Yata at the free-throw line. Photo: Trevor Kapp

Last night at Tri-State Classic (145th and Lenox) was a blast from the past when Most Hated battled Off the Hook. Suiting up for Off the Hook was Molloy “Future” Naismith (22 points), Waliyy “Main Event” Dixon (23 points), Shane “Dribbling Machine” Woney and High Octane. It was a valiant effort from the old heads, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Josh “Jiggy Josh” Watkins set the scoring record at Tri-State, with 37 points on a series of slashes to the cup. After leading 43-30 at the half, Most Hated’s Chris “Action Pack” Noel took over the game dishing out dime after dime, and sped up the tempo on the older Off the Hook crew who ran out of gas by the third quarter. That was all she wrote for Off the Hook as Most Hated cruised to a 93-70 win.

Solid playground professionals hit the floor in the second game and they went at it hard. Money Train’s dressed Darren “DP” Phillips, former Archbishop Molloy guard Sundiata “Yata” Gaines, and Jerome “Circus” Holman going up against Diamond’s John “Mookie” Thomas, “Murder,” James “Stixx” Williams, and former St. John’s point guard Eugene “Transporter” Lawrence. DP controlled the boards and got busy on the low block in the first half giving Stixx Williams trouble as Money Train took a ten points lead at the half. Stixx came back in the second half with a highlight reel dunk on DP. Money Train’s Yata Gaines and DP took over in the third quarter, with Yata raining threes and DP dominating the post to extend their lead to 13 in the third quarter. Diamond’s Mookie and Stixx combined for a strong fourth quarter and brought Diamond back within two at 88-86 with 1:21 to go. After an exchange of buckets on both ends, DP closed the game out on the free throw line converting three-of-four down the stretch to lead Money train to a 95-90 win. Mookie led all scorers with 29 points, while DP had 28, and Yata Gaines dialed in 26, the majority from long distance.

Young Money Train is the best team in the West 4th Street Pro League, and believe me, they know it. Wednesday the youngsters reeled off another win, this time it was a 90-70 decision over Jump, to improve to 6-0 on season. This one wasn’t close at all, with Young Money Train up 18 after the third. Jump cut the lead to ten midway through the 4th, before Y.M.T. regained its form and closed the door on any chance of a Jump comeback. Once again, former Georgia Bulldogs star Sundiata “Yata” Gaines paced Y.M.T. with 26 points, and the second-team all SEC standout didn’t even play the 4th quarter.

“I just wanted to assert myself,” Gaines said. “I was a little tentative [last week] so I came out more aggressive and I was able to hit a lot of shots early.”

You can catch Y.M.T. Wednesday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m. when they take on Smush Parker’s Macy’s squad.

Contributors: Sean Couch and Trevor Kapp