The good folks at the SMARTBALL Classic held their 10th annual summer showcase this past week in Harlem. Below is the full rundown of how Lincoln High came away with the hardware from YES Inc.:
Two perennial powerhouse high school programs from Brooklyn – Abraham Lincoln H.S. and Boys & Girls H.S. – advanced to the finals of the SMARTBALL Classic pre-season high school invitational in Harlem, NYC Thursday night. Boys & Girls jumped out early and took control of the game in the first quarter thanks to Charles Sprowal, Jr., Gianni Ford and Jaquan Lighfoot who collectively outscored the entire Lincoln team taking a 17 – 10 lead going into the second quarter. Lincoln struggled and showed fatigue from their 3 games in 2 nights schedule and the eventual MVP of the game, Lincoln’s Donald Flores, picked up two early fouls in the first half. Boys & Girls led at halftime 37 to 25. Flores started the 3rd quarter and came out firing, while Lincoln locked down defensively outscoring Boys & Girls 19 – 1 taking a 44 to 37 lead into the fourth quarter. To start the 4th quarter, Boys & Girls Coach decided to change the guard-led game plan and got Jaquan Lightfoot, the starting center for Boys & Girls, more involved as he dominated the paint. Lightfoot racked up 12 of Boys & Girls 15 points in the 4th quarter, and at the end of regulation, the game was tied 53 a piece.
In OT, Lincoln outscored Boys & Girls 9 – 7 as Gianni Ford missed a contested 3-point shot to win the game. An exhausted but determined and well-coached Lincoln team walked away with a 62 – 60 win claiming the coveted 2015 SMARTBALL Classic title.
MVP: Donald Flores, Abraham Lincoln H.S. 2017 – 20 points, 2 reb, 2 assists, & 1 steal
Sportsmanship: Jaquan Lightfoot, Boys & Girls H.S. ‘16 – 22 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast
SMARTBALL CLASSIC 2015 ALL TOURNAMENT GAME Presented by SLAM Magazine
In the undercard before the SMARTBALL Classic ‘chip, some of the top H.S. prospects in the city put on a show for NYC. The white team led by St. Raymond’s dynamic duo Isaiah Washington and Sid Wilson staged an electrifying come back after being down 41 to 56 at the half to pull out an 88 – 82 win.
MVP – White: Isaiah Washington, St. Raymond ‘17 – 17 points
Sportsmanship – White: Sid Wilson, St. Raymond ‘17 – 14 points
Sportsmanship – Blue: Curtis Smith, Thomas Jefferson ‘16 – 15 points
About YES Inc. and SMARTBALL
Youth Education through Sports (YES Inc.) SMARTBALL program led by Russel Shuler, Rudy King and Jared Leake is an invite-only summer basketball tournament featuring the top high school programs in a playoff atmosphere. All teams must participate in SMARTBALL “Reality Check” Education workshops or get disqualified from future basketball events. The SMARTBALL “Reality Check” Education Workshop presents required information student-athletes must know as they pursue high school graduation and work to qualify for college while satisfying the new NCAA Eligibility Center’s incoming academic requirements for athletic participation as a freshman. Don’t just play ball…play SMARTBALL!
