AButta and Young Mousey at Dyckman. Photo: BallGurl.

Dyckman

JTA had Team 914 seeing red at Dyckman (204th st./Nagle Ave.) last night, and it wasn’t because of their ruby uni’s either. Kenny “Rodman” Carpenter dropped a methodical 27 points on a variety of inside and outside shots. He gave the Westchester team Charles Bronson type payback for being over an hour late to the game. Will Cadiz, who led all scorers with 28 buckets, put the backpack on for Team 914, but it was to no avail. End result: JTA won 76-70.

The nightcap, once it finally started, saw a motivated Dipset squad battle 84th Street and its high-scoring backcourt. Harlem’s “A Butta” played strong from jump, doing what he does best, scoring and dishing. His homey “Mousey” assisted in the offensive onslaught by taking out every defender who tried their luck guarding him. This helped Dipset open an early 20-9 lead. For a while, it looked as if the ‘Set would dominate, but “Cross Country” kept 84th in the game with good decision making on the offensive end until Steve “All Day, All Night” Burtt Jr. came alive. The game was on once he got going. It’s too bad a little drizzle spoiled the fun. Officials called the game with 3:51 left in the 2nd half and Dipset holding a 10 point lead. There’s no word on whether or not the contest will be rescheduled. End result: 68-58 Dipset.

Rasheed Campbell (Black) and Kemba Walker (Red) at West 4th. Photo: Trevor Kapp.

West 4th

On paper, it was supposed to be one of the best match-ups of the summer at West 4th St. (3rd St., 6th Ave.). Smush Parker versus Yata Gaines and Headache against Kemba Walker, but with the first three noticeably missing from Wednesday night’s game between Macy’s and Young Money Train, the game that got as much buildup as any turned average very fast.

Six players scored in double figures to lead Y.M.T. past Macy’s. Miguel Million led Y.M.T. with 32 points, none coming from outside the paint. Million threw down a few nasty dunks off alley-oops from incoming UConn freshman point guard Kemba Walker.

Macy’s actually put up a better fight than expected, rallying from 17 down to cut the deficit to just four points mid-way through the fourth quarter. Rasheed Campbell did everything he could for Macy’s and finished with a game-high 45 points. Campbell’s back-court mate Doug Cromarty poured in 37 points of his own. These two connected on a combined eight three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough for the guys in black.

Y.M.T. will look to complete its perfect season when it takes on 1.3/The Champs Wednesday, Aug. 6. Tip off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

Tri-State

Game 1: Sean Bell’s All-Stars vs Money Train

Yesterday Money Train went toe-to-toe with Sean Bell’s All-Stars for a rivalry match-up, both teams hailing from Queens. Raheim Wiggins, Sean Bell’s All-Stars coach, sported a red t-shirt with the words, “The Train STOPS here” emblazoned on the front. Unfortunately, a scuffle broke out in the 4th and caused a 20 minute delay that drained the energy out of the game and ultimately caused it to end prematurely.

Before the drama, Money Train’s Corey Underwood was unstoppable on the block. But he did have to battle King Bell who snatched almost every rebound and attacked the cup with gusto. The teams were so evenly matched the game came down to a challenge of will and passion. Circus controlled the tempo for Money Train as he wowed the crowd with a little razzle dazzle on his dimes. Meanwhile, Sean Bell’s All-Stars’ Anti-Freeze slithered his way into the lanes and scored clutch baskets to keep the game close. The game ended with 6:24 remaining and a score of 73-69 in favor of Sean Bell’s All-Stars.

Despite the fans booing the fight and chanting, “Next Two Teams!” this was a goodie while it lasted.

Game 2: TNP vs X-Men

With both teams fighting for playoff position and two stacked rosters, this game had a ‘90s Knicks vs Heat feel to it. On a one on one break, TNP’s J-Hi gave Mike Campbell a case of the light feet as he skated by for an easy deuce as part of his one-man 6 point run that electrified the crowd. Blood Diamond and Prime Time put pressure on X-Men’s D with strong drives to the tin.

On the other end, X-Men’s Tommy Guns redefined Easy Buckets. No man in the park was strong enough to stop him in the post, but it didn’t stop there. Apparently scoring down low was too easy so he stepped back and drained a trifecta too. Sponge Bob sliced and diced his way to the rim and earned some freebies at the stripe for the X-Men.

With 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter and the X-Men enjoying a 5 point cushion, 41-36, down came the rain and ended the game.

By: Ballgurl, Trevor Kapp, and Jonathan Lopez