15.7 seconds left, the Patriots had an opportunity to send the game into overtime, but Steve Louis' three-pointer from the top of the key rimmed out at the buzzer.
Jamaica 77, Springfield Gardens 76 (OT). Nathanial Parker scored 42 points to lead the Beavers, which blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead. Darryl Elam's two free throws with eight seconds left in overtime sealed the win for Jamaica (7-3, 4-1 Queens A-I).
LIC 65, Edison 64 (OT). Bobby Moore's three-pointer with one minute left in overtime put the Bulldogs over the edge in the Pioneer Classic at Elmcor Center Saturday.
Bryant 88, Automotive 67. Dwayne Walker scored a game-high 31 points and Dashawn Warren had 28 points and six assists to lead the Owls (13-2) to the win at the Pioneer Classic at Elmcor Center Saturday. Warren became Bryant's all-time leading scorer, eclipsing the old mark of 1,008 points. Queensbridge native George Jefferson led Automotive with 17 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.
Van Buren 58, Newtown 47. Puello had 19 points, including 9-of-10 from the free throw line, and Melvin Jackson added 17 points for the VeeBees in the Pioneer Classic at Elmcor Center Saturday.
Cardozo 89, Bayside 60. Darryl Hill had 31 points and Dana Townsend added 16 points and 17 boards, while Danny Phillips had 16 points for the Judges (5-2, 5-1 Queens A-II). Bayside fell to 3-5, 3-4 in Queens A-II.
Campus Magnet 56, Beach Channel 48. Elvis Belone had 16 points, Mark Arrington netted 14 and Devon Ray added 11 to lead Magnet (8-1, 5-1 Queens A-II).
Flushing 55, RFK 51. Kevin Jenkins led the way for the Red Devils (9-4 Queens B-II) with 20 points and Sahil Kapoor added 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Cardozo 93, Van Buren 89. Hill had 38 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to lead Cardozo. Puello had 34 to pace Van Buren.
Bayside 61, Beach Channel 54. Lance Hazel led the Commodores with 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Newtown 64, Forest Hills 51. Johnny Carter had 23 points and Jamel Moye added 15 for Newtown (5-2, 4-1 Queens A-I).
Queens Vocational 66, Long Island City 64. Daquan Stevenson's layup with 23 seconds left put Queens Voc. (8-4, 2-2 Queens B-II) ahead, 65-64, and Louis DeMaria went 1-for-2 from the free throw line to ice it for the winners, which trailed 41-33 at the half.
Flushing 62, American Studies 36. Sahill Kapoor had 18 points and 15 rebounds and Michael Bruce added 14 points for the Red Devils.
Hillcrest 49, Edison 35. Wayne Innis and Mike Thompson combined to score 25 points for the Hawks (7-4, 4-1 Queens A-I).
Bryant 90, Cleveland 75. Dashawn Warren's triple-double paced the Owls. The senior had 31 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists for Bryant (12-2, 4-1 Queens A-I). Dwayne Walker added 19 points.
Adams 100, Newcomers 48. Taylor Murphy had 26 points and 17 rebounds, Donte King had 22 points and Adrian Smith added 17 points and 10 assists for the Spartans (7-3, 4-1 Queens B-I).
Bowne 66, Townsend Harris 42. Antonie Millien scored 30 points for Bowne (6-4, 4-0 Queens B-II).
Robert F. Wagner 64, Robert F. Kennedy 50. Kyle Alston had 18 points and 10 boards for Wagner (3-5, 2-2 Queens B-II).
