KIPP splits in tournament action

BOSTON – The KIPP girls and boys basketball teams enjoyed mixed success Friday night in the first round of the Massachusetts Charter School Athletic Organization playoffs at the University of Massachusetts Boston.The KIPP girls dominated their game against Boston Collegiate from start to finish to come away with a 63-23 win. The boys didn’t fare quite as well, losing to Foxborough Regional Charter School, 55-40.The KIPP girls advanced to the semifinals where they’ll play Edward M. Kennedy today at 10 a.m. The boys season ended with the loss.KIPP came out of the gates flying. The Panthers led 36-10 at the half led by Alex Huffman, who scored 16 of her game-high 20 points by the break. Waleska Murial had 10 first half points, 13 total. She also provided KIPP with a lift on the defensive end, creating numberous turnovers that translated into fast break points.”Honestly, that’s as good as we have looked all year,” explained coach Nat Jones of his team’s hot start. “Alex is as good a player as there is in the league and I cannot wait to watch the tape on Waleska, who was excellent. It’s such a luxury to have her come off the bench for us.”The Panthers, who are the defending champs, opened up a 10-point lead as early as the 8:30 mark when Muriel slashed through traffic for an easy lay in. Following a Collegiate timeout with 3:36 remaining, Huffman increased the KIPP lead to 30-10 after she fought through contact for a pretty-looking floater in the lane.BC’s Jill Nee did her best to keep her team alive, scoring eight of her team-high 12 points in the opening 16 minutes. Pleilerkay Gaye added six points in the half for the Panthers.In a much less eventful second frame, Marie Kamba scored seven points to pace the victors,who also got four points apiece from the trio of Huffman, Helen Maldonado and Serena High.The KIPP boys struggled from the get-go, although an 8-0 run to end the half brought the Panthers to within striking distance at 18-13.Jonathan Mola was the top do for KIPP with 15 points, 11 of them coming in the second half. Pedro Morales had six points, as did Desi D’Oleo. Jose Valera chipped in with three points.This was the KIPP boys first trip to the playoffs. Last year they just missed the cut (the top four teams from each division qualify).?We played hard, but it wasn’t enough,” KIPP coach Duane McClendon said. “The other team was a very good team.”KIPP, because it only goes up to the 11th grade at this point, has no seniors on the team.?I could tell the kids were nervous. This was their first time here,” McClendon said.Joe Boone (16 points) had the hot hand for Foxbrougout. Carl Occeus was also a force, finishing with 13 points. KIPP was the No. 2 seed in the North and Foxborough is the No. 3 seed in the South.