T2 and Jason “J-Hi” McLeish of TNP at Dyckman. Photo: BallGurl

There was plenty of action at Monsignor Kett Playground, as Dyckman (204th St. and Nagle Ave.) Playoffs continued last night. There were six teams still alive at the start of the evening, but by the end only three were left standing.

Up first was Team 914 vs. Jimmy Starzz. These two scrappy defensive crews made a battled throughout the first contest and it went down to the wire. Jason “1,000 Dribbles” Wingate and Nafi a.k.a Rambo tried their best to keep Jimmy Starzz’s playoffs hopes alive. 914’s Will “Silence of the Lambs” Cadiz and Aaron “The Problem” Williams weren’t having it. They put the nail in the coffin with a series of long distance shots in the last minute. When the smoke settled, 914 emerged victorious. Final score: 69-61.

Game two saw a loaded Rodney Park defeat Team Dynasty. R.P. brought their Atlantic Ocean deep backcourt of Mookie, Nesto, and Perry to counter the long distance capabilities of Dynasty’s Keydren “Wet Those” Clark and Bobby Santiago. Fortunately for R.P, those two never really got going from the outside. BK’s “MurderKill” dominance in the post, coupled with Nesto’s outside shooting helped R.P. build a 20 point lead they never relinquished. Nesto scored a game-high 15 points for Rodney Park and “Wet Those” finished with 12 in a losing effort. Final score: 71-50.

The third contest was highly anticipated and featured 3-time defending Dyckman Champions and T.O.C. winners TNP squaring off against The Young Ones. Quinton “T2” Hosley, Jason “J-Hi” McLeish, and Charles Jones looked as if they’d have a tough time getting a W when Louisville University guard Edgar Sosa suited up for the hometown crew. However, TNP didn’t even break a sweat. They set up their patented press and baited The Young Ones into one apple turnover after another. Both squads are super talented, but experience made the difference in this match-up. J-Hi and T2 led TNP with 16 and 11 points respectively. Sosa a.k.a “The Main Attraction” finished with 15 for the losing side. Final Score: 66-37.

Tri-State Classic

Bingo is definitely gearing up for the playoffs with the addition of Kemba Walker and the Cab Driver to an already strong core of Kareem Reid, Ron Artest, and the Glover Brothers. Last night’s tune up against Most Hated was an entertaining game that featured one of the best opening quarters of summer ball I’ve seen all year. Reid turned into an assist machine in the opening quarter – 4 assists, with I-Robot 2 (young Glover) running the floor and catching 2 dunks in transition. Most Hated’s Jason “The Gate” Wingate played well, getting into the lane to create easy opportunities. St. Ray’s HS alum Pete Mulligan, who probably was gearing up for the Pro-City final with Prime Time, was missing and will be needed for the playoffs.

In the second quarter, Jiggy Josh went double-spin cycle for a lay-up on Bingo’s whole team to produce the move of the year at Tri-State. In the second half the Cab Driver and Kemba picked up the pace and the Glover brothers proved too strong on the boards. Final Score: Bingo’s 107-102. Kemba went for 25 points, while Ant Glover added 20 and Reem Reid ended up with 17 and seven assists. For Most Hated Jiggy Josh scored 25 points and Shaka dropped 21.

Playoff Matchups

Monday Night:

Money Train vs Bowen Basketball
X-Men vs Most Hated

Tuesday:

Bingo’s All-Stars vs You Better Pray
Ed’s All-Stars vs Dip Set

Top Nicknames of the Tournament:

Chris “Action Pack” Noel

Kemba “Prince of Zemunda” Walker

Ron “Apocolypto” Artest

“Cab Driver”

Contributed by BallGurl and Sean Couch