The Chosen Ones remained one of two unbeaten teams in the New Breed Basketball Association summer league by beating Guidance, 109-93, at the Educational Complex gym on Tuesday.
Both teams came ready to play Tuesday, with both sides going at each other hard throughout the game. The game was so intense at time even the rival fans were going at each other verbally. Luckily there was no exchange of blows.
In the end, however, the rebuilt Chosen Ones’ strong play in the paint and overwhelming depth proved too much for Guidance to overcome.
The play in the first quarter set the tone for the next two, tightly played with both team responding to runs by the other every time. The game was knotted at eight at the four minute mark when the Chosen ones went on a 9-2 run to take a 17-10 lead, but Guidance responded with an 11-0 run of their own to take the lead at 19-17. Three straight points by the Chosen Ones’ Clint Williams put them back in front 20-19 with 45 seconds left in the first. A three point play by Guidance’s Khalid Gerard, however, gave them a 22-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Chosen Ones exploded in the second period with a 10-0 run to take a 32-22 lead, but back came Guidance with a 18-8 run and we were all knotted up at 38 with 2:56 left before intermission. The teams would play evenly for the remainder of the half and the score was dead even at the break, 47-47.
After the break, the Chosen Ones again started on a run, outscoring Guidance 12-0 to build a quick 59-47 lead. And once again Guidance battled back. The score was 72-62 with two minutes left when they ran off 10 straight points to tie the game at 72. Steve Gardner’s two free-throws gave the Chosen Ones a two point lead at 74-70 at the end of three quarters. Calvert White exploded for 12 third quarter points to keep his team in the hunt for the upset.
The intensity of the game at this point was so high that it was beginning to affect the players and twice the referee had to step in to warn players of their rough play. It was no better in the stands as the fans were hurling insults and taunts at each other.
With the stage set for an excitingly hard-fought final quarter, the Chosen Ones again started fast, reeling off an 18-11 run to break open a close game and lead by nine, 92-83, with 4:10 left in the game. They built it to 12 points at the 2:57 mark and seemed well on their way to remaining unbeaten.
However at that same time their best player, Andy Chelcher, was given two technical fouls for arguing a call too vehemently, and was disqualified from the game which only made him angrier. It led to another argument with his coach, Keith Swanston, from whom he had to be separated and escorted out of the gym. With Chelcher gone the Chosen Ones did not miss a beat and any hopes of a comeback by Guidance were quickly squashed as Gardner and Ryan Rawlings came up with long range bombs to extend the lead down the stretch. The final margin of victory was 16 points, 109-93.
Gardner led six Chosen Ones players in double figures with a team high 21 points and seven assists, Zomari Swanston knocked down 17, Wilson Ferrance 16, and Quinton Guirty and Rawlings both finished with 11 for the winners. Chelcher netted 15 points and hauled down a game high nine rebounds before he was ejected from the game. For Guidance it was White leading players in double figures with a game-high 27 points with five rebounds and five assists, Gerard netted 18, Malik Hodge and Lamar Bough both scored 12, and Richard Isles dropped in 11.
