Boys & Girls Earn an 'A' for Effort, But No Win

Mt. Vernon eliminated a shorthanded Boys & Girls squad, 70-63, on Saturday, ending the Kangaroos' highly anticipated run to the state championship.

The Knights erased a double-digit deficit in the first quarter, with a 20-4 run in the second behind scoring from Jabarie Hinds, New York State's "Mr. Basketball." Hinds, who finished with a team-high 17 points, scored 13 during the decisive run.

But the two-time PSAL champions, which had just nine active members, played resilient basketball until the final buzzer. Behind Mike Taylor's game-high 23 points, the Kangaroos came out with guns blazing in the first quarter - sinking four three pointers - and then stayed close all game, playing with its usual defensive tenacity and up tempo offense.

"I looked at their bench and I knew that they didn't have too many players so I was just hoping we would be able to wear them down," said Knights coach Bob Cimmino. "But they were energizer bunnies."

With less than a minute to go, Leroy Fludd, who finished with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, scored a lay-up that brought Boys & Girls to within 63-65.

But Mt. Vernon answered with clutch free throw shooting from Randy Stephens, who finished with 12 points, and a running jumper from Hinds to put the game away.

Coach Ruth Lovelace played six players in her rotation, which included little-used reserves Wesley Myers and Saequahn Pettus, both sophomores. Myers was one of three players - Fludd and Antione Slaughter were the others - who played the entire game.

"They did everything we asked them to do," Lovelace said after the game.

Earlier this week, seven players, including starter Jeffland Neverson, sixth man Anthony Hemingway and several key backups, were declared academically ineligible to play due to violating a school policy.

Their absence wasn't immediately apparent, as the Kangaroos (22-7) jumped out to a 22-11 lead in the first thanks to back-to-back three pointer from Slaughter and one a piece from Myers and Taylor. 

But as the game wore on, fatigue became more of a factor. The Kangaroos, who won the PSAL Championships on clutch free throw shooting down the stretch, made just 57 percent of its free throws; Taylor was just 8 of 17 from the line.

Foul trouble also contributed. Malik Nichols, who finished with seven points, fouled out in the fourth quarter.

But more than anything, it was Mt. Vernon's depth - and Boys & Girls' lack of it - that made the difference: The Knights outscored Boys & Girls 29-4 on the bench.

For the Kangaroos, it was a bitter loss that inevitably will lead to 'what if?' scenarios.

"It's tough because we were short handed and I think if we were fully loaded, they would have had no chance of beating us," said Taylor.

After the game, Lovelace was disappointed with the circumstances around which her team lost, but proud at how her team handled a season full of adversity. 

"No one's in the situation that we're in, without the problems that we had to work through," said Lovelace, referring to the academic policy, which is more strict than standard league policies and has resulted in player suspensions all season long. "I don't know how many people would have been in the situation that we have been in all year long and still win the city title."

The season isn't over yet. Boys & Girls, which has beaten nationally-ranked teams at several high profile national tournaments all season long, was one of eight teams chosen to play in a national championship tournament hosted by ESPN. It will play those games short-handed as well because of the suspensions.

With the win, Mt. Vernon advanced to Sunday's final against defending champion Christ The King at the Times Union Center in Albany.