What was arguably supposed to be the most competitive of the four WCSSAA Senior semifinals certainly didn't start that way on Tuesday afternoon at KCI.
By the end though, I have to say, it was one of the most intriguing and interesting CWOSSA games I've seen this season.
In a tale of two halves, the Raiders raced to a 29-point halftime lead, only to see the Rebels gradually chip away before KCI held off their charge down the stretch in a 54-45 final.
To say Eastwood started slow would be an understatement, as the Rebs shot 1-10 in the first quarter and were no better in the second, hitting just one shot from the floor again in that quarter around a couple of free throws for six total first half points.
Yes, six.
Three Raiders --- Stefan Simic, David Ben-Lemotey, and Seif Adan all had 6 or more at the half for KCI.
But, like their previous playoff game against Southwood, where they led by 1 at half only to outscore the Sabres by 48 in the second half, ECI came to life in the second half.
So, cue the Eastwood "lightning bolt" offense.
The Rebs started by nearly equalling their first-half offensive output on their first couple of second half possessions, which included a deep Izzy Nemeth three-pointer and an "and-one" converted inside by Cham Ujullu. That was part of a 14-5 run over the first four minutes of the second half as ECI cut things back to a 20-point deficit.
Another Nemeth three-pointer right before the third-quarter buzzer capped a 27-10 quarter for the Rebels to get them right back in the contest, down only 12 (45-33).
The Rebs would get it down to 8 with about 5:30 left in the contest, when Ousmane Kromah didn't get a foul call on a drive, to the chagrin of the ECI supporters in attendance. It turned out to be a big moment for the Raiders, with Adan converting a fall-away two pointer on the other end to push things back to a double-digit lead.
The remainder of the game hovered around an 8-to-12 point game, with the Rebels able to make some shots but the Raiders also able to provide some timely answers on their end. A Stefan Simic ankle-breaking assist with the Rebels trailing by 9 and 1:30 to go pushed things back to, essentially, an insurmountable deficit.
For KCI, Simic didn't have his best shooting effort of the season, but still finished with 11 points and 5 assists. Seif Adan led the Raiders with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while David Ben-Lemotey did a great job on the backboards from the PG spot, corralling 9 rebounds while scoring 8 points.
Cham Ujullu had 10 points and 8 rebounds for the Rebels, with Sydney Stewart also scoring 10 points. Izzy Nemeth finished with 9 points (all three-pointers) while adding 5 assists.
KCI will now take on Cameron Heights, who opened up a 20-point halftime lead on the WCI Vikings en route to a 72-43 victory. Chris Phomsouvanh had 19 for the Gaels, while Salim Bagabe and Mohamed Kawe had 8 each for WCI.
Top-seeded SJAM defeated #8 Forest Heights, 62-45, with Nedim Hodzic scoring 26 in the win. Rakesh Arjun had 11 for the Trojans.
In the 4-5 game, the Grand River Renegades overcame an 8-point halftime deficit and surged in the second half to a 64-56 win, backed by 19 from Vatrik Odouk. TJ Lall concluded his WCSSAA career (the Ghosts will still play at AAA CWOSSA) with a 25-point effort.
WCSSAA Semifinals - Thursday
(1) SJAM vs. (4) Grand River
(2) Cameron Hts. vs. (3) KCI
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
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