QUEENS — Eagle Academy jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back as they beat the McKee/Staten Island Tech Seagulls, 53-37.
The Eagles (13-2), in 2nd place in AA Bronx division, took on the Seagulls (11-3) in the Steve Simms Memorial AA Division Showcase at York College in Queens.
Eagle Academy soared to a 24-9 halftime lead, but MSIT mounted a spirited second-half rally to make it competitive.
By the end of the third quarter, the Seagulls had cut the lead to six points, thanks in large part to set plays and a patient offensive strategy instilled by coach Charles Donohue that focused on moving the ball to expose holes in the Eagle defense.
Despite MSIT’s comeback, the fourth quarter belonged to Eagle Academy. Najee Senior converted a driving lay up to halt a several-minutes long scoring drought, and Jalen Chapman led the rest of the way. Chapman was a one-man wrecking crew in the low post, showcasing a variety of moves that included driving baseline for a foul and the basket followed by a one-handed floating jumper. By the time he converted two free throws from another drawn foul, the Eagles had run the lead to 45-29 and put the game out of reach.
Chapman led Eagle Academy with 14 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Oumaru Fofana added 13 points and Senior tallied 10 points.
Seagulls senior center Osa Slayton led MSIT with 16 points. Lamont Anderson and Ryan Markoe each scored eight points.
Eagle Academy coach Rodney Plummer chalked up the win to defense.
“We played pretty steady defense,” Plummer said. “We expected them to make a run and we regrouped.”
Eagle Academy felt the win put them in a good position to make a run in the PSAL playoffs next month.
“Our expectations are to win a championship this year,” Chapman said. “We got bumped last year in the first round, but this year we’re going to make a difference.”
