Howard holds off Brentnell

(Photo: Pharoahe Zaire catches an inbound pass just before scoring in the second half.)

While becoming a favorite to win the championship of the Columbus Recreation and Parks 18U Division, Howard Rec's group has found itself in close battles in two of the past three weeks.

Two weeks ago, Howard's leading scorer, 6-foot-9, 10th grade center, Pharoahe Zaire got off to a slow start, but scored the final six points of the game in a 39-32 win over City Life. Howard trailed City Life in that game with less than seven minutes to play before rallying for the win.

This week, Howard found itself in a different version of a fight. Brentnell, now 2-2, has a better record than 0-4 City Life. Unlike struggling to score early against City Life, Howard got off to a 10-1 lead on Thursday, Feb. 6 against Brentnell. Zaire scored eight of his game and career high 30 points to establish the early lead.

When Zaire took his a rest on the bench in the first half, it seemed that Howard would cruise for the rest of the night. His teammates have consistently taken care of the ball, controlled the pace of the game and have shown great patience for players their ages. Brentnell became the first team to disrupt the Howard backcourt. Rushed passes and bad decisions were results of Brentnell's attack which led to a tied 11-11 score.

(Photo: Ke'Marquez Green drives to the basket.)

Howard regained the lead at 13-11 with 7:23 to play after Ke'Marquez Green scored from an assist by DiAngelo Grice. Pharoahe Zaire returned from his rest shortly before that play. Just as Brentnell brought angst to the Howard guards, when he was on the bench, Zaire made it hard for the Brentnell guards to penetrate the paint for layups. He also dominated the paint on offense and as the opening half progressed, Howard was ahead 30-18 with 49 seconds to go before halftime. He finished the first half with 14 points.

Despite Zaire's late first half performance, Brentnell showed Howard that it would have something to deal with in the second half as it scored the final five points of the half making the scored 30-23 at the intermission.

Led by the dribble penetration and bothersome defense of Jackson Moxley, the second half started with a Brentnell 11-8 run, narrowing the Howard lead to just 38-34, at 16:34, after a Moxley layup.

From that point Pharoahe Zaire used his giant frame to lift his team from a potential upset. At 15:45, a well defended Zaire got an outstanding inbound pass from DiAngelo Grice, who put the ball right above the grasps of the defender's fingertips, into his teammate's outstretched left hand. Zaire turned the pass into an assist after scoring on a spinning hook while being fouled. The center completed the three-point play after nailing the free-throw giving Howard more breathing room with a 41-34 advantage.

(Photo: Ty'Sean Grice flies for a Howard Rec basket.)

With 6:41 to play, Ty'Sean Grice got two points on a transition layup after Ke'Marquez Green battled for one of his many rebounds. Green recorded an assist to Grice on the play making the score 52-43. Howard's fans thought at that point they could rest easy as it looked the like the game was about to be put away.

Brentnell surged on to a 9-5 run for the remainder of the contest, falling short as Howard won 57-52, thanks to clutch free-throw shooting by Pharoahe Zaire, who made four of his five second half free-throw attempts. The night before Zaire made 30 free-throws as some of his teammates playfully distracted him during practice. Against Brentnell, he made six free-throws which helped his team remain undefeated in a five-point victory.

(Photo: Sidy Balde penetrates before getting an assist.)

Notable performances in the win came from Ke'Marquez Green who had a double-double with over ten rebounds (no official total was available) to go with 10 points. His athleticism and grit on the glass took pressure off of Zaire who had 18 rebounds to go along with his 30 points and three assists. Ty'Sean Grice had another sound effort with nine points and intelligent play during crunch time. Sidy Balde, who scored his season high of 17 points the week before, went scoreless this game but this was his second-best offensive performance of the season. Balde's three assists to Zaire and a few more to other teammates were valuable in a game where Howard had distribution problems at times. He has shown improvement over the past two games as a passer.

Howard's next game is a battle for first place. Now at 4-0, Howard will take on Lazelle Woods, a team with an identical record. The game occurs, on Thursday, February 13, at the Willis Athletic Complex in Columbus, Ohio. The team that wins will likely have the top record going into the post-season tournament in three weeks.

Columbus Recreation & Parks 18U Standings

1 Howard 4-0

1 Lazelle Woods 4-0

3 Brentnell 2-2

3 Schiller 2-2

5 City Life 0-4

5 Far East 0-4