Day Two
After a jam-packed night one of the Rumph, night two hoped to exceed the opener. The second day added stakes with two teams dropped from the fray, as four more continued their championship pursuit.
Fans crowded into the Community College of Philadelphia’s gym, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the best of the best of hoopers in the Northeast.
Game One
Night two opened up with an elimination game between Rumph Center and Basketball finders. The back-and-forth affairs continued in typical rumph fashion, as both squad were desperate to play another day.
After a clutch four-point play from Taylor Funk that cut the Rumph Center lead to one with less than a minute left, Ahmad Gilbert – also known as JR – moments later hit a dagger three with less than 40 seconds remaining putting the ice on what was a exhilarating opening matchup to give Rumph Center a 72-66 win.
The first half the two teams went bar-for-bar with three-pointers as five of the first six baskets combined came from beyond the arc.
Alize Johnson led the Rumph Center in the first half with 10 points and five rebounds, but was matched by Taylor Funk who was the driving force for the Basketball Finders early.
Funk scored 14 points in the first half turning the gym into “Funky Town” for the first 20 minutes of action. Helping the Basketball Finders take a 36-34 lead at the half with a late three-pointer within the final minute of the half.
While Taylor Funk led the Basketball finders in the first half, Clifton Moore was lights out in the second half scoring nine points at an efficient pace too shooting 87 percent from the field.
But Taylor Funk and Clifton Moore’s efforts weren’t enough to overcome the Rumph Centers smothering defense. The red hot Basketball Finders went ice cold from three-point range in the late parts of the second half.
JR went off in the second half taking control of the game for the Rumph Center as he scored 15 of his team-high 22 points in the second half. His effort helped propel Rumph Center to its first win and escaping elimination while also earning him Player of the Game.
Rumph Center (1-1) will go on to play the loser of 8EYE (1-0) and REX6 (1-0) tomorrow.
Game Two
FOE battled Coach Tone Runs in the evening’s second elimination game. Both teams knew they had to stay alive in the tournament, but only only FOE came out firing on all cylinders.
They sprinted out to a 17-point lead and never looked back in its 89-73 route, sending Coach Tone Runs packing in game two.
However, it was the unexpected names that willed FOE to the win.
The Morris twins stayed cold after yesterday’s second half against 8EYE and star
ted the game going just 2-10 combined from the field. Isaiah Wong took matters into his own hands, scoring 16 points and missing just two shots all evening.
Markus Kennedy gave the former Miami Hurricane support, and the 7-7 tie turned into a 17-point FOE lead in the blink of an eye. Ky Howard refused to go down easily though, and Coach Tone Runs stayed within 15 points at the half thanks to his 14 points.
The Tone Runs found life in the second half and cut the lead to single digits, but their comeback ended there. The Morris twins woke up and scored 20 points to balloon the lead back up to 17 with eight minutes remaining.
Coach Tone Runs attempted to cut the lead, but there was no Collin Gillespie to spoil FOE’s fun. FOE’s lead never dropped into single digits, and a Mustapha Traore slam put the game on ice with seven minutes left to play.
FOE (1-1) will play the losers of Blue Magic (1-0) and DevelopNow (1-0) tomorrow in the third round.
Game Three
Blue Magic and Develop Now took the court for the first game in the winner’s bracket late Friday night. While both teams could afford a loss, Blue Magic’s Brandon Moss refused to let his squad down, opening the game in electric fashion with 18 points in the first half.
Behind Moss’ dominant start, Blue Magic jumped out to an early 13-point lead and cruised to a 78-66 victory against Develop Now, remaining undefeated in the Classic.
Hakim Hart Jr. continued his elite performance from night one, scoring a team-high 14 points in the first half, but it was no match for Moss’ clinic.
Moss put together an entire highlight reel featuring multiple ferocious dunks that got the entire gym on their feet. He went into halftime with a game-high 16 points, and the Blue Magic held a 40-29 lead at the break.
Scootie Randall took over for Moss in the second half with multiple fadeaway jumpers in the post. Randall went scoreless in the first before making every shot in the second, exploding for 21 points.
Develop Now’s Donta Scott picked it up in the second half, scoring 15 points and helping cut the Blue Magic’s lead to nine with 12 minutes remaining. However, it wasn’t enough to pull off the comeback.
Blue Magic (2-0) earns a bye in tomorrow’s action and a spot in Sunday’s semifinal. Develop Now (1-1) will face FOE (1-1) tomorrow in the third round.
Game Four
8Eye had to hit two free throws to put the icing on their improbable comeback against Rex6 in Friday’s second-round finale.
The rim had other ideas.
Both shots circled around before hitting the ground, giving Rex6 an opportunity to earn a third-round bye. They just needed someone—anyone—to deliver.
They had the perfect person for that: 2021’s Classic MVP Wali Hepburn, who turned CCP into Wali’s World by nailing the game winner and sending his squad to the semifinals with a 69-68 win.
Rex6 got Friday’s main event going quickly, pouncing on 8Eye with Hepburn’s 15 points. Quadir Welton chipped in with nine as their squad opened a 25-11 lead. 8Eye couldn’t seem to get past the smothering Rex6 defense, who sent four of 8Eye’s shots right back.
Then, the tide began to change. 8Eye’s shots began to fall, and they chipped at the lead, entering halftime down 40-33.
Williams began the second half on a mission to bring his squad back, and he did just that, scoring 12 points before the 10-minute mark of the period. Suddenly, it was a tied game with just 10 minutes left.
8Eye took its first lead of the game, but Tyreek “Ty Ty” Reddick introduced himself to the contest with his first shot of the game, taking the lead back for Rex6.
The second half featured multiple lead changes, and neither team could find an edge. Hepburn scored 29 and earned Player of the Game honors while Williams scored 20 in the losing effort.
Rex6 (2-0) earns a bye and will wait until Sunday to play the winner of 8Eye (1-1) and Rumph Center (1-1) in the semi finals.
