PSAL B PLAYOFFS Sarah J. Hale 82 Banneker 61
PSAL B PLAYOFFS John Adams 79 Brandeis 64
Sarah J. Hale’s high octane backcourt of Henry Moore and Reggie McCuller was simply too much for seventh-seeded Benjamin Banneker yesterday as the second-seeded Hawks blew by the Warriors, 82-61, at Louis Armstrong Recreational Center in Queens.
The victory propelled the Hawks into Saturday’s semifinals at St. John’s, where they will face John Adams, a 79-64 winner over Brandeis.
Sarah J. Hale (18-4) blew the game wide open with a 14-0 run bridging the first and second quarters that gave it a 33-11 lead midway through the second.
The play of Moore brought oohs and aahs every time he touched the ball. He finished with a game-high 36 points along with 12 assists, dictating the flow of the entire game.
“That’s my job [to control the game],” explained the senior. “I have to set the tempo.”
“He is one of the best point guards I have ever coached,” said Hale’s Charles Kaplan. “He is terrific.”
This marked the third time the teams met this season; Banneker won the first contest 87-86, the Hawks the rematch, 79-59. In both of those games, Warriors’ coach Wendell Saunders instituted a zone defense, but yesterday he wanted to switch to man.
Bad mistake.
“I didn’t know that they were that fast,” explained Saunders, whose team’s season ended at 21-5. “They were very athletic and other teams that we have played aren’t as fast as they were. They are extremely difficult to defend.”
McCuller, a junior, poured in 23 points and had five assists as he scored most of his points on the fast break.
“He is a terrific player and once I got him under my wing we turned around his career both on the court and in the classroom,” said Kaplan.
Third-seeded John Adams (16-3) came out of the gates firing as senior Guy Andre connected on four three-pointers in the first quarter. He finished with 19 points. Forward Lyndon Noriega chipped in with 22.
No. 11 Brandeis finished at 22-4.