| After two
amazing come-from-behind 2-point playoff victories, the SFX
Peewees came ready to play for the Bronx County Championship
this Sunday at Mt. Carmel. Could the Lions get involved in a
game any more nerve racking than the two that got them here?
In the first quarter, SFX jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead,
thanks to some aggressive offense and some sharp foul
shooting. Solid defense and strong rebounding enabled the
Lions to finish the quarter with a commanding 11-2 lead. The
coaches and PeeWee fans were hoping the rest of the game
would continue as the 1st quarter did, but St. Brendan's had
designs on the title as well. Knowing they had to do
something to turn the tide, in the 2nd quarter St. Brendan's
went into an all out full court press. Outscoring SFX 8-2 in
the 2nd period, St. Brendan's grabbed the momentum, and the
half ended with the Lions clinging to a perilous 3-point
lead at 13-10. St. Brendan's continued to press in the 2nd half, and it again had a devastating affect on the Lion offense. Brendan's reeled off 8 unanswered points and by late in the 3rd period grabbed a shocking 18-13 lead. The Lions finally broke the scoring drought and cut the lead to 3, but the 3rd period ended with St. Brendan's hitting a free throw, making the score 19-15. Throughout the playoffs the 4th quarter belonged to the Lions, and the coaches knew that if the Lions were going to win the championship, they would have to match their previous 4th quarter performances. Having held the reigns on the Lion defense for most of the game, the coaches began the final period by having the Lions assert their own full court press. The plan worked. The press immediately created turnovers that the Lions converted into Fast-break points. With 4 minutes remaining, and the their fans cheering emphatically, the Lions recaptured the lead at 19-18. But this was a championship game, and as it should be, neither well coached team was going to leave anything in the tank. St. Brendan's responded with a basket to go up by one, but then the SFX Lions returned the favor. It was now apparent that this see-saw battle was going down to the wire, as the teams traded baskets and free throws. With only two minutes remaining and the game tied, St. Brendan's stole the ball and sprinted into a fast break. The streaking forward drove the right side for a lay-up. The shot went in, and a Xavier foul gave St. Brendan's the chance to go up by three with under 2 minutes to play. The free throw was missed and with the rebound, the Lions were still alive. They raced down court and drove the lain. The shot went up and in, and with 1 minute left, the game was tied. The SFX coaches strategy was working. After having pressed for three quarters, Brendan's did not have the energy to hold off the Lion's roaring press. The next Brendan inbound pass was stolen under the basket, and the Lions shot put them up by two with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. St. Brendan's again in-bounded the ball, and again the Lions stole it. Rather than give SFX the easy lay-up, St. Brendan's fouled the shooter, preventing the certain basket with 13 seconds remaining. Going to the line for two shots, and needing one to make it a two possession game, the Lion missed the first shot. With the weight of an entire season resting on his shoulders, the Lion lined up his second shot and sank it, extending the lead to 3 points. St. Brendan's wasted no time getting the ball inbounds and raced up court. Their forward drove the lane for a lay-up, hoping to draw a foul. The Lions were well prepared and would have no part of it. They let the St. Brendan's shooter get off the shot, which went in, cutting the lead to 1 point with two seconds left. Standing out of bounds with the ball, the Lions did not give St. Brendan's an opportunity to steal the game. Before they had to inbound it, the buzzer sounded and the Lions had won the Bronx County CYO Championship by 1 point, 29 to 28. The Lions had amazingly won their three playoff games, including the Bronx County Championship by a combined total of 5 points. These SFX Lion PeeWees are definitely my choice for the 2007 Stress-Test World Champions.
Good Luck to the SFX PeeWees in next Sunday's New York State Tournament at Staten Island. |
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