JV boys’ basketball team wins PSAL City championship

The team came from behind to win the PSAL championship.

The team after their win with the trophy.
PSAL.org
The team after their win with the trophy.

The Boys JV basketball team won the 2014-2015 City Championship with a thrilling 70-68 come from behind victory against Wings Academy of the Bronx. Leading the way were sophomores Kwannah Kollie, and Ransford Agyeman Budu and freshman Ahmad Anderson. Playing at South Shore High School in Brooklyn the Warriors faced a tough uphill battle for most of the game, going down by as much as 17 points in the first quarter.

The Warriors slowly chipped away, making it a 12 point game by halftime. During the break, Head Coach Dwayne Archibold gave the team and inspiring message which ignited them for the second half, ”This is a combination of everything you’ve worked for so don’t give up now.”

In the third quarter, the Warriors began to play with a sense of urgency, switching to a 3-2 zone and a matchup defense, limiting penetration to the rim. This helped them trim what was once a 12 point deficit to just three heading into the fourth quarter.

In the final frame with their season on the line, sophomore Dante Simmons converted a layup with just under 10 seconds in the game, eventually sending it into overtime. In the extra session both teams seemed to trade basket after basket. In the closing seconds of overtime, the Warriors went ahead for good when sophomore Kwanna Koliie hit a three pointer to put his team up by 2 with just seconds to spare. In the games final moment, with Wings Academy on the verge of defeat, they inbounded the ball. Curtis fouled them, giving them a chance to tie the game at the freethrow line. The pressure seemed to sink in as both free throws were missed. Curtis sealed the rebound and hung on for a thrilling win.