Magic Wins Bracket @ Slam N Jam . . .

Dave Rogahn

In a matchup of two of the top teams in the Oakland Athletic League, McClymonds (14-4) got a spectacular performance from Antonio Kellogg and managed to hold off a last-minute comeback from visiting Oakland Tech (9-7) to post a 59-56 win before an energetic packed house Friday afternoon in West Oakland.

Kellogg finished with a game-high 31 points, including five three-pointers, plus eight rebounds and four assists, all team-highs. Plus, he guarded Tech's standout Quentin Thomas most of the day, helping to hold him to 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting. A pair of Kellogg free throws with 1:12 left gave McClymonds a 57-50 lead and appeared to secure the win for the Warriors.

But it almost wasn't enough as Tech made one last surge. A basket by Thomas with just over a minute left cut the margin to 57-52. Then Maurice Reed stole the ball back for Tech, and got it to Denzel Barnes, who passed to Thomas for a layup to make it 57-54 with 35 seconds left. Following a free throw by Mack's Stephen Blackwell, Vaneck Phann hit a long 2-point jumper to bring Tech to within two at 58-56 with 15 seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbounds, Tech nearly stole the ball two different times, but each time the ball went out of bounds and back to McClymonds.

When Mack finally got the ball in to Lionel Shell, he was fouled with six seconds left. Shell made the first free throw, but missed the second, keeping it a one possession game at 59-56. Tech got the ball downcourt for a last-second 3-point attempt by Phann, but his shot bounced off the rim. McClymonds had the win, and excited Mack students rushed the floor in celebration.

Though McClymonds led the entire second half, the lead was never more than eight points as Tech refused to let the Warriors pull away. To begin the game, Tech's Maurice Dupree scored on a putback to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. But McClymonds stormed back on a pair of threes from Kellogg, sandwiched around a basket by Ronnie Choteau, taking an 8-2 lead.

Then Tech brought in Barnes, who changed the game with six points and two steals before the end of the quarter. Mack still held a lead, but it was just 17-15 after the first eight minutes.

Following a three by Kellogg to give Mack a 20-15 lead to begin the second quarter, Tech went on an 11-0 run to take a 24-20 lead, with Joshua Johnson's layup capping the surge. But then McClymonds rallied, starting with a jumper and then a three from Kellogg. Phillip Woods added a free throw and a putback basket that tied the game at 28. Then just before halftime, Yahya Abdul Mateen made a steal, and the ball went to Kellogg, who scored to give McClymonds a 32-30 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, McClymonds jumped out to a 41-33 lead on a pair of baskets by Choteau and a three by Kelllogg, but Tech rallied to cut the margin to four by the end of the quarter. A pair of free throws by Thomas made it 43-39 entering the fourth. But early in the final quarter, a steal and basket by Kellogg, and a layup by Choteau gave McClymonds a 47-39 lead, and they held at least a 5-point edge until the late Tech rally in the final minute.

In addition to Kellogg, McClymonds standouts included Choteau (10 points, 4
rebounds), Woods (8 points, 6 rebounds) and Blackwell, who did an excellent job handling the Tech pressure. And though Abdul Mateen didn't take a shot or score a point, he was an active presence with six rebounds, two blocks and three steals.

Thomas led Tech with 17 points, and he also had nine rebounds. Johnson added 14 points on seven for 11 shooting, and Reed grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Though Barnes didn't start, he had a huge effort with nine points, three steals and a game-high five assists for the Bulldogs.