Shoe City Classic wraps up

LYNN – In the sports world, expansion is typically followed by a gradual parity among the competing teams. On Sunday evening at Marian Gardens, a pair of Lynn squads vying for Shoe City Classic titles found this out the hard way. Since taking over as tournament director a year ago, Simmie Anderson?s main focus has been “broadening the Classic?s reaches,” which, as he pointed out on Friday, “has paid off in a big way.”There can be no doubting this following Sunday?s middle game, which proved an instant classic.Boston entry Play 2 Win prevailed after a dramatic overtime finish that saw Lynn?s L.G.T. squad hit the would-be winning half-court shot just seconds after the final horn had sounded.Following a turnover off an inbound, Christian Dunston (team-high 14 points) pounced on a loose ball before throwing up a prayer that was seemingly answered, prompting the crowd surrounding the sidelines to storm the court.Amid the celebration, a final decision was made that the ball had not left the shooter?s hands before the clock read 0:00.?That was as crazy a finish as I have seen in the history of the Classic,” said L.G.T. coach Fred Hogan, who stepped down from the tournament?s lead role in 2012. “The crowd?s reaction was unforgettable. There?s no sense in being upset that the basket didn?t stand up. That was one heck of a basketball game.”Play 2 Win?s Mike Rodriguez provided highlight after highlight en route to a 13-point effort complemented by an array of dazzling assists, most of which set up Maliik James, who finished with a game-high 16 points.The first half featured a battle of skill (and wits) between Rodriguez and Freddy Hogan Jr., who proved their team?s respective facilitators. The former outscored the latter by a 7-4 margin while helping his team to a 34-26 lead after 20 minutes.Hogan Jr. finished with 12 points thanks to a late flurry of threes, which helped force the extra session.In the over-20 men?s division final, defending champion Shoe City, a team comprised of a cast of local legends, was upended, 76-62, by the Boston Soldiers, who came up short in the 2013 title game, which needed overtime to settle.?In the past two years, this has turned into a bit of a respective rivalry,” Simmie Anderson said, “that has really benefited the tournament, I?d say.”Shoe City got a team-high 16 points from Dorian Brown as well as 15 points from Corey Bingham. Brothers Anthony (8) and Antonio Anderson (10) provided the crowd with plenty of highlights as well.In the day?s opening contest, Shoe City?s 15-and-under entry defeated Curwin Circle (Lynn), 67-47, behind a team-high 20 points from Calvin Johnson Jr.Curwin Circle got big games from Marcel Lelly (game-high 23 points) and Durrell Rucker, who added 16 points in the loss.