2015 Hoophall Classic: Unique McLean, Jordy Tshimanga lead MacDuffie over Commonwealth

SPRINGFIELD — As the second half began in Sunday's Hoophall Classic finale between The MacDuffie School and Commonwealth Academy, the Mustangs held a comfortable 10-point lead.

Then, suddenly, they didn't. Commonwealth's Malik Pouncy knocked down a 3-pointer. Hasahn French swished a jumper. Six minutes into the second half, the Tornados trailed by just one.

"That's an energetic and streaky Commonwealth team," MacDuffie big man Omari Spellman said. "They went on a crazy comeback run."

Commonwealth took a lead with 34 seconds remaining on a layup by Derrick Ellis, but MacDuffie answered with a driving floater by Kashaun Hicks to put the Mustangs up 66-65. MacDuffie's Unique McLean swatted away a 3-point attempt by Pouncy with 0.8 seconds remaining, and after Commonwealth coach Tony Bergeron and MacDuffie coach Jacque Rivera traded four timeouts, the Mustangs got one final defensive stop to seal the win.

"I think we learned a lot about our team," Rivera said. "We were resilient tonight. To be up 17 and have them battle back and take the lead, with all the eyes on you with 0.8 seconds to go, it was great to see the guys be resilient."

Usually a go-to player for MacDuffie, Spellman struggled to deal with Commonwealth's speed, which prevented the Mustangs' guards from getting him the ball within the flow of the offense.

"Speed negates size," Rivera said. "We weren't able to pound the ball inside like we like to do."

Instead, McLean and Jordy Tshimanga dominated the scoring for the the Mustangs. McLean — a springy guard with an offer from Rutgers — finished nicely around the rim, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight boards while Tshimanga scored 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds, finishing 4-for-6 from the field.

"I thought Unique showed his ability to make decisions under duress," Rivera said. I thought he made the right play every time. For Jordy, it was great to have a big guy who is 6'11 and can make free throws down the stretch, who we are comfortable having in late in the game."

Pouncy led Commonwealth with 15 points, including five 3-pointers. A pair of treys by Pouncy down the stretch were instrumental in helping bring the Tornados back. Hasahn French added 12 for Commonwealth, including the most impressive field goal of the game — a massive one-handed put-back slam with 2:50 remaining in the first half. French also finished with six rebounds.

After a Sunday full of national matchups, Commonwealth and MacDuffie ended the day with a pair of local teams with some local players, including former Renaissance star Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez, who played in one other Hoophall with the Phoenix, said playing in Springfield again was a great experience.

"It's just fun to come back home," he said. "There's nothing like home. We've been playing in far-away places the whole season, so just to get that vibe from friends and family is great. Playing in front of family, that's the biggest thing."

MacDuffie's next home game is on Wednesday against Tilton — a New Hampshire squad that played at 5 p.m. on Sunday at the Hoophall Classic. Gonzalez said he believes Sunday's win will be a big one for MacDuffie going forward.

"I have faith in this team," he said. "I know we can go far with the group of guys we have here."

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