Howard Pulley League
Compass, which was undefeated coming into this game, was within 4 points of Chicago with 2:45 left to play, but they couldn’t pull it out and saw their perfect record come to an end. A couple of Levi Jones free throws, four free throws by Jabbar Washington, and a Tim Williams tip-in of his own miss were enough to give Chicago an 85-77 victory.
The second game was very close throughout. The game was tied at 18 after one, and it was 37-36 (with Petters on top) at the half. Petters then got on a roll, and they built a double-digit lead which was still a solid 53-45 advantage heading into the 4th quarter. Then they started to unravel.
Sabes started the 4th on an 11-6 run to draw within 59-56. About the same time, Petters seemed to shift their focus from playing to arguing with the referees, which resulted in one technical and some definite mental lapses. They still managed to cling to a slim lead most of the way, but then the Paris Kyles show started.
With his Sabes team down 68-65 with 2:10 to play, the former Park Center star knocked down a pair of free throws to get within one. He then scored a bucket inside to put Sabes on top by one at 69-68. After a teammate chipped in with a basket, Paris then proceeded to knock down 3 free throws after drawing a couple of fouls. While he did miss the 4th free throw, he made up for it by grabbing the rebound and laying it in.
If you’re keeping track, that was Paris Kyles 7, Petters 3 (which came with only a few seconds left) in the final 2:10 to give Sabes a 74-71 victory. Petters was outscored 29-18 in the 4th after having given up just 45 points total in the first 3 quarters.
Sabes was led by #10, a player whose name I unfortunately do not know. He’s a very good outside shooter (he hit 2 NBA 3s and just missed a few more) and showed a solid all-around game. Kevin Tendall scored 12 points, with 8 of them coming in the 4th quarter. Jesse Olberding finished with 11 points, Paris had 10, and Ryan Messner had 8.
Petters was led by James Davis, who finished with 17 points on 7 for 8 shooting from the field. He also had 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists, and a steal. James had a huge height and strength advantage in this one, so it was difficult to judge his performance, but he did show an impressive assortment of ball skills during warmups. He also showed soft hands and a nice shooting touch.
Shawn Sivels had a solid game with 11 points and several athletic finishes around the basket. DeAndre Townsend used his quickness and athleticism to take over the game at times and finished with 9 points. Gameli Ahelegbe, Will Graham, and Tyrell Sledge all finished with 8, and Jason Birr added 6.