Jamil Hood Jr. personally saw to it that Christian Brothers Academy wouldn’t advance to its 11th consecutive Section II boys basketball championship game.
Hood’s steal and layup with 4.7 seconds left capped a 31-point night and helped Green Tech defeat the Brothers 64-60 in Thursday’s Class AA semifinal game at the Times Union Center.
The Eagles (16-3) will meet Troy in Monday’s Sectional final at the Times Union Center. The Flying Horses pulled away for a 52-36 victory over Shaker in the other semifinal game.
Hood played like a man possessed after missing most of Green Tech’s 62-56 quarterfinal victory over Shenendehowa Saturday due to a first-quarter injury. The junior guard drained five three-pointers to guide the Eagles past the four-time defending Class AA champions from CBA (18-3).
`Jamil had a great game today,` said Green Tech coach Jamil Hood Sr. `He played awesome at both ends of the floor.`
Early on, it appeared that CBA might have the upper hand against a Green Tech squad playing in its first Class AA semifinal as the Brothers built an 18-11 lead. The Eagles tied the score at 19 on a three-pointer from Hood, but a Brian Renaud free throw gave CBA a 20-19 advantage.
Green Tech carried the momentum from its 8-2 run that closed the first quarter into the second stanza. The Eagles opened with an 11-3 spurt to take a 30-23 lead. CBA got as close as 30-28 before David Clark nailed a long three-pointer to help Green Tech take a 35-32 advantage into halftime.
Both teams started the third quarter cold. CBA was the first to heat up as it built a 40-35 advantage, but Green Tech scored the next nine points to gain a 44-40 lead. Hood provided the majority of those points with a pair of driving baskets and a three-pointer.
CBA fought to stay close to Green Tech the rest of the way, and the Brothers eventually took a 53-51 lead on two free throws by Nate Robinson in the fourth quarter. A pair of Greig Stire baskets helped keep CBA ahead by two points entering the final stretch.
Green Tech regained the lead after Kristopher Clark scored off a battle for a loose ball in the paint, and Hood drained a long three-pointer. Stire tied the score at 60-60 with a driving layup and a free throw, but free throws by Jizziah Carr and Najee Ward put the Eagles ahead to stay.
Stire netted 26 points, and Daniel Owens added 15 points for CBA.