Stepinac vs Iona Prep Game 1&2 Recaps

<p>Thanks to covid 19, the country has found new ways to do things. We have had to reinvent normal everyday things. Zoom parties drive by birthdays. In New Rochelle, New York they came up with a way to play basketball games. Stepinac high school and Iona prep came up with this idea. </p> <p><strong>Stepinac </strong>leads the best of 7 series 2-0. It’s hard enough to beat a very good team, a rival, but to do it on the road is more impressive. <strong>Iona Prep</strong> will now try to pay them back and win on the road themselves. </p> <p><strong>Game 1.  Stepinac 56.   Iona Prep 46</strong></p> <p><strong>Johnuel Fland </strong>stepped up in game 1. Without <strong>Duke </strong>recruit <strong>Andrian Griffin,</strong> Stepinac was going to need other guys to step up. <strong>Fland (2024) </strong>was very impressive in his first varsity “game”. He showed the ability to shoot the three. A strong player going to the basket. He can score in bunches and in a variety of ways. Boogie the name his friends call him had his head up and was able to find teammates for easy baskets. I’ve had him in 2024 players to watch and this night he lived up to the billing. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1046820" first="Joel" last="Baez"] (2022) </strong>is a player who could have used this year to really get on more school radars, did not disappoint. He showed confidence and toughness getting to the rim. We expect him to shine in this series and expand on his list of suitors. He can handle the ball at 6”4 and can guard multiple positions.<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1125584" first="Samuel" last="Gibbs"](2022) </strong>and the <strong>Boston University </strong>recruit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="945516" first="Malcolm" last="Chimezie"] (2021) </strong>provided leadership. Gibbs handled the ball and found the open man. He was good in transition. The 6”2 guard also had 11 rebounds Chimezie had early foul trouble but scored some big buckets in the post and did a good job on the glass. <strong>Isiah Alexander </strong>a transfer from Pennslyvania made both coaches take notice. A very active player ran the floor well scored in transition. Giving Stepinac another talented player in their rotation.  <strong>Iona Prep </strong>star <strong>(2022) RJ Green </strong>was hounded all night and still got 19 points. Very quick and strong to the hoop. He stepped out and showed his range from three. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1045689" first="Blaise" last="New"] (2023) </strong>a floor general on the floor. A point guard who can score the ball. Got his hands in on steals and deflections leading to buckets in transition. He scores in a variety of ways that a 5”9 guard should not be able to do. Extremely crafty in the lane.<strong> </strong>This was the second time I have seen <strong>Jaylen Pray (2025)</strong> in a week. He has shown both times that he is a force to be reckoned with. Extremely strong on the boards. The ability to score through contact. A player who knows how to use his strong body to gain position. Iona Prep is hoping to have Jason Rivera back to play in this series.</p> <p><strong>Game 2   Stepinac.   61  Iona Prep  54</strong></p> <p>Limited practices will make you a little rusty. So it took one game to get <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1125584" first="Samuel" last="Gibbs"] </strong>to get hot. In the first game of the series, he was good at doing everything you expect from this talented player. But in game 2 Samuel showed his range and his consistency in drilling the three. He was able to get into the lane and hit his mid-range jumper.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="945516" first="Malcolm" last="Chimezie"] </strong>who was plagued by foul trouble in-game 1 came out rocking in the second half with 7 straight points. Malcolm not only scored but he made some nice passes out of the double team. <strong>Johnuel Fland </strong>had another good night. Scoring on the drive but also defending. He has a tremendous cool about himself. In the fourth quarter in crunch time, he was able to knock down 6-8 from the foul line.</p> <p><strong>R J Green </strong>was the guy that Stepinac needed to stop. They made it very difficult for him. But talented players rise above tough situations and RJ for the second game did not stop competing. He is a player, always in attack mode to the hoop. But also has a nice mid-range jumper. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1046818" first="Isaac" last="Gonzalez"] </strong>led a spirited attempt to get a comeback win. He scored at all three levels during the 4th quarter including some beyond the arc. </p> <p>Game 3 is at Iona Prep on Friday, March 5 ( no fans)</p> <p>Look for my game 3 recap on Saturday March 6</p> <p>You can watch the game on events.localive.tv </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>