Friar Basketball

Live from Beverly, MA: Brewster, Cushing Take Titles

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With Ed Cooley watching courtside at each game, both Brewster Academy and Cushing Academy walked away with NEPSAC titles. The afternoon featured four current Providence targets (Donovan Mitchell, Devonte Graham and Jarred Reuter of Brewster and Jalen Adams of Cushing), two star recruits who got away (Abdul Malik Abu/Kimball Union, Kaleb Joseph/Cushing) and an outstanding AAA championship game.

Both Adams and Mitchell earned MVP honors — impressive considering the talent in the gym. Here’s a look at each game.

Brewster Comes Back, Wins 68-63

Top seeded Brewster swept New Hampton during the regular season, winning by 24 the last time the two played, but it looked as though it might be New Hampton’s day throughout much of this one. They opened the game on a surprising 18-4 run and withheld every Brewster run for the game’s first 34 minutes. Yet, Georgetown commit Isaac Copeland gave Brewster their first lead with 5:58 remaining on a swooping drive, and the two teams went back and forth from that point on.

New Hampton threw the first haymaker with 2:05 remaining, connecting on a three pointer to give them a 63-61 lead, but Graham stepped up, hitting a three of his own on Brewster’s next possession with 1:42 to go.

Trailing by a point, New Hampton’s Aubrey Dawkins got to the rim on a baseline drive and put up a left handed layup that somehow rimmed off with 30 seconds to go. Brewster called a timeout, the ball ended up in the hands of Mitchell with 19.4 seconds remaining, and he calmly swished both at the line to push the lead to three.

A Jared Terrell steal on the ensuing possession ended up in Mitchell’s hands who was fouled with seven seconds left. As he’d just done, Mitchell swished both to seal the championship for Brewster.

The key takeaway from a Providence perspective was the poise that both Graham and Mitchell displayed late. Graham is such a steadying, mature influence and he got to the free throw line and rim at critical moments and hit the biggest shot of the game when he answered what seemed to be a deflating three with a deep one of his own. With Brewster on the ropes in the first half Graham connected on a pair of step back three pointers on consecutive possessions and soon after hit Mitchell for a three of his own to spark a run that saw New Hampton’s 14 point lead cut to just two.

Mitchell is a dynamic athlete with a devastating spin move that he goes to quite frequently. He used the quick spin off of a drive and hit a floater out of it, went to the spin on a breakaway, and connected on a pair of corner three pointers. He’s still not a deadeye deep shooter, but Mitchell is a terrific athlete and was unflappable at the line late.

Joseph, Adams Push Cushing Past Kimball Union, 78-70

Try as they might, Kimball Union just didn’t have enough to overcome Cushing’s outstanding backcourt duo. Adams won playoff MVP after going for a 17/10/10 triple double against Tilton in the quarterfinals, had the game winning tip-in against #1 St. Andrew’s on Saturday, and today made complementary plays to Syracuse-bound Kaleb Joseph who took this game over in the final 10 minutes.

While Joseph made more of the big shots late, Adams supplied the dagger, connecting on a pull up three pointer with 2:42 left to make it 69-59 Cushing.

This was the final prep game for Joseph and Abdul Malik Abu, but Adams’ star continues to ascend. The 2015 guard may be the most clutch player in New England, and a case could be made for him as the most clutch in the area since Shabazz Napier single-handedly led Lawrence Academy to an undefeated championship in his final prep season.

Adams has some Napier in him. He’s not quite as nifty with the ball and isn’t the shooter that Napier was at this stage, but he’s a far more explosive athlete and is a better finisher. Adams is seemingly good for at least one highlight block a game.

Maryland joined Providence, Kansas, Connecticut and many others who have already offered a scholarship to the player I believe will be the best in New England next season.

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