slam qf results

SoCalHoops Tournament Update

Slam-N-Jam NIT Quarterfinal Results
& Championship Schedules--(July 25, 1998)

Friday's quarterfinals of the Slam-N-Jam National Invitational Tournament, like the Double Pump Best of Summer, have not been treating our local SoCal boys well. In the games played at Long Beach State yesterday, Greater Compton lost to H.Pulley of Minnesota, USA Slam (which is really the QBL Lakewood Team, now playing over at the Slam-N-Jam after withdrawing from the Best of Summer for unknown reasons) also lost to the Long Island Panthers, which coincidentally lost to local favorites Inland at the Best of Summer, sending the Inland team to today's quarterfinal game at Dominguez which will be played at 12:30 p.m. And, finally, the Southern California All-Stars, which is basically the Dominguez High team, playing with Tyson Chandler, who had missed most of the action on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to visit with his mother in San Bernardino (she was either sick or had a baby depending upon whom you believe), lost to the Bay Area Ballers I (playing without Andrew Gooden, who switched over to play with EBO at the Best of Summer). Sheesh, all this transferring, and it's not even the beginning of the school year yet! :-)

In yesterday's first quarterfinal game, Adam Boone scored a game-high 14 points as H. Pulley of Minnesota beat Greater Compton, 63-50 despite Tito Maddox, Ellis Myles and Marquis Poole each scoring 10 points. Compton earlier had beaten team Nebraska to advance.

USA Slam (aka QBL) which was playing without Jason Kapono of Artesia who was suffering from an injury (we're not certain if he reinjured his broken nose or whether it was some other injury) lost in their quarterfinal game to the Long Island Panthers, 60-51, who were playing with Doug Wrenn, who had a great game, scoring 14 points. Fab Fisher (5'-10" Sr. PG) is one of the best and he also had a great game. Long Island earlier had beaten the Dallas Dirty Dozen in their first game of the day at 9:15 a.m. Friday.

Southern California All Stars also lost to eventual semifinalists Bay Area Ballers. Earlier in the day, they had beaten a very strong Texas Blue Chip team (which itself made the quarterfinals at the Best of Summer also, ultimately losing to a very strong Hunting Park team. We spoke with some of the Texas folks, and we heard nothing but complaints about the refereeing in the SoCal All Stars game, and the Texas folks were convinced that they'd been "home-towned," getting only 4 foul calls in the entire game.. Whatever, SoCal All Stars advanced to play the Bay Area Ballers I. SoCal was quickly down, playing miserably, and at one point, trailed 24-6. But on the strength largely of Tyson Chandler's play, and Keith Kincaide's 15 points, they managed to pull within 44-41 about halfway through the second half. But BAB wasn't going to let them back in, and ultimately won by 9 points, 72-63. Chandler finished with 20 points. Patrick Dennehy (6'-9" Jr. F) from Wilcox, an athletic player with pretty good touch and nice moves in and around the paint, led the Ballers with 17 points.

Championship Schedule:

The Long Island Panthers will play the Bay Area Ballers I in today's first semifinal at 10:15. H Pulley will play New York Riverside Church, a 58-53 winner over All Ohio Red in the quarterfinals, in the second semifinal at 11:30. The championship will be played at tonight at 8 at the Goldmine at Cal State Long Beach. So you'll have just enough time to see the 6:20 p.m. Championship game at Double Pump, get into your car and drive the 15 or so minutes to Long Beach, and run to the gym to catch most of the Championship at the Slam-N-Jam.

Yeah, sprinting between gyms, running from the parking lot, and driving really fast. That's what we like to do on a Saturday evening. It's probably the most fitting end to the past several weeks which is the insanity called "open evaluation period basketball."

Also today, the Consolation Championship bracket will be played today, with the first quarter final at 12:15 in the East Gym, and the second at 12:45 in the West Gym. The Consolation Championship will be played at 4:30 p.m. today in the West Gym at CSULB. In the losers bracket, which is euphemistically called the "Friendship Bracket," the Semifinal games are this mornting at 9:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. in the East Gym, while the Championship game will be played at 3:15 p.m.

We'll have as many of the results as possible later tonight (actually it will probably be well after midnight, the way things are going).