The American Heritage Patriots came out strong early, blitzing visiting Grace Academy International to a final score of 83-48. Clearly the most talented player on the floor, junior Zaire Wade poured in a game high 27 points.
A signature moment in the dominant Patriot victory came at the courtesy of Wade. With just under a minute to go in the third quarter and American Heritage pulling away, Wade glided back on defense for a huge trailing block on a lay-up attempt by David Gonzalez. Jumping sky high into the air, Wade smacked the ball at its pinnacle off the backboard. The force of Wade’s vicious block caused the ball to tumble back towards the American Heritage offensive end for a run out.
“I guess I get that from my pops (Dwyane),” laughs Wade. “It really is all about good timing and a little bit of athleticism. I am just trying to bring that toughness that we need heading into the playoffs.”
If that display of toughness was any indicator of the first quarter, American Heritage should be in good shape. The Patriots jumped out to a massive 30-7 lead, putting together an offensive knockout punch to the psyche of Grace Academy.
With Patriot reserves playing part of the second quarter, Grace Academy managed a short offensive run led by David Gonzalez and Onajeh Warden. The pair totaled all of Grace Academy’s points in the first half. Wade, on the other hand, nearly matched his opponent on the scoreboard with 17.
Any hopes of a Grace Academy run were pushed aside in the second half. American Heritage jumped out to a 13-3 start with Gonzalez netting his first points on a 3-pointer with 2:52 to go. The crafty shooter led Grace Academy with 26 points, many of which came late in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.
A no-look pass from Wade to freshman Darius Tinger in the fourth quarter was icing on the cake for an all-around performance from the junior superstar. With a running clock now in place, Wade exited the game with 5:55 to go in the game. Tinger finished with 18 points while senior Masai Olowkere added 15.
“It was a good win after we had a little slump,” said head coach Fred Battle. “We got some new kids we added to the mix. That was a good game with those young guys moving up and getting their feet wet. Darius is a kid that plays hard and he is only a ninth grader. You can’t tell sometimes because he rebounds and goes after everything.”
“We need those bench guys. Defensively we have to continue to turn up the tempo. We have to continue to play together as a team by sharing and moving the ball. We cannot let it just stick in one person’s hands. We also have to keep playing hard on the offensive and defensive glass. Rebounding is something that we have to continue to step up on.”
Michael Costeines is a contributor for Mars Reel based in South Florida
