Primetime advances to the chip with a win over Team Montana in the semi-finals, 90-79
It was a rematch of July 2nd, a match in which Primetime edged Team Montana by just two points, 83-81. However, that was then and this game was now in the semi-finals. Win, and fight another day for the most coveted title in New York City hoops, the EBC Championship.
Team Montana got off to a quick 12-5 lead with Kurt Love, Kyle Hunt, Kinu Rochford and Vince all contributing. This forced Primetime to call a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. That they did. The squad went on a 12-7 run to finish up the first quarter with a baseline bucket by Shelton Colwell.
The second quarter was back and forth. Colwell used his strong size to back into the lane and Primetime went up by five. Montana’s Omari then got into the game for the first time and gave them an offensive boost with two jumpers, sandwiched in between two Primetime buckets from Corey Chandler, to make the score 39-36, still in favor of Primetime.
With 1:30 to go in the half, Primetime ran away with the lead with a Chandler lay in, a Jamar Nutter euro-step for an easy deuce and a Kenneth Ortiz finger roll. This series of plays gave them a 10 point lead going into the half.
Montana was going to have to play their best basketball if they wanted to win. Kinu Rochford was their savior in the third quarter, backing in for easy makes and grabbing ferocious rebounds. He stepped in for his counterpart Kyle Hunt, who is usually the one all over the glass and nailing hook shots through out the season, but Hunt never got it going in this contest. Rochford scored 13 of his 19 points in the third, and Montana was in striking distance down five going into the final quarter.
Montana came out on a mission. The team made a steal and a block that led to two easy shots for Truck Bryant, which pulled them within one. After a Primetime time out, Rochford made a shot practically from his knees to give Montana a 71-70 lead, their first in the second half. Primetime then started to double team Rochford, who found a cutting Vince two times in a row for the easy lay in. But that was the last bucket Montana would score in the game. With three minutes to go, Primetime went on yet another run, this one the most important of them all, a 10-0 sprint, to earn the team who had to fight to even get into the playoffs, a spot in the EBC championship.
“It’s a blessing,” Chandler said about going to the chip. “I’m pretty sure the last time they made it to the championship I couldn’t even play in this.”
Chandler led all scores with 28 points while Vince and Rochford both finished with 19 in the loosing effort.
