When the basketball gods were handing out Tall, Quick and Athletic, the boys from Bassick High in Bridgeport had obviously gotten in line early. Six-foot four swingman Jamill Powell led the offense with 33 points and 7-1 center Anthony Allen backboned the defense as the Lions crushed 80-42 in the second round of the CIAC Division L Tournament at E.O. Smith Thursday night.
There was little doubt about what the outcome would be from the opening tap, won by the Lions and resulting in an opening bucket from Powell. The Lions controlled the boards at both ends, and made it one-and-done for the Panthers. Powell had eleven points and the lions led 19-6.
The Panthers rallied in the second quarter, keeping their starters in, while Lions coach Harrison Taylor substituted freely, given his long bench. Both teams put up 15 points. Panther coach Ron Pires was upset with the officiating and his constant barking earned him a warning that any more of it would result in a technical foul.
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Bassick turned up the heat at both ends in the third quarter, which turned into a dunkathon with Powell, Kyle Geer and Allen all throwing it down enroute to a 55-27 advantage.
With under three minutes left in the game both coaches nodded to the inevitable and emptied their benches.
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Min Lin led the Panthers with 12 points, Eric Malecki had eleven and Carter Chatey and John Mindek each had five.
After the game Coach Pires told his team he was proud of them. “We had just one returning starter and yet you put up a 16-5 record,” he told them. “This was a tough way to end the season and I know you’re sad now but in a few days you’ll come to realize you had a fine year.”
Bassick moves on to the quarterfinals where they’ll meet Northwest Catholic (21-0) on March 14.
