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That’s not an indictment of the other seven participants; it’s praise for Kennedy.
No. 2 Wings Academy has righted the ship recently, playing better on the defensive end. No. 3 Truman got better as the year went on and No. 4 Lehman has a dynamic inside-out duo in center Armand (Big Baby) Thomas and guard Aaron Barnes. Class A high-scoring entrants South Bronx, Evander Childs and Taft could make trouble for the higher seeds as well.
Favorite: No. 1 John F. Kennedy
Nobody in the city is playing better than John Mathis’s Knights, winner of 11 straight. Since falling to No. 2 Wings Academy Dec. 16 by two, Kennedy hasn’t lost. The Bronx school isn’t just winning; they’re dominating, particularly within the borough, where they’ve won every league game by double digits.
The Knights have no obvious weakness. They’re experienced in the backcourt, lethal from beyond the arc and blessed with several long, athletic big men. Junior combo guard Naquan Pierce has shined during the win streak, finishing the year averaging 18 points, five rebounds and six assists per game.
Dark Horse: No. 6 South Bronx
The Phoenix struggled late in the year, but their frenetic style of play – nonstop full-court pressure and no conscience when it comes to shooting 3-pointers – could create problems for the borough’s best. What Doug Porter’s club may lack in size and patience, it makes up for in the ability to put the ball in the basket. If star guard Delano Morgan is back on track, as his 21-point performance in the season-closing 91-75 victory over Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy suggests, the Phoenix could be a factor.
Dashawn Joyner is a do-it-all point guard and he has plenty of talent surrounding him in Luis Sanchez, Raymond Norman, Dylan Davis Elijah Huggins and Akeem Jennings, players that all averaged at least nine points per game. South Bronx eclipsed the 100-point barrier seven times, after all, and went over 90 on a dozen occasions.
Best 1st round match-up: No. 6 South Bronx @ No. 3 Truman
Polar opposites collide here – the run and gun Phoenix against the methodical, defense-first Mustangs. Truman may have lost twice to No. 1 Kennedy, but neither game was a runaway. They also handled Manhattan AA top seeds Wadleigh and Thurgood Marshall Academy. South Bronx hasn’t faced anybody who pressures the ball like Truman, which won six of its last nine.
Player to Watch: Dashaun Wiggins, No. 2 Wings Academy
The junior southpaw was the talk of last year’s borough championship, leading Wings past Kennedy after missing the entire regular season because of academic ineligibility. He’s gotten his grades straight this season, but consistency has been an issue. For every 25-point performance, Wiggins puts forth a dud. There is no doubting the 6-foot-2 guard’s raw talent. He averaged 19 points per game, second in Bronx AA, in leading Wings to a 15-2 league mark.
Prediction: No. 1 John F. Kennedy over No. 2 Wings Academy
This meeting will be far closer than the last one – a 23-point Kennedy victory that wasn’t even as close as the final margin would indicate. The Knights led 82-48 at one point. Ouch.
Wings has improved since then, winning its last four. Yet, unless Billy Turnage’s kids are red hot from the perimeter and have improved drastically on the defensive end, they don’t have enough to handle versatile JFK, particularly in the paint.
John F. Kennedy 75, Wings Academy 63
Tags: Basketball, bronx, Bronx News, Bronx People, Elan, Evander, GED, JFK, John F. Kennedy, Kennedy, Kingsbridge, Knights, Lehman, Manhattan, Phoenix, psal, Riverdale, Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, shooting, South Bronx, Sports, Taft, The Bronx, WingsRelated posts
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