Girls: D-I Bound Excel Over iExel; Wins Rose Classic Chip

BROOKLYN, NY - As the top two seeds heading into the playoffs at the Rose Classic, for many the dream matchup for the championship game was iExcel vs. D1 Bound. Both went unbeaten throughout the regular season, and were loaded with top future college stars. All both needed to do was fight their way through 3 rounds of playoff games to meet for the title, and that's what both ended up doing.

iExcel defeated both the Toronto Matrix and the NJ Demons on Sunday to make it to Sunday afternoons championship game, while D1 Bound needed just one win on Sunday against New Heights to make the title tilt, but with both officially there, and with a packed JHS 113 gym in Fort Greene, Brooklyn on hand to watch, the anticipation for this matchup was palpable.

The issue ended up being that from the start iExcel looked tired and without their "A" game, and with forward Shadeen Samuels (Ossining '16) dominating the game early on down low, D1 Bound took a huge lead into the half, and though iExcel made a run late, they had built it up enough to hold on for the 43-34 championship game victory.

Maybe it was the fact that iExcel had to tough out two extremely hard wins over two very tough opponents on Sunday while D1 Bound had an easier time in their one game, but from the very start, D1 Bound seemed to be in full control of this one.

Samuels scored 6 early points around the basket on nice entry feeds from both Kaela Hilaire (Floral Park '16) and Kaisah Lucky (Grand Street Campus '16), and with Arella Guirantes (IMG Academy, FL '16) getting in on the act early as well, D1 Bound scored the first 10 points of the game to build a comfortable lead less than 3 minutes in.

It wasn't the start iExcel had hoped for but they did seem to right the ship after the initial D1 Bound run as Tiana England (Stamford, CT '16) picked up the pace and pushed the tempo up and down a bit more to finish in the open court and use her speed to start to claw her squad back into the game.

Another big reason iExcel was fighting their way back into the game was because of the team's youngest player in post presence Aliyah Boston (Worcester Academy, MA '19) as she scored on back to back possessions in the paint to make it a 14-9 deficit with 4:38 to go and it seemed as if they had gotten the ship back on track and had a chance to take over late in the half.

That didn't happen though as Toucan Billings (Bishop Loughlin '16) scored on a runner down the lane to break up the iExcel run, and that was followed up by a pair of buckets by Guirantes, and when Hilaire was able to slash her way past two iExcel defenders and finish going to the rim in the closing seconds, D1 Bound had finished the first half much as they started it, on a 10-0 run to take a 24-9 lead into the locker room.

The momentum had once again completely flipped back over to D1 Bound as they controlled the final 4 minutes of the half and it really left iExcel in a bad spot. When Guirantes nailed a 3 to start the 2nd half as well, it put iExcel down by 18 and it looked like they could be out of the title game for good.

But you cannot count out a team with such talent, and iExcel refused to quit. Sam Kramer (Gill St. Bernard's, NJ '16) hit on a long corner two, and then England went coast to coast for a finish, and with Desiree Elmore (Capital Prep, CT '16) coming on with a pair of midrange jumpers early in the second half as well, iExcel seemed to be inching their way back into things.

A once 18-point deficit was at first knocking down to 12 with 10:50 to play. They it was 8 with 6:06 to go, and as Elmore and Jordan Wilmoth (Immaculate Heart Academy, NJ '16) both started to get going facing up and making moves to take inside one on one, iExcel seemed to find more confidence and momentum.

After FT's by both Elmore and WIlmoth with 4:13 to go in the game, iExcel had cut the D1 Bound lead all the way down to just 35-31 as D1 seemed to be settling for perimeter jumpers, and gotten away from what had gotten them the big lead in the first place, pressure defense and open court opportunities.

It always seems to be an unsung hero who steps up when a team needs them most, and with their 18-point lead cut down to just 4 someone for D1 Bound needed to come up in a big way to stem the tide, and that player for them proved to be Sarah Edmond (St. Anthony's '16).

The ball movement went around the perimeter with just under 4 minutes to play and Hilaire skipped the ball over to Edmond who was open in the corner and sent in a huge three from the right side to open the lead back up to 7 for D1 Bound in what could easily be called the biggest shot of the tournament.

A turnover on the other end of the floor by iExcel allowed Jayla Jones-Pack (St. Anthony's '16) to get to the line on her end of the floor for D1 Bound where she converted, and while things did get dicey for a bit, the deficit never again got to a point to where you thought D1 Bound could be in trouble.

Credit to iExcel though as they never quit with Olivia Ramil (Binghamton '16) continuing to fight inside for position, getting herself to the FT line on two straight occasions, but it wasn't enough as Samuels finished things off late with a basket up the court off a two on one fast break with 33 seconds to play, and as the final buzzer sounded it was celebration time for D1 Bound as head coach Mike Toro would claim his 3rd Rose Classic championship with the 43-34 victory over iExcel.

Samuels ended up being named Rose Classic Championship Game MVP as she had a game high 14 points in the victory, with Guirantes adding 10 of her own in title game win.

In defeat it was 8 points apiece for Elmore and Boston, thought in their first ever appearance at the Rose Classic you have to say this was a huge success for the iExcel program to make the championship game, and the future certainly looks bright for them in the future at the Rose.

It's all about D1 Bound though as they once again rule the Rose Classic. They had a tough quarterfinal on Saturday against the NJ Sparks, but they were not challenged much on Sunday in their two games en route to the title.

Throughout the season it was Toro's group who looked to be the best, and on Sunday they proved that to be true once and for all.