Peach Jam Pool Play: Cardinals go down swinging
NORTH AUGUSTA, SC - The PSA Cardinals were 3-0 and had already earned a Peach Jam playoff berth so head coach Terrence “Munch” Williams decided to rest most of his primary players versus the NJ Playaz during Friday evening pool play finale. While most expected a route by the Playaz, the Cardinals gave the New Jersey squad all they could handle.
With starters Mohamed Bamba, Brandon Randolph, Quade Green and Hasahn French acting as cheerleaders from the bench, the Cardinals showed the depth as other players stepped up to fill the void. In a hard fought game, the Cardinals would end pool play with a 4-1 record after losing to the NJ Playaz, 62-59.
In the opening half, with Cole Anthony '19 and Deondre Bourne '17 sharing point guard duties, the Cardinals received major production from 6’9” Mamadou Doucoure ’18 who was adept with his back to the basket. He was also dominant on the boards, along with 6’11” Deng Gak ’17, and also showcased his overall midrange game. 6’5” Walter Whyte ‘17 also provided superior offensive firepower which resulted in NJ Playaz finding themselves down by two points at the half.
As the second proceeded, the Cardinals began to fall behind and it appeared as if the fairytale was over and reality was setting in. An offensive attack from the perimeter by R.J. Cole ‘17 and Marcus McClary ‘17 soon extended the Playaz lead into double digits
The PSA Cardinal mounted a noteworthy comeback spearheaded by Randolph along with hustle-points by Jose Perez ‘17. With seconds remaining Randolph netted a trey that tied the game at 59. In a game that was expected to be blow-out, it was moment away from heading to overtime. That is until Jamir Harris ‘17 matched Randolph three-pointer with a trifecta of his own. The NJ Playaz would hold on to win in what would end up being a barnburner.
Doucoure led the Cardinals with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Whyte added 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Cole was the high man for the NJ Playaz with a game high 23 points with McCleary contributing 12 points who finished with a 3-2 record overall.
