Dunk 57, Air Force 1 66

The three-ball told the story for the first six minutes of the game, as Brandon Smith (19 points, four rebounds) and Ryan Fisher (15 points, five assists) had their long range artillery firing for a 15-4 lead. Dunk dynamo –guard Raf had the mid-range game working but the combo of Smith, Fisher and the bonus play of Bang Lee (17 points, five rebounds, four assists) gave AF1 a 23-17 lead with 7:28 to play in the first.  Raf wouldn’t-scratch that-couldn’t let his team fall out of the game, because he simply couldn’t miss in the first half. Going on his own 5-0 run and dropping shot after shot with defenders in his face, I was sure a booming voice was going to scream “he’s on fire,” while the basketball spontaneously burst into flames, and Raf would take off from lit up icons on the floor, only to jump through the roof and come down with a twirling Terence Stansbury-esque slam-dunk. Luckily for Seward Park high school and the NRF (for insurance purposes), Raf stayed within in the gym but someone did belt out a loud prediction about Raf’s 24-point first half.

“He’s going for 40!”

Oh Kash-$, you’re a great score keeper and an even better jinx.

After putting his team on his back and ahead 33-31 at the half, Raf ran out of gas (he later blamed it on the Chinese food. I suggested a hearty subway sandwich but no one listens to Jared). Raf (who finished with a game high 31 points) began to hoist up shots and his teammates still believed in him, which they should have, but fell into the “give him the ball and watch what he does with it,” trap that kills offenses. AF1 took advantage and spread the love around the team. Jay Corbin (eight points) displayed some acrobatics, with an up-and-under finger roll, to give his team a 40-36 lead. Dunk did manage to tie the game, as Edowa Shimzu (nine points, eight rebounds) and Sureshot (eigth points, five rebounds, three blocks) tried to contribute on the offensive end and Will Dubose (16 rebounds) held it down defensively, but it was no use. Af1’s team play prevailed as Ben Detrick (six points, eight rebounds) helped seal the 68-57 win, with a late game put-back layup.  

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