Magic Wins Bushrod

Bay Area Magic 72 - University of Bushrod 57

The Magic used its superior quickness and athleticism to put the game away early. Jamal Hill's spectacular dunks and Will Bonner's blocked shots and rebounding helped the Magic to take early control of the game. Gary Hill-Thomas had an outstanding all around game. Chandler hit several 3's and did a good job on the boards. James Akijino had several fantastic crossovers. Victor Venters, Dameon Bledsoe and Keith Wilright led the UOB. David Paris was a backup player for UOB.

Championship Game
Bay Area Magic 68 - Runnin' Rebels 59

While the Rebels managed to creep back to within 5 mid way through the third they were never able to get any closer in the second half. The Magic's starting lineup (Jamal Hill, Gary Hill-Thomas, Will Bonner, Marquin Chandler and "CG" James Akijino) were on a mission to avenge their one point buzzer beater loss (57-56) to the Rebels the night before. The Rebels who won the bracket finals on Wednesday came in fresh while the Magic got a 30-minute break from their earlier game with the UOB. Tournament MVP Jamal Hill took charge early hitting from the outside as well as going strong to the bucket. Chandler was also hot from the outside and made several key tip ins. Hill-Thomas played a balanced game on both ends of the court. Bonner played an outstanding defensive game and contributed with several key rebounds. "CG" talked a lot of trash and backed it up with great ball handling. Tremaine Davis made a spectacular dunk. Shawn Broadnax, who missed the first game because he was in school, added some very much needed fresh legs; he had a very good all around game. The Rebels led by Charles Brown, Demarshey Johnson and Tremaine Fuqua played their hearts out but they were clearly over matched.

Congratulations to the City of Oakland's Parks and Recreations department and the Bushrod staff for an outstanding event. The fans were great. Officiating (three refs) was good. The new gym and facilities are the state of the art.

Ps: Word of caution to future players; if you don't have heart or if you are soft, the Bushrod Easter Tournament is not the place for you.