Wolves Lose @ Global Studies

The Wolves, who came off of their best game of the season on December 17th against the Dr. Susan S Mckinney School of Art faced Global Studies on the road on December 19th. Last season, the Wolves were beaten by Global

Studies in both meetings-- one win by more than 20. With revamped goals the Grand Street Campus Wolves looked for a win before the holiday break. The Wolves started out a little unenthusiastic but received some scoring inside from Lawahn Lewis, who didn't quite look himself this game finishing with a season low 7 points. GSC allowed S Kyle Giddings who averages around 17 points and 13 rebounds a game, to take advantage of their lackadaisical play by scoring and even getting a block. The Wolves back to back turnovers and missed rebounds, reflected their inability to step up and play. Grand Street's Anthony Deese gave them some hope as he stepped up in sharing the ball. The first quarter ended with Global Studies leading 14-13. Lawahn Lewis continued to struggle in the second quarter-- missing lay-ups and free throws which was very uncharacteristic of him. The Wolves kept the game close, with some scoring from Tarik Allicock who found his way over the Giddings in the second. Global Studies' Kevin Davis JR. found his way inside finishing with 10 points to end the half. The final at the half was 30-27 Global Studies. At half time Coach Sharpe said that to improve the Wolves needed to "hit free-throws and start playing their style”. He also said that to protect their guards who were in sticky foul situations, they would convert to playing zone defense. Joel Banton who had 4 points in the half, got the Wolves started in the 3rd quarter. The Wolves were able to tie the game at 36 with a 3 from Anthony Deese and better defense. Banton become more vocal letting his

teammates know that what they needed were stops. Tarik Allicock's block on Giddings acted as a catalyst for the Wolves offense as they took a 47-44 lead with 1:30 left in the third. Global managed to score putting them only down by one 47-46 to end the third. In the fourth quarter GSC's lead quickly diminished as Kevin Davis hit a 3 with 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Despite scoring from Joel Banton, the Wolves just couldn't knock down their free-throws which made it harder for them to climb back. As the game continued and the score stayed close, Coach Sharpe became aggravated at the missed calls on Global as Lawahn Lewis received many hits during the game. With about 3 minutes left Coach Sharpe received a technical foul for yelling at the ref for another missed call. The trip to the line gave Global an one point advantage but even with a huge block on Joel Banton, the Wolves

maintained hope after Banton came right back and took a charge. Unfortunately, the Wolves just couldn't pull this win out, as the game ended with GSC turning the ball over after a bad pass on an inbounds play. The final score was 67-64. The Wolves now 4-2 will head back home to play the Harry Van Arsdale Cardinals on January 4th, 2013. Global Studies (3-3) will play Benjamin Banneker also on the 4th.

Grand Street Campus vs Benjamin Banneker

"Each game we're getting better at communicating you see guys speaking to each other during timeouts and in the game" - Coach Sharpe. The Grand Street Campus Wolves played one of the highest ranked teams in the Brooklyn A West, the Benjamin Banneker Warriors on Wednesday, December 12th in their 2nd home game. The stage was set for a big game with both teams coming in undefeated. Before the game Coach Sharpe spoke highly of Banneker's Head Coach Wendell Saunders, saying that "Banneker is always well prepared because they are well coached". The Wolves looked slow to start the game falling into a 0-6 deficit against Banneker as Coach Sharpe emphatically told his players to "wake up". Banneker in the first few minutes, managed to get second chance points as GSC failed to rebound. Lawahn Lewis broke the stagnant scoring stretch 3 minutes into the game will a 3. After the streak was broken,

GSC was able to continue scoring inside the paint with contributions from Joel Banton who has proven himself to be a threat with his ability to knock down threes and score in the paint. The Wolves began to look more alive towards the end of the first with a steal from Lewis and a block from Tarik Allicock which revved up their enthusiasm. Banneker who shared the ball nicely between players Brendan Wood, Kevin Williams, and Ronald Lashley combined for 16 in the 1st quarter; the Wolves led 18-16 to end the 1st quarter. The second quarter began will some sloppy plays from both teams who turned the balled over multiple times. Both teams went back and forth exchanging buckets until about 5 minutes when neither GSC nor Banneker could score for about 2 minutes. Then, the teams were right back at it-- sharing the ball very well until the buzzer for half time rang with GSC and Banneker tied at 30. At the half, Coach Wendell Saunders simply said that to win the game Banneker had to "play tough defense and be smart on offense". Despite multiple turnovers to start the third, GSC still competed keeping the lead within 2. The intensity picked up later in the 3rd when Coach Sharpe became enraged with what he believed were missed calls by the referees. The game continued to intensify will players fighting for loose balls and back to back scoring. GSC'S Tarik Allicock found his comfort zone-- scoring inside back to back with assist from G Anthony Deese. The third quarter ended with Grand Street leading 43-42. In the fourth quarter, Coach Sharpe's anger continued as the Wolves didn't get to the line compared to Banneker's 8 trips to the line. After Banneker missed two lay-ups mid way through the fourth the "Defense" chants began to ring across the "Wolves Den". "For these next 4 minutes we have to work hard and take care of the ball" said Coach Sharpe in an emotion filled timeout. Banneker continued to score taking a two point lead with 3 minutes to play. Lawahn Lewis who shot an air ball on a previous

play redeemed himself with a made 3 to tie the game at 54. The Wolves got a lucky break down the stretch when an offensive foul was called on Banneker with 9 seconds left. Unfortunately, GSC wasn’t able to score the 4th ended 54-54, so the game headed into overtime. In overtime GSC continuously fed the ball to their big men Nathaniel Wyatt and Tarik Allicock inside which turned out to be highly effective. With 4 minutes left to play the Wolves lost a key player Anthony Deese to fouls-- he finished the game with a superb 11 assist and 8 rebounds. Lewis was able to sneak inside and score against many Banneker players, but Banneker wasn't ready to give up. Banneker trapped GSC every time they brought up the ball making it a little difficult for GSC. Another key player for GSC Tarik Allicock, got fouled out with about 2 minutes to play. After a great steal from Joel Banton and bucket from Nathaniel Wyatt the Wolves obtained a 2 point lead. With 13 seconds left Banneker was able to score tying the game which led to another overtime. The second overtime began with Banneker taking control jumping out to a 67-62 lead over GSC. The crowd began to silence as the Wolves couldn't find a way to score. With 47 seconds left and Banneker up by 3, GSC decided to take the intentional foul on Brendan Wood back to back times with Woods missing 3-4 free throws. The window of opportunity was still there as Lawahn Lewis was able to score inside bring GSC within 2 with 23 seconds to play. After a made free throw at the line from Banneker, Lawahn Lewis fouled out with 13 seconds to play; He ended the game with 19pts 5assist and 5 rebounds. The game closed with a made free throw from none other than Brendan Wood who also finished the game with great 15 points. The final score was 70-66. "Guts, and hard work because both teams played well" responded Banneker's Assistant Coach Anthony Joseph when asked what Banneker

did right to win the game. Coach Sharpe after the game told his team that "it's just one loss keep your head up carry on". Despite the loss Coach Sharpe said that he was impressed with how his team never stopped fighting. Benjamin Banneker now undefeated face John Jay on Monday, December 18th and Grand Street Campus now 3-1 will have their final home game until next year also on the 18th versus the 2-2 Dr. Susan S. Mckinney School of Art. Point Leader- Lawahn Lewis 19 points (GSC) Assist Leader- Anthony Deese 11 assist (GSC) Rebounding Leader- Kevin Williams 11 rebounds (Benjamin Banneker)

Wolves 1st Home Game vs Automotive High School

"We motivate them !" said the cheerleader captain. The Grand Street Campus Wolves had their first game at their new look "Wolves Den" on Monday, December 10th against the Automotive High School Pistons.

Automotive came off of a win over the Global Studies & International Studies (last season’s top ranked team in the Brooklyn A West), and GSC returned from a 16 point win over John Jay High School the previous Wednesday. "It's important after being away 5 straight games; the adrenaline builds their confidence" responded Coach Sharpe after being asked how important home games are to the team. There was no doubt that the cheerleaders were ready to motivate their team and the fans were ready to see their 2-0 Wolves perform. G Lawahn Lewis was able to get inside and score in the first minute of the game. This followed by a put back and a foul from Tarik Allicock who averaged 11.5 points and 11 rebounds in the first two games of the season. The Wolves jumped out to an early 13-4 lead with 2 minutes left in the first all credit to their nagging defense which led to many steals. The second quarter started a little different with Automotive scoring three times consistently, mainly from Automotive's Sharod Harrell. After about 1 minute of play Automotive was able to cut the lead to 2 and then tie the game at 15 with free throws.

Grand Street Campus was instantly impacted on defense when Sophomore G Dashawn Douglas entered the game in the second quarter. GSC was able to disrupt Automotive by forcing the ball out of bounds 3 times in one possession. The half time score was much closer than the 1st quarter's with GSC leading 20-16; Lawahn Lewis led the way with 10 points in the two quarters. Tarik Allicock who contributed 6 points and 9 rebounds was "missing easy shots inside" as Coach Sharpe put it at half time, which was something Sharpe said he'll "come around" to. Although the score tightened up tp 22-21 early in the third, Guards Joel Banton (averaged 24.5pts in the first two games) and Lawahn Lewis continued to score, combining for 17 in the third. Not only were Lewis and Banton scoring, but also Automotive's Sharod Harrell continued to score inside. The 3rd ended with a score of 40-28. In the fourth quarter Coach Sharpe urged his team to "relax” and let the other team come to them, after the Wolves turned the ball over 3 consecutive times bring the Pistons within 8 with 6 minutes to play. Automotive's run didn't last long as the Wolves continued to score bringing the lead back up to 10. The final score was 59-49. "I was surprised to see him play so tough against a decent Point Guard he’s so small" answered Coach Sharpe when asked about the play of Dashawn Douglas after the game. Assistant Coach James Davis

of Automotive believed the reason they lost was because they "gave Grand Street too many second chances". The Grand Street Campus Wolves face one of their toughest opponents of the season the Benjamin Banneker Warriors, who finished last season 12-2, on Wednesday, December 12th at home. Coach Sharpe said "we have to be tough; have fewer turnovers and play with a higher intensity [to beat Banneker]. Automotive now 1-2 will face Bushwick Campus also on Wednesday. Point Leader- Sharod Harrell- 20 points (Automotive HS) Assist Leader- Anthony Deese- 6 assist (GSC) Rebounding Leader- Tarik Allicock- 16 rebounds (GSC)

GSC Wolves @ John Jay High School

The Grand Street Campus Wolves ended their season 9-5 earlier this year, with a somber 54-50 lost to the Evander Childs Campus' Tigers. With 7 players back from the 2011-12 team and 7 new players the Wolves now have a mixture of younger guys and seniors. In their first game, GSC was able to blow out their opponents on the road at Bushwick Campus HS 82-64. Senior Joel Banton hit 6- threes in the game ending with an invigorating 26 points to push GSC over Bushwick. Their next game was Tuesday, December 4th against a John Jay squad who finished the season 5-9. With the cheerleader’s pom poms shaking and voices echoing throughout the small gymnasium, the Grand Street Campus Wolves came out to play. The game started with a 3 from G Lawahn Lewis who spotted up from the left wing. Some sloppy play from both teams,

who turned the ball over early in the shot clock, gave way in the first few minutes. With about 4 minutes left to play GSC stepped up their defense by using the full court trap which resulted in John Jay’s turnovers. Despite the Wolves nagging defense, G Aykel Lewis Lee was able to end the 1st with 9 points. The first quarter score was 31-18 with GSC ahead. In the second quarter, Lee dominated in the paint--zipping past the Wolves for easy baskets. With 5 turnovers in the 1st GSC Head Coach Claude Sharpe urged his players from the sidelines to "handle the ball!” As the Wolves gained some tempo in the beginning of the 2nd,

taking a 28-17 lead, John Jay took advantage of some of Grand Street’s sloppy plays and brought the lead within 6. Lewis who visited the free throw line frequently in the 2nd quarter helped GSC take a 47-33 led at the half. "We need to rebound better; we are playing weak especially against a shorter team-- nobody's boxing out. The ball sharing is okay but we need to work on better passing" said Coach Sharpe, who wasn't too impressed by the score board. With 10 turnovers in the first half any coach who argue the same. The sloppy passing continued into the third despite Joel Banton’s and Lawahn Lewis' contributions from behind the arc. John Jay, on one play towards the end of the 3rd, was able to grab three offensive rebounds which Coach Sharpe couldn't have been too pleased about.

The crowd simmered down briefly as the Wolves took a 61-47 lead to end the third. In the fourth, we saw some more of the same play from GSC-- no boxing out but hitting 3's. The door was shut for John Jay, even with the input of 11 points from Kevon Murphy, who actually averages a double double in points and rebounds for the first two games of the season. The final score was 72-56. After the game Coach Sharpe responded, “We need to work on rebounding and mental toughness. The defense was average" when asked about what needed to improve and how he felt about the team's overall defense. Grand Street Campus now 2-0 will play in their first home game of the season against Automotive High School on December 10th. Automotive HS who played the top ranked team in the Brooklyn A West last season: Global Studies previously, will continue to be tested against the GSC Wolves. Hopefully we can see improved play from the Wolves, who are "coming together" as Coach Sharpe says, on Monday. Point Leader- Aykel Lewis Lee- 27 points (John Jay HS) Assist Leader- Lawahn Lewis- 8 assist (GSC) Rebounding Leader- Kevin Murphy (John Jay HS)