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| Team SCAN - 2011 Funsport Junior Pros Champs |
After falling short as the underdog in last year’s title
contest, Team SCAN succeeded as the favorite this time, pulling away at the
start of the second half to win its first Funsport Junior Pros championship with
a 59-47 victory over King Street Kings at Baruch College.
Team SCAN was in control for most of the first half before the
Kings’ Wolfie Novagratz evened it at 26-26 with a three-pointer with just under
a minute left in the half. SCAN’s Unique McLean answered with a two-hand slam
of a missed shot to give SCAN a 28-26 halftime advantage.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Bryce Aiken and Temple Gibbs
early in the third quarter capped a 13-0 run that expanded the SCAN lead to 39-26.
Novagratz got the Kings back within single digits with a short jumper and
another three, but a pair of inside scores by Team Scan’s Sterling Hewitt
regained the momentum and SCAN went up by as many as 17 points in the final
period.
McLean received the MVP trophy after recording 10 points and
a game-high 15 rebounds, as SCAN had four scorers in double figures. Aiken led
all scorers with 16 points, Gibbs added 13 points and a game-high 5 assists,
and Hewitt and Kyle Elliott chipped in with 10 points apiece. For Aiken, it was
a very satisfying turnaround from last year’s final when he fouled out with zero
points in the 47-43 loss to Team Final at Madison Square Garden.
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| Unique McLean (Team Scan) |
Novagratz and Najee Taylor each netted 15 points to lead
King Street , which took its first loss after reaching the finals with upset
playoff wins over F.A.C.E.S. and New Rens-A.
The Junior Pros Finals night at Baruch also featured three
All-Star contests and the awarding of the Junior Pros All-Academic teams topped
by Josh Goldstein (King Street Kings) with a 99 average. . . In the 7th
Grade All-Star game, RJ Cole (F.A.C.E.S.) took MVP honors while recording 24
points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Paul
Person (Millbank) had 16 points and Tyler Bourne (New Heights) had 14 for the
winning team while Aaron Clarke (Team First), Nate Pierre-Louis (Team First)
and Andre Williams (New Heights) all scored 11 points for the losing side. . .
Jordan Morgan (New Rens-B) hit the game-winner, Mark Martin (New Rens-A) was
MVP with 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Tyrone Cohen (New Heights-Artie) doubled
with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the first 8th Grade All-Star game.
. . McLean had the game-high of 19 points in the second 8th Grade
All-Star game.
The 2011 Junior Pros program consisted of 36 teams and featured pre-season workouts and scrimmages, academic recognitions, AND the best middle-school basketball talent on the east coast.
