Hakeem Grant had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the win. (Robert Cole)
Taquan Givens was looking at schools in New Jersey. Hakeem Grant planned on contributing for John F. Kennedy.
For different reasons, both ended up at Mott Haven – Givens remained there and Grant was placed at the Bronx school after he was involved in a fight at Kennedy.
Together, they have formed a potent 1-2 punch and after Sunday’s sparkling fourth quarter performance, have the Mavericks one win from a PSAL Class A city title.
“Sometimes the basketball gods smile down on you,” Mott Haven coach Doug Porter said after the top-seeded Mavericks took down No. 4 Bedford Academy, 69-58, at CCNY in Harlem Sunday night. “We got some lucky breaks along the way. We would have a hard time winning without those two.”
Givens, a slick sophomore point guard who plays major AAU ball with the New York Gauchos, scored 14 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter while Grant followed with 18 points and 10 rebounds while battling Bedford’s ‘AA’-sized front line.
It’s hard to say which shots were bigger, Givens’ back-to-back 3-pointers to put Mott Haven ahead for good midway through the final quarter or Grant’s basket inside and 3-pointer to extend the lead to six with 2:30 left.
“Those were money,” said Porter, who guided South Bronx to the ‘A’ final two years ago, where he fell to Bedford. “They really turned the tide.”
In a game full of runs, Mott Haven (26-5) had the last one, a 19-5 spurt to close the contest out. Givens was brilliant in that time, starting the burst with the consecutive 3-pointers and making all six of his free-throw attempts.
“I hit the shots when it counted,” he said. “I had confidence. I knew the first [3-pointer] was going in just by the spin of it. That gave me even more confidence to take the next shot.”
Neil Veira had 16 points to lead Bedford (24-6), which has lost in the ‘A’ semis the last two years, Sean Snagg had 13 points and Darien Best 12.
After a splendid first half in which he scored 12 points to help Mott Haven take a 32-21 lead in the locker room, Givens struggled in the third. Bedford put 6-foot-5 forward Ellis Everett on him and the senior’s length was bothersome.
In that time, Bedford put together a 16-1 spurt, using its size and turning up the defensive intensity, to grab a 49-43 advantage entering the fourth. Mott Haven inched closer until Givens and Grant closed it out.
Grant was planning to play for legendary Kennedy coach Johnny Mathis before he was involved in a fight and his mother took him out of the Bronx powerhouse. As a freshman, Givens didn’t play high school basketball of any kind. Mott Haven didn’t have a team. He considered St. Patrick and St. Peter’s Prep, but neither was the right opportunity.
“I’m glad I stayed,” he said. “The ball is in my hands, I’m making big plays down the stretch, Porter gives me so much confidence and we’re going to the championship.”
The two meshed well with South Bronx holdovers such as point guard Robert Lloyd and wing Bright Attkorah, not to mention newcomer Jessey Okeagu (10 points, 20 rebounds) emerged as an important inside weapon. Despite a Bronx A East crown and top seed in the ‘A’ playoffs, there were doubts whether the Mavericks run-and-gun style could work this time of year.
“It feels like we’re gaining respect,” Porter said. “We were the No. 1 seed, but I didn’t feel like anyone thought we were the favorite.”
They put those doubts to rest this week, first by holding No. 17 Stevenson to eight, fourth-quarter points in a come-from-behind win in the second round and now by rallying past Bedford, the team many considered the ‘A’ favorite, on Sunday.
“I’m so proud of my kids,” Porter said. “They make that run, they go up six, and we gutted it out. They just know how to win.”