The Summit Academy boys basketball team got to play where the pros play for their regular season finale.
On Tuesday, February 5, Summit took on Far Rockaway Educational Campus High on the practice court. Summit, who is in the B division, edged A division Far Rockaway, 51-46, in a contest that was close the whole game.
Head coach Phil Grant liked how Summit played against Far Rockaway.
“We played hard and pulled it out,” Coach Grant said. “Our lineup was one we don’t usually go to in the beginning of the game. Everybody that came in off the bench was able to hold their own. We did a great job defensively. We got stops when we needed to get them.”
The Barclays Center, which is home of the Brooklyn Nets, sets aside days throughout the year for high schools to use the facility.
Summit was a perfect 12-0 in the B division this season after winning their final league game by 30 points against Brooklyn Collaborative Studies. The Eagles played eight non-league games, including the Barclays Center game, and went 6-2 in those games.
Summit’s five-point win was a closer margin of victory than any of their league games this season.
Summit had four players score at least nine points. Junior Jordan Council had 16 points, senior Jalil Brown had nine points and 12 rebounds, junior Nicholas Mickens had 12 points and junior Michael Gulston had nine points.
The local crowd heavily favored Summit Academy.
It was a hard fought, low scoring first half. The score was 16-13 in Summit’s favor after Grant Jr. got a steal and then made a free throw just before time expired in the second quarter.
For the halftime entertainment, two Summit Academy students went back and forth singing sections of the National Anthem and the Summit dance team called Straight out of Summit performed for a few minutes. There were seven girls and one boy on the team.
In the 3rd quarter, the pro Summit crowd got loud when Mickens made a 3-pointer to give Summit a 21-15 advantage with five minutes left.
Far Rockaway took control over the next few minutes as they took a 24-23 lead after they made a fast break layup.
Coach Grant liked how his team was able to rebound after Far Rockaway started to take control.
“We kept our composure,” Grant said. “Normally in a game like that when it swings, you tend to get a little rattled, but we kept our composure and then we got the stops we needed to get. Mike Gulston came in and made some key timely baskets. Jalil got two huge baskets for us. We did a great job.”
Summit tied the score at 26 on a free throw and then the crowd started a defense chant towards the end of the 3rd. Far Rockaway had a 29-28 lead at end of the 3rd, but Summit took control in the 4th.
Council made two free throws after he drove to the basket to tie the game at 32 with 6:24 left in the game and then Mickens made two free throws to make the score 34-32.
Summit continued their momentum as Council made two technical free throws and then the junior point guard made a 3-pointer to give the Eagles a 39-32 advantage.
Later in the 4th, Brown got a rebound and then made a layup to give Summit a 44-38 lead and then Brown made an important fast break layup to give Summit a 46-40 lead.
“I can’t talk enough about Jalil,” Coach Grant said. “Jalil played a great game. Jalil controlled the backboards for us. Jalil contested every shot for us. He did a great job today.”
After a Far Rockaway layup reduced Summit’s lead to 48-46, Council made three free throws in crunch time to give Summit the win.
The Summit team was looking forward to this game as well as the Red Hook community.
“Everybody really enjoyed it,” Grant said. “Not just the school but the whole community got involved. We got Pave Academy involved and had our middle school team. You know this was a pro Red Hook crowd. The whole community enjoyed this.
Earlier that evening, the Summit Academy middle school basketball team and Pave scrimmaged at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. .
The middle school game started at 7:30. Pave middle school principal Geoff Fenelus was on hand to watch his students. Karen Broughton, who is the chief of staff for Assistant Speaker Felix Ortix, was at the game watching her son Mark, who is on the Pave team.
The Pave Panthers got out to a 11-3 lead after four minutes had gone by and they ended up winning the 8-minute scrimmage 11-4. After the game, a Pave student remarked how he was excited that he was in the same place as Nets star D’Angelo Russell.
Once Summit Athletic Director and girls high school coach Dytanya Mixson realized that they would be able to play the high school game on Tuesday, he lobbied for the middle school to open up for the high school game.
“Being that Pave is another school in the neighborhood we thought it would be perfect,” Mixson said before the middle school game happened. “It will be good for the kids to play on a big court like that.”
