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SE Washington DC - One of the biggest stories of the 2008 Goodman League summer games is the Shooters I team powered by their explosive superstar Andrew "The Sponge Bob" Washington. Shooters built an unblemished 7-0 record on their way to the Goodman regular season title but the question remained whether they could maintain their momentum going into the playoffs. Upsets are known to happen as players and teams step up to get into position to make a run at the title.
Shooters I and All Daz played last week in a classic double overtime duel in which Shooters eventually pulled out the victory but it was inevitable that these two inner city clothing powerhouses would meet again with a lot more on the line.
You know it's a big game when Curt "Trouble" Smith suits up. The All Daz legend teamed up with superstar guard Tre "Machine Gun" Kelley in addition to NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin "The Top Predator" Durant and Mike Beasley to matchup against a Shooters team that's mostly unheralded besides The Sponge Bob and ex Maryland Terrapin Byron Mouton.
Despite the apparent mismatch on paper, there is a phrase that Chris Berman of ESPN coined years ago "That is why they play the games!!"
Shooters is undefeated for a reason. You just can't kill them and they won't die. Despite the talent advantage of the All Daz team, The Sponge Bob, Byron Mouton, Chris Howard, "Tikini Sports", and Gerald "Fenty" Hilliard would not quit and seized every opportunity to win the game with tenacious rebounding, scrappy defense, and the heart of a champion.
The Sponge Bob was on fire early in the first half for Shooters. In the first five minutes of the game, The Sponge Bob converted a jump hook, a 3 pointer, two dunks, and a runner as Shooters opened up a 24-19 lead at the 15:17 mark. The key in the first half wasn't the the Sponge Bob however, it was Byron Mouton, the ex Terrapin. Mouton had a monster game in the last outing between these two teams and he was the difference maker with timely offensive rebounds and put backs to maintain his team's scoring advantage.
Durant, Beasley, and Tre Kelley pulled All Daz back to tie the game as both teams were playing at a furious pace. All Daz's Tre Kelley faked a jumper and did a beautiful spin dribble move that caused his defender to jump in the air. Kelley then drove into the lane and dished off to Durant for a dunk that brought the crowd to it's feet.
Shooters opened up a six point lead by halftime powered by the play of The Sponge Bob, Byron Mouton, and Chris Howard. The halftime score was 64-56 Shooters. Durant had 19 points at the half, The Sponge Bob 26.
Shooters began to open up a lead early in the second half after Tre Kelley's blazing end to end layup. At the 16 minute mark of the second half, Shooters had a 76-63 lead on monster offensive rebounding and dogged defense.
At around the 12 minute mark of the second half, Durant's length and All Daz's double teams seemed to bother The Sponge Bob just a little. The Sponge Bob's scoring slowed down just a tad for a short stretch which hindered Shooter's scoring while Durant and Beasley began to string together baskets on several spectacular plays and close the score at 89-86 at the 10:34 mark of the second half. Shooters still managed to maintain their lead because of Mouton, Chris Howard, and Tikini Sports. Howard hit outside shots, while Tikini Sports and Mouton continued to clean up on the offensive glass.
All Daz tied the score at 100-100 with 6:20 left in the game on a spectacular 35 foot alley oop pass from Mike Beasley to Kevin Durant who finished the play with an incredible one-handed dunk.
For a brief moment, Durant took over on the boards as All Daz opened up a 104-100 lead at the 5 minute mark of the game. Shooters fought back to take the lead 114-111 with 1:35 left in the game. Durant scored on an offensive putback and All Daz's J-Bird converted a free throw to tie the game at 114-114. Byron Mouton misses a last second shot at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, The Sponge Bob scored eight points and sealed the win for Shooters who advance into the second round. Shooters runs their record to 8-0 and look awfully strong going forward.
Durant finished with 44 for All Daz. Beasley had 20. Byron Mouton had 26 for Shooters.
After the game, The Sponge Bob said, "It feels good. It was a team effort. When they started to double team me, my teammates stepped up. It was do or die. We came to play but we played as a team."
Shooters head coach Lavelle Patterson was elated. "Words can't describe how I feel now. These guys (All Daz) have been beating me for years now. We beat them in the regular season and now the playoffs, it's feel good. We just outworked them. I give our guys all the credit. It's sweet after all those years of losing to those guys."
Plays of the day:
7:50 mark of the first half - Tre "Machine Gun" Kelley does a slight hesitation and then a spin move from the left baseline, which causes his defender to momentarily jump into the air. Kelley then drives the baseline and dishes off to "The Top Predator" Durant for a dunk.
6:20 mark of the second half - Mike Beasley throws a 35 foot lob pass into the air at the direction of the basket, Durant catches it with his right hand about two feet from the right side of the basket and throws it down. "Miles called it "ridiculous."
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