Basketball: Pro-Am League approaches playoffs

Perhaps the most exciting play at the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Summer Pro-Am League Monday… Perhaps the most exciting play at the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Summer Pro-Am League Monday night was a miss by Durand Johnson.

Johnson took a pass in transition and almost finished the fast break with a high-flying dunk up the middle, but he lost the ball on the way to the hoop.

Still, he became the latest incoming Pitt freshman to catch the attention of the crowd and finished the night with 18 points.

Monday marked the second-to-last regular set of games for the Pro-Am League. Playoffs begin next Monday and run through Wednesday.

The league features players from schools such as Pitt, West Virginia, Duquesne and Robert Morris, as well as former Division I athletes and players from area high schools and other Division I colleges.

The athletes are divided among seven teams, and the league has helds games every Monday and Wednesday for the past few weeks. The final regular-season games take place tonight, but league play continues with playoffs from July 18 to 20.

Each regular night features three games beginning at 7 p.m., and admission is free. The schedule for play-offs hasn’t been released yet.

Due to NCAA rules, the league can’t charge for anything, including admission, parking or programs. Corporate sponsors pay the expenses.

PGT Trucking 53, Center Court 47

Pitt graduates Gilbert Brown and Gary McGhee returned to the Pro-Am League for the first game.

McGhee led PGT Trucking with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Brown added nine points and 13 rebounds.

Incoming Pitt freshman Malcolm Gilbert showed off some range by starting the scoring with a 3-pointer for PGT Trucking, but he made his mark mostly on the defensive end with four blocks. He finished 2-of-10 from the field.

Gilbert battled fellow incoming freshman Khem Birch inside. Birch also made most of his impact defensively, finishing with four blocks, but he added a game-high 16 rebounds and nine points for Center Court.

The first half of the game was a defensive struggle, and PGT held a 26-22 lead going into the break. While Pitt redshirt sophomore Cameron Wright and his PGT teammates found their offense in the second half, Center Court struggled from the floor all night, finishing 17-of-83 from the floor.

Wright finished with nine points, three assists and seven rebounds and helped PGT pull away in the second half with his ability to drive to the basket and either score or set up one of his teammates.

Pitt sophomore J.J. Moore looked the most impressive for Center Court, but even he struggled from the field, going 5-for-19 and scoring 18 points.

He did have one of the most impressive plays of the game with a breakaway reverse dunk.

UPMC 73, SteelCityTickets.com 62

In the second game of the night, Johnson had his best Pro-Am showing to date, putting his athleticism on display by driving to the hoop and grabbing tough rebounds.

Johnson, along with sophomore Talib Zanna, helped UPMC build a 14-point lead in the second half, but SteelCityTickets.com fought back.

SteelCityTickets.com is mostly made up of West Virginia freshmen. While the young team struggled early in its first Pro-Am game a few weeks ago, the squad has improved over the course of league play.

On Monday, SteelCityTickets.com tied the game at 59 late in the second half, but UPMC’s Lamar Patterson — who played with both UPMC and SPK Law this week — and Johnson came through in the stretch.

First, Patterson converted 1-of-2 foul shots to give his team a 60-59 lead. Johnson converted on another drive to the hoop to put UPMC up three with 1:40 left and seal the victory for good.

Zanna finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Patterson added 15 points and seven rebounds.

SPK Law 103, The Lair 85

The third game of the night was the highest scoring game of the summer. Redshirt sophomore Patterson and senior Ashton Gibbs pushed SPK Law over the century mark.

In his second game of the night, Patterson finished with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. Gibbs added 30 points on 6-of-19 shooting from the field.

While Gibbs didn’t shoot very well from the field, he went 15-for-15 from the foul line. He also showed his ability to do more than just shoot the three, as he was often able to get to the hoop and set up his teammates.

Patterson went 6-of-9 from 3-point range, including three consecutive shots from beyond the arc that helped SPK Law gain the lead in the first half.

The Lair managed to tie the game early in the second half, but another Patterson 3-pointer gave SPK Law the lead for good. Patterson kept the shots coming, helping SPK Law pull away with another 3-pointer shortly after.

Team Records:

PBC, 4-1

UPMC, 3-2

PGT, 3-2

SPK Law, 3-3

The Lair, 3-3

SteelCityTickets.com, 1-3

Center Court, 1-4