We took in the first half of the last day of the 2020 Kreul Classic, staying at the main location, the City of Coral Springs Gymnasium. As expected, we got quality play on both an individual as well as a team basis.
Stuart Martin County vs. Davie Western
It wasn’t surprising that both teams got off to a sluggish start during the 10:00AM game. The score was tied at 4-4 after four minutes. From there the pace picked up and Western found itself on top at the end of the first period by a point, 12-11. The Tigers of Martin County made sure that lead didn’t last long, grabbing a 17-16 lead in the first four minutes of the second quarter. They would eventually stretch that lead to six, 28-22, by halftime.
Western came out cold in the third quarter and Martin County took advantage. Heading into the final period, the Tigers had a double-digit lead at 40-28 and looked very much in control. Western extended their defense in the fourth quarter and made a bit of a comeback. The trailed by just seven with three minutes remaining to play. Martin County then pulled the ball out and ran clock, forcing Western to foul. The Tigers finished off the game at the free throw line to head back up I-95 to Stuart with a 54-44 win and a 3-0 record in this year’s Kreul Classic. Western finished a more-than-respectable 2-1.
Martin County was led by 6’4 junior Ryan Davis with 18 points while 6’4 junior Amarion Brown added 13 points.
For Western, 6’2 senior Jack Anderson accounted for 12 points while 6’0 senior Gary Adams provided 10 points.
Miami Westminster Christian vs. Weston Cypress Bay
The first four minutes was a back-and-forth affair, with Cypress Bay leading 8-6. The Lightning of Cypress Bay ended the first quarter with a 7-0 run, leading 15-6 heading into the second quarter. Westminster Christian made dents in the lead at various stages of the second period but Cypress Bay was always able to keep the lead. Westminster Christian drew closer but still found themselves down at the break by the score or 23-18.
Nothing really changed in the third period and Cypress Bay looked in good position heading into the fourth quarter up six at 34-28. That changed very quickly as Westminster Christian tied the score at 34-34 with six minutes left to play. With the score tied at 37-37 with under two minutes to play, 6’0 senior Christian Munilla knocked down a three to give Westminster a lead. Cypress Bay answered with a quick two from 6’3 junior Noah Kattan to pull within 40-37, but without a shot clock, Westminster Christian was able to hold off Cypress Bay from the free throw line, hitting six of eight to win by the score of 46-39.
Westminster Christian was paced by 6’2 junior Sal Stewart with 12 points while 6’5 senior Jayden Higgins also tossed in 12 points. The team finished 1-2 at the Kreul Classic, but those losses were to The Rock School and St. Andrew’s, both high-level teams.
Cypress Bay was led by 6’4 junior Kevin Pazmino with 16 points, fourteen of those in the first half. Kattan added 14 points. The Lightning went 0-3 at the Kreul Classic, also losing to both St. Andrew’s and The Rock.
Hialeah Mater Lakes vs. Coral Springs High School
We saw both teams play on the first day and expected a solid game. Much to our surprise, the Coral Springs Colts sprinted out of the gate, forcing numerous Mater Lakes turnovers and converting them into scores. Coral Springs thoroughly dominated the first quarter, leading 21-4. Mater Lakes calmed down in the second period. They finally got rolling in the final four minutes of the quarter, scoring eleven points (up until that time, they only had scored ten in the first twelve minutes). Mater Lakes made a dent in the deficit but still trailed by double-digits, 35-21, at the break.
The third quarter brought a ray of hope to Mater Lakes as they cut the margin to just five, 37-32, after four minutes of play. Coral Springs shook that off, bringing their advantage to nine, 49-40, heading into the final period. Once again, Mater Lakes sliced into the deficit but Coral Springs still looked in control, up by six, 51-45, with four minutes left in the contest. Over the next minute-and-a-half, Mater Lakes would go on a 6-2 run to make it a one possession game. With twenty seconds left, the Colts led 57-55 but Mater Lakes had the basketball. With time running down, the Bears’ 5’9 sophomore Jamai Tejada drove hard to the basket. A foul was called with 0.4 seconds to play. Tejada hit both free throws and we headed to overtime, tied at 57-57.
In the OT period, Coral Springs was able to shake off nearly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The Colts forced Mater Lakes to once again play catch-up but held on at the foul line to win a rout-turned-nail biter 64-63.
Coral Springs was led by 5’8 senior Kymani Quarrie with 14 points. Both 6’3 senior JeVaughn Morris and 6’2 senior Carl Rosier added 12 points and 6’6 sophomore Greg Spate dropped in 10 points. The Colts finished with a 2-1 record at the Kreul Classic.
For Mater Lakes, Tejada led the way with 19 points. Kareem Barnett, a 6’3 senior, tallied 15 points while 6’7 junior Andruw Rondon added 14 points. The Bears finished 1-2 at this year’s Kreul Classic.
Boca Raton St. Andrew’s vs. Gainesville The Rock School
This was a highly-anticipated match-up and it did not disappoint. The Rock led 8-6 after the first four minutes but then doubled-up the score very quickly to force a time-out by St. Andrew’s. Whatever was said worked, as St. Andrew’s finished the quarter with a 10-2 run to lead 16-14. St. Andrew’s maintained that momentum in the second quarter, at one point leading by ten, 28-18. The Rock then found a rhythm, cutting that margin in half by the time the half-time horn sounded. St. Andrew’s led 32-27 going into the break.
St. Andrew’s still had that five point lead midway thru the third period, but back to back threes gave The Rock a 42-41 lead with 2:30 left in the quarter. St. Andrew’s took a time-out to collect itself and once again it provided what was needed. St. Andrew’s finished the third period with a 10-4 run to get back its five point lead at 51-46. After two minutes of play in the final quarter, The Rock had tied the score at 51-51. They led by three with four minutes to play and by four, 63-59, with just thirty seconds to play. Bobby Stewart, a 6’8 senior for St. Andrew’s, scored inside with thirteen seconds left to get within two. After a Rock turnover, Stewart was fouled inside with just two seconds left. He made the first but missed the second. St. Andrew’s quickly fouled. The Rock made one of two free throws to make the score 64-62 with one second to play. After a time-out, St. Andrew’s had to pull off a near-miracle to get the win. It almost happened. The long baseball pass to 6’9 senior Josh Minott was on target, but Minott’s shot was just off. The Rock held onto a very exciting 64-62 victory.
The Rock was led by 6’8 senior Atraell Washington with 25 points. Jayce Harrison, a 5’9 senior, added 13 points while 6’3 senior Kyle Duke finished with 10 points. The Rock went 3-0 during their time at the Kreul Classic.
For St. Andrew’s, Stewart led the team with 19 points while Minott finished with 17 points. St. Andrew’s finished 2-1 at the Kreul Classic.
Our thanks to the event organizers and volunteers, especially Dwyn Berg, Don Calloway, and Michael Cimilluca, for providing great hospitality and pulling out all the stops to make the Kreul Classic happen in this year of COVID.