By Kristopher Ferrufino

Valhalla - - – In the regular season, the Mount Vernon Power and Montrose Veterans played a close game that could’ve gone either way. That game ended in a slim victory for the Power. Now in the second matchup in the playoffs, with Nationals only being a victory away, both teams had everything to play for. This matchup lived up to the hype and showcased two Northeast heavyweights battling it out for a one way ticket to Memphis.

In a strong defensive start, both teams were unable to find a bucket in the opening few minutes. Once the Power were able to find their first bucket via Center, Omar Kellman, the Power didn’t hold back. Guard, Charles Thomas, was key in this charge as he provided back to back three’s late in the first quarter. Forward, Justin Blaze, capped off the first quarter with a three of his own after Thomas’ back to back. The Power held a 14 point lead after the first quarter with the score being 30-16.

In what was starting to look like a runaway victory for the Power, the Veterans showcased their muscles and made a strong comeback. Being led by Elijah and Andre, the Veterans started to make buckets nonstop and the team were able to make strong defensive stops as well. The Veterans were able to cut that 14 point deficit to zero and even led at the half 55-54.

The back and forth nature of this game continued in the second half as both teams were able to score at will. Omar Kellman led the Power in the third quarter with 13 points while Marquis led the Veterans with 11 points of his own. The Power entered the third quarter ahead 87-81.

In the fourth quarter is where Mount Vernon Power Guard Malik Moore shined. Moore provided 10 points in the fourth quarter alone and scored two key three pointers late in the fourth to keep the Power ahead. Andre and Marquis from the Veterans tried to provide another comeback but to no avail. The Power kept their composure and the Veterans struggled to score late in the final minutes. This elite matchup ended in a 107-103 victory for the Power as they booked their ticket to Memphis for Nationals in April.

Player Of The Game

Malik Moore, “King of the fourth quarter”, led the Power in scoring with 26 points, 10 of those points being in the fourth quarter.

Key Moment

In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Omar Kellman was able to secure key rebounds for the Power as the Veterans were trying to make a comeback. This made it much easier for the Power to close out the game.

By Kristopher Ferrufino

Valhalla - - – Fresh off their win against Crotona last week, It seemed as if Mount Vernon would handle business as usual again. However, this was not the case, as the Hawks exacted revenge and handed the Power their second loss of the season in a 118-112 game. While the score may seem close, it wasn’t that way at all as the Hawks led a majority of the game. Despite a comeback attempt late in the third, the Power were unable to handle the pressure that the Hawks brought out on defense and the Power themselves were unable to provide that same pressure on defense. Crotona were able to score easy baskets in the paint late in the fourth and denied any chance of a Power comeback.

Crotona Hawks’ Coach R Halftime Interview

 Link to HT Interview with Crotona Hawks’ Head Coach (Audio Only): Crotona Coach HT Interview

Key Players

Crotona Hawk’s player, Day Day, led the game in scoring with 40 points. Day Day had the whole offense running through him in the third quarter as he scored 16 points alone in the third. 

Omar Kellman deserves some appreciation despite this loss. He was an integral part in keeping the power in the game and led their comeback surge in the third quarter. Kellman finished the game with 25 points and 6 assists.

Key Moment

With about one minute left in the fourth quarter, the Hawk’s were down to four men as two of their players had fouled out. Despite only being up by three points, the Hawks were able to keep their composure in the final minute despite the handicap and secured the victory.

By Kristopher Ferrufino

Trade Alert

The Mount Vernon Power have traded Guard, Dominick Watkins, to the Salutche Bears in exchange for cash considerations.

Watkins is an original member of the Power and has been with them since their inception in 2020. He now joins a struggling Bears squad in need of a spark.

By Kristopher Ferrufino

MOUNT VERNON - - – The Power were put to the test by the Hawks in what was easily the Power’s most competitive game all season. After a sloppy performance in the first quarter, the Power saw themselves down by 14 points entering the second quarter. However, after a solid pep talk from Coach Gomes, the Power started off the second quarter on a 9-0 run and brought back the momentum to their side. Even though the Power were still behind at half time, it was clear that they weren’t going to be outplayed like they were in the first quarter. Key performances by Charles Thomas and Jonathan Greenfield in the second half kept the Power in the game and allowed them to pull away late for the win. This game was not pretty at all due to the amount of fouls, sloppy passes, and lack of defense at times. However, this win showcased exactly why the Power were ranked number one in their division and number two in the country coming into this season. Proving that you can come back after being down 15 points at one point shows great resilience from the Power. In addition, it also shows that they can perform well while being behind and that they don’t fold under pressure. Victories like this are important when you have title aspirations because it shows that you can come through with a win even if you’re not playing your best.

Key Players

Jonathan Greenfield, led the game in scoring with 34 points. 17 of those points came in the fourth quarter. To go along with his 34 points, Greenfield had 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

Charles Thomas, back from a one game absence, performed like he never missed a beat. Thomas finished the game with 27 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Justin Blaze puts in another solid performance again today. Blaze finished the game with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Coach Gomes’ Reaction

“Overall it’s a win but to me it’s a loss.” says Mount Vernon Power Head Coach Marcus Gomes. “Very bad defensive performance. Very unorganized team we played against, they were rushing on offense [and] they weren’t really moving the ball around. There is no excuse we gave up 106 up there”.

Link to FT interview with Coach Gomes (Audio Only): Coach Gomes Interview

Key Moment

Charles Thomas came up clutch with a 3 point barrage in the third quarter which kept the Power in the game and put them ahead at one point. He was the spark that they needed which helped propel them to victory.

By Kristopher Ferrufino

MOUNT VERNON - - – The Power might have been the scariest thing that the Salutche Bears had seen this past Halloween weekend. Without starters Charles Thomas and Omar Kellman, it may have seemed as if Salutche had a chance to capitalize on the Power but those dreams were crushed early on. It was never a close game as the Power led by 14 points after the first quarter, led by 30 at half time, and eased past Salutche the rest of the game in a remarkable 63 point win.

Key Players

Jonathan Greenfield, October’s Player of the Month (Northeast Division), led the game in scoring once again with 38 points. In addition to his 38 points, Greenfield also had 10 rebounds to drop a double-double.

Justin Blaze, October’s Second Team All Northeast member, continued his blazing run of form, also had a double-double in this game with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

By the Numbers

The Power held the Salutche Bears to only 50 points this past weekend. With an average of 25 points per half. That is the lowest amount of points scored by one team this season.

From the start of the season, Coach Gomes has been looking for more defense from his players and now it seems that he is starting to get that. If the Power can get putting on defensive performances like this, their title aspirations are likely to come to fruition.

Stepping Up

In the absence of key starters, Charles Thomas and Omar Kellman, there was a question of who would step up in their place in terms of production. Shaine Carter and Malik Moore easily laid those questions to rest.

Malik Moore had his best game of the season with 21 points and 3 rebounds.

Shaine Carter, October’s Defensive Player of the Month (Northeast Division), had a great game as well with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

By Von Wright (Northeast Director)

White Plains, NY--- During the 2021 to 2022 season the MBL Northeast division had monthly honors that led into the MVP and DPOY race. Every month included First Team All Northeast, Second Team All Northeast and Defensive Team All Northeast. Each All-Northeast team consists of 2 Guards, 1 Wing player, and Forwards. From these selections there would be a player of the month and defensive player of the month.

This year the process will evolve because of a sponsored all star event to take place on February 11th. Players that make an All-Northeast team twice will automatically be inserted into the all star game. Everyone else will be voted in by reporters, executives and coaches that are given a ballot. Starters will be selected based on a public ballot. 

Winners from last seasons yearly awards were

MV Powerr Jonathan Greenfield: Most Valuable Player

Montrose Veterans Grant Valentine III : Coach of the Year

Crotona Hawks Raul Rivera: Defensive Player of the Year

Crotona Hawks Leo McCouseland: Rookie of the Year

NYC Black Eagles Roman Perez: Sportsmanship of the Year

MV Powerr Von Wright: Executive of the Year

This year for the Northeast awards will list Top 3 coaches of the Month, Top Rookies of the Month, First and Second team all northeast, Defensive team all northeast, player of the month, and defensive player of the month. 

MBL All Northeast (October)

October's Top Coaches

Marcus Gomes; Mount Vernon Power: 3-0 (National Rank: #2)

Tyreek Cornelius; Crotona Hawks: 4-0 (National Rank: #9)

Donald Felice; NY Empire: 3-0 (National Rank: #6) (Coach of the Month)

October's Top Rookies

Guard; Anthony Melendez; Mount Vernon Power (7ppg)

Guard; Anthony Feliz; Salutche Bears (5ppg)

Guard; Malik Moore; Mount Vernon Power (7ppg)

Forward; Ameninder Singh; Bronx Holy Flames

Wing; Adam Anderson; Montrose Veterans (17ppg)

Guard; Daniel Torres; Salutche Bears (17.6 ppg) (Rookie of the Month)

DEFENSIVE ALL-NORTHEAST

G Shaine Carter; MV Powerr (Defensive Player of the Month)

G Jabriel Blue; Crotona Hawks

W Andre Rivera; Montrose Veterans

F Eric Headley; Brooklyn Sentinels

C Marquis Cunningham; Crotona Hawks (2nd place)

FIRST TEAM ALL NORTHEAST

G Shaine Carter; MV Powerr

G Charles Thomas; MV Powerr

F Rich Ross; NY Empire (3rd place)

F Marquis Cunningham; Crotona Hawks (2nd place)

W Jonathan Greenfield; MV Powerr (Player of the Month)

SECOND TEAM ALL NORTHEAST

G Marquis Edwards; Montrose Veterans

G Abayomi Ravenell; BK Sentinels

F Justin Blaze; MV Powerr

F Elijah Tillman; Montrose Veterans

W Jabriel Blue; Crotona Hawks

Honarable Mention

G Daniel Torres; Salutche Bears

G Roman Perez; NYC Black Eagles

By Kristopher Ferrufino

MOUNT VERNON - - – Do not let the final scoreline fool you, this game was close from start to finish. The Montrose Veterans, coached by last year’s Coach of the Year and former Mount Vernon Power Head Coach, Grant Valentine, returned to his old stomping grounds and brought out all the stops against his former team. While the Power did have a 43-41 lead heading into halftime, it seemed as if it was anyone's game. The lead went back and forth all throughout the second half and the game seemed destined to reach overtime. It wasn’t until a late fourth quarter takeover from the Powers’, Jonathan Greenfield, that the Power were able to pull away and secure the win.

 Key Players

Jonathan Greenfield, once again, led the game in scoring with 35 points.

Both Justin Blaze (20 points and 12 rebounds) and Omar Kellman (15 Points and 12 rebounds) had a double-double this game.

Coach Gomes’ Reaction

“Overall, we fought defensively and I’m happy with the win,” says Power Head Coach Marcus Gomes. “it’s a process right so guys still have to buy in. Guys still have to find their game within the set and I think in the fourth quarter we saw that”. 

When asked what his message to the team is for the rest of the season, Coach Gomes said, “stop complaining and play ball… we gotta just focus on what we’re doing and continue to grow”.

Key Moment

When the score was tied 81-81 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Greenfield scored the Powers’ next 10 points to put this game to bed.

Greenfield, picking up right where he left off last week, continues his good run of form and looks set to become league MVP once again at this rate.

Interviews

HT Interview with Montrose Veterans Coach Valentine (Audio Only): https://drive.google.com/file/d/12px4jkfK1s5txvAPePo8WS3zRyJ_GadF/view?usp=sharing

FT Interview with Coach Gomes (Audio Only): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eR4Zjw4fTkHnYE1Fen61Q6ESuHvnIL9_/view?usp=sharing

By Kristopher Ferrufino

League Suspension

The MBL suspended Bronx Holy Flames guard Kevin Austion for three games following the first game of the season against the Mount Vernon Power. Austion had damaged facilities at the Power’s home venue (Mount Vernon Boys & Girls Club) during the game. In addition to the three game suspension from the league, Austion has also been fined $100.

By Kristopher Ferrufino

MOUNT VERNON - - – Saying opening night in Mount Vernon went well for the Power is an understatement. The Power steam-rolled the Holy Flames 129-84 in a 45 point blowout this past weekend. The Power started off the game on a 21-0 run and didn’t let up for the rest of the way. They led by as many as 54 points at one point and sailed to victory.

Key Players

Jonathan Greenfield, last year's league MVP, tallied a game-high 41 points.

Charles Thomas, second team All-Northeast last year, continued his great run of form as he dropped a triple-double. Thomas had 20 points, 11 rebounds (game-high), and 12 assists (game-high).

Coach Gomes’ Reaction

In the post game interview, Mount Vernon Power Head Coach, Marcus Gomes, told fellow Power reporter, Yaw Bonsu, “I’m happy with the win, it’s my first win here with the Power but we got a lot of work to do. I told the guys, I don’t want to just worry about a game like this. We want to finish this thing. We want to win. We want to win it all.”

By The Numbers

Six players from the Power had points in double digits:

Jonathan Greenfield: 41 points

Charles Thomas: 20 points

Justin Blaze: 15 points

Omar Kellman: 14 points

Shaine Carter: 13 points

Steward Ceus: 11 points

This is a good sign as it shows how much depth this squad has and that scoring can come from anywhere. This depth will be key in a playoff run.

By Kristopher Ferrufino

The 2022-23 MBL season is upon us and it’s time to take out a crystal ball to see how well the Power will fare along with the rest of the Northeast Division this year.

Last Season Overview

Last season was one to remember for the Power. Led by first and second team All-Northeast stars Shaine Carter, Jonathan Greenfield, Omar Kellman, and Charles Thomas, not only did the Power make a Final Four appearance in Las Vegas, but they finished the 2021-22 MBL season with a 9-0 record in the regular season en route to being ranked number one in the nation. 

Goal For This Season

Under new head coach, Marcus Gomes, the Power are set to make another deep playoff run. Having taught and played at all levels, Coach Gomes’ knowledge will be invaluable as the Power make their championship push this season. When I asked what would define success for him this season, Coach Gomes said “Being able to win games as a unit. To have everyone buy into what we want to accomplish as a team”.

Prediction For The Power This Season

The Power came up a bit short last year. With the departure of Coach Valentine and RJ Little (both now with the Montrose Veterans), it may seem as if the team is weakened. However, it doesn’t change the fact that the Power still have all of their All-Northeast performers and have added depth to their roster this offseason. While there may be a bit of a learning curve under Coach Gomes’ new system, I believe the Power will pick up right where they left off and challenge for the national championship.

First Game

The Power look to start their title run this Saturday (10/1) at home against the Bronx Holy Flames.

For tickets, please visit Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mount-vernon-power-2022-23-tickets-414138187467

Northeast Division Standings Predictions

This Year’s Team Rankings Prediction:

1-Mount Vernon Power: 12-2 [National Rank: 1]

2-Montrose Veterans: 10-4 [National Rank: 9]

3-Crotona Hawks: 8-6

4-Salutche Bears: 6-6 (Only playing 12 games)

5-NY Empire: 6-8

6-Brooklyn Sentinels: 4-8 (Only playing 12 games)

7-Bronx Holy Flames: 4-10

8-NYC Black Eagles: 3-11

Last Year’s Team Rankings:

1-Mount Vernon Power: 9-0 [National Rank: 1]

2-Montrose Veterans: 6-1 [National Rank: 8]

3-Crotona Hawks: 5-3 [National Rank: 10]

4-Bronx Holy Flames: 2-6

5-Brooklyn Sentinels: 1-3

6-NYC Black Eagles: 0-8

By Yaw Bonsu