Carmen's Crew takes down TBT defending champion Heartfire, advances to quarterfinals

Jamel Morris hit a 3-pointer, pushing Carmen's Crew past the target score and handing the Ohio State alumni team a 74-70 win against No. 1 seed Heartfire in a The Basketball Tournament regional final at Dayton's UD Arena on Wednesday.

With the win, No. 3 seed Carmen’s Crew will play No. 7 seed Takeover BC in a quarterfinal game with time and location to be determined. Takeover BC, comprised of players from around the world, won the Cincinnati regional.

Both teams are now three wins shy of the $1 million prize awarded to the champion. The title game will be played August 4 in Philadelphia.

Carmen’s Crew didn’t leave much doubt until the final minutes. Led by Kaleb Wesson and Jared Sullinger, the team of Ohio State alumni jumped out to a 12-2 lead as Wesson scored eight points and Sullinger the other four. At the end of the first quarter, the two former Buckeyes had combined for 14 points as Carmen’s Crew held an 18-13 lead.

As Heartfire continued to misfire from deep, Carmen’s Crew steadily built a double-digit lead. East Tennessee State product Desonta Bradford sunk two free throws with 3:43 left in the second to push the Carmen’s Crew lead to 32-21, and when UT-Arlington product Erick Neal followed with a 3-pointer the lead was 14 points and things were about to get worse for the reigning champions.

With 2:36 remaining in the quarter and Carmen’s Crew ahead 35-21 after the Neal 3-pointer, Heartfire’s D.J. Kennedy, a St. John’s product, received two technical fouls after a Neal foul stopped play. After being ejected from the game, Kennedy walked toward Wesson and briefly lunged at him before eventually being corralled by coach LaPhonso Ellis and guided to the locker room. Kennedy entered this year’s TBT as the tournament’s all-time leader in rebounds, steals and games played and second in points scored.

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Carmen’s Crew largely cruised from there until the final minute of the third quarter. A 54-42 lead was quickly whittled to 56-51 as Heartfire closed with a 9-2 run in the final 1:03, capped by a running 3-pointer from about 30 feet by Colorado product Marcus Hall at the buzzer.

Heartfire, which defines itself as part of a mission “to meet the urgent need for medical and humanitarian care around the world and return Americans home forever changed," kept coming. When Miami (Ohio) product Eric Washington drew a foul and hit two free throws with 4:33 left in the fourth quarter, it gave Heartfire its first lead of the game at 64-63. Carmen's Crew reclaimed it on a Keyshawn Woods drive, holding a 65-64 lead as the game entered the Elam Ending and setting the target score to win at 73.

Tied at 70, Ohio State's Andre Wesson drew a foul and hit the one free throw awarded as Carmen's Crew kept possession. Needing only two points to win, Morris instead swished a 3-pointer from the right wing to clinch the victory.

Kaleb Wesson led the way with 18 points. Sullinger had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Carmen’s Crew has advanced by beating No. 6 seed Purple Hearts 93-58 and then taking down Red Scare 71-60 en route to the regional championship. It features five former Ohio State players, although Kyle Young was not in uniform for the game after appearing in the first two.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Carmen's Crew takes down TBT defending champion Heartfire, advances to quarterfinals