Sports -U Basketball

Team IZOD/Sports U rocks at IS8

After Elmont HS massacred Lindenhurst HS in the first game, 83-36, one would think that the second match-up between Sports University (SU) and Next Level couldn't be any worse of a thumping.

Think again. The NJ based Team Izod/SU squad would totally annihilate Next Level, 102-47.

With bigs Derrick Williams (20 points) and Ramon Johnson (18 points) dominating in the paint, the undersized Next Level squad found themselves down 11-3 early in the opening quarter. Eli Carter (11 points) would, soon after, net a 3-pointer and SU would be up by 11 points before Next Level would respond.

Down 9 points at the top of the second quarter, Coach Pam Holley urges her team to execute better defensively. Her words seemed to be in vain as Rivals.com 5-star PG Kyrie Irving (29 points), began to match his game with his name, swishing a three pointer and tear dropped an assist to put Team IZOD SU up by 23 points with 4:43 left in the half. Unable to even take advantage of their free-throws, Next Level would go into the locker room on the short end of a 46-10 stick.

Next Level began to show a pulse at the start of the third quarter as Malik Simms (9 points) would swish the teams first three pointer off a fade away and Sampson Lawal (2 points) dropped in two more from the foul line. Johnson ended Sport Universities brief drought but the team only managed to trade buckets as Jose Battle (11 points) and Shane Jamierson (10 points) joined offensively for Next Level. Still down by 29 points, Next Level had at least managed to raise its level of play. That coupled with Team IZOD coming down a notch, evidenced by Johnson air balling a lay-up, sent Next Level into the fourth quarter with no real net gain or loss.

Even with SU now toying around with the team from Brooklyn, NY they were still up 33 points. To Next Level's credit, they played hard throughout but they were simply overmatched as Coach Eric Harrield's Team Izod/SU coasted to the win.