#4 R.C. Palmer Griffins vs #5 Notre Dame Jugglers
Richmond Oval - The second quarter final of the day placed the R.C. Palmer Griffins against the Notre Dame Jugglers. The Griffins would get 13 early points from #21 Sorosh Sidiqi which allowed them to open up an early seven point lead. For the Jugglers it was #13 Daniel Bondi who chipped in 10 points of his own, including a coast-to-coast lay-up to at the first quarter buzzer to tie the game at 20 after 10 minutes of play.
#21 Sorosh Sidiqi and #13 Daniel Bondi would score the first points of the quarter for their respective teams as well in this guard showdown. #13 Daniel Bondi would score the second and third buckets as well for the Jugglers. In the second quarter senior forward #42 Andrew Reddy came to life, first off of a nice lob pass, then doing his work on the offensive glass for a put back which put the Griffins up five points. That lead eventually grew to nine points, so needing a bucket Notre Dame went back to Daniel Bondi who split some defenders for back-to-back baskets. #10 Michael Martino of Notre Dame would secure a number of offensive rebounds towards the end of the quarter, with one coming in the last minute while being fouled. He would knock down the pair of bonus free throws to cut the lead to five. R.C. Palmer 42, Notre Dame 36.
Palmer started the second half with the ball, but it was the Jugglers who would score first off a transition lay-up from #22 Deshawn Wong. #42 Andrew Reddy would get an “and 1” on the next possession for the Griffins. The two big men would trade baskets on the next couple of possessions as well. #7 Quentin Bautista of Palmer would get a steal and then finish a tough hanging layup in transition. On a loose ball, a number of bodies would hit the floor, however, it was the Jugglers who would come out with it resulting in a contested layup for #5 Tim Palanca. For every run that the Jugglers made to cut into the lead, the Griffins would answer right back. With 2:54 remaining in the quarter it was the Griffins who held the lead 65-53. On a broken inbounds play, #21 Sorosh Sidiqi for Palmer would block the three point attempt of the Notre Dame player to preserve their lead. #13 Daniel Bondi would use some fancy dribbling and a acrobatic finish to bring the Jugglers within five, before an easy basket inside from #6 Brice Pumares made it a one possession game. 65-62 for Palmer after three quarters.
Palmer started with the ball, but a lazy post entry pass was deflected by #10 Michael Martino which sprung #5 Tim Palanca out in transition to make it just a one point game. A big block by #22 Eligio Menta would preserve the Griffins lead, but #13 Daniel Bondi banked a “3” to take the lead on the next possession. #12 Steven Ang of Palmer answered right back with a three of his own. With 6:20 seconds the score was tied at 71, until #13 Daniel Bondi of Notre Dame knocked down a free throw jumper, which was answer by #13 Connor Leary of Palmer to tie the game once again. After some more back-and-forth action, #7 Quentin Bautista of Palmer used a behind the back dribble in transition which resulted in a tough finish at the rim to go 77-75 with 4:00 to play. With under two minutes to play, Palmer would force a turnover putting #21 Sorosh Sidiqi out on the break for an easy two. On the next play the Jugglers would turn it over again resulting in an uncontested layup by #7 Quentin Bautista to make the lead 83-77. Three free throws by #10 Michael Martino would bring the Jugglers back within one possession, but when they pressed a R.C. Palmer player snuck behind the defense and was left wide open to put the lead back up to five. #6 John Ashiru, a late sub, would grab a defensive rebound, be fouled, make the first free throw, miss the second, but grab his own rebound which would essentially seal the game. Notre Dame would scrap together a series of buckets but the final score 91-85
Congratulations to the Griffins on the win. They advance to the 2A Semi-Finals tonight, where they will play the King George Dragons at 6:15pm.
R.C. Palmer High Scorers
#21 Sorosh Sidiqi - 30 Points
#42 Andrew Reddy - 25 Points
#12 Steven Ang - 10 Points
Notre Dame High Scorers
#13 Daniel Bondi - 30 Points
#22 Deshawn Wong - 19 Points
#6 Brice Pumares - 17 Points
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