No. 1 Uptown lived up to its seed and topped the No. 2 Crusaders 58-50 in the Hood Ballers League championship game Aug. 28 before a lively crowd on the outdoor courts at Silver Lake Park.
Shooting guard Jeri Wilson led Uptown with 20 points, while co-MVP/small forward Ronnaire Dickerson and MVP point guard Marvin Goins scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Power forward Andre Gistanner scored six points, small forward Chris Gibson had four and center Rodney Poindexter added two. Also on the title team was power forward Darius Johnson. Timothy Tarver and Stanley Gatewood were the winning coaches.
Shooting guard Tyler Golon and small forward Tyree Williamston led the Crusaders with 18 and 13 points, respectively, and power forward Brandon Nichols added nine. Shooting guard Tom Davis scored eight points and point guard Jauwaun Smith had two. Also on the team was shooting guard Shakeen Shaw. Brandon Daniels was the head coach.
Officiating the final were George Cale, Dwayne Henry and Willie McKinzie. Tyrone Butcher was the league’s commissioner.
Golon won the scoring title with 13 points per game, followed by fellow all-stars Wilson (12.2), Dickerson (11.5), Gordon (9.2), Goins (8.2), Nichols (7.0), Sean Turner (6.0), Sardayah Sambo (6.0), Richard Blackston (5.0) and Curtis Mack (4.2).
Uptown opened the playoffs with a tough 42-34 victory over Capo. Wilson and Dickerson each scored 16, followed by Gistanner with nine, Gibson and Goins with six each and Dickerson with five.
Power forward DayQuon Bordley and point guard Keith Turner each scored 10 for Capo in the semifinals, while power forward Richard Blackston added eight. Point guard Mack and power forward Larry Banks each scored three points. Coaching Capo were Vinson Walker and Kabul Brothers.
The Crusaders advanced with a 38-33 triumph over the Believers in the other semifinal. Golon and Nichols led a balanced attack with nine points each, followed by Shaw (eight), Smith (six), Davis (four) and Williamston (four).
Sambo and Turner scored 15 and 12 points, respectively, for the Believers, followed by Khalil McKinnon and Shakur Wright with four each, and Dominik Ringgold with two. Leroy Berry and Doug Waters coached the Believers.
AWARDS
Hood Ballers League top awards:
Sportsmanship – Marvin Freeman, Crusaders and Darius Jackson, Uptown.
Defensive player – Jeri Wilson, Uptown.
MVPs – Ronnaire Dickerson and Marvin Goins, Uptown.
Tyrone Butcher Award for outstanding performance and perseverance – Marvin Goins, Uptown.
First team all-Hood medals – Tyler Golon, Curtis Mack, Mike Gordon, Jeri Wilson, Ronnaire Dickerson and Marvin Goins.
