Education Director Al Moody of Paterson is flanked by Players of the game Janif Green of Paterson Eastside and Kassim Chandler of Newark East Side at Freedom Fighters Hoop Challenge

0:0 on the clock as Paterson Eastside shocked Newark East Side 59-57 in a Freedom Fighters Hoop Challenge contest. Green finished with 16 points to lead the Ghosts. Paterson Eastside trailed the entire game, at one point by as much as 12 until a layup by Randy Blue tied the game up at 55. After a Newark East Side miss, Marquis Matthews was fouled and converted 2 free throws to give Paterson Eastside it’s first lead of the game with 35 seconds on the clock. Sophomore Kassim Chandler tied the game back up with 2 free throws of his own. That set the stage for Green’s heroics. Chris Albuquerque finished with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks for the Ghost, while Blue added 12 points and 2 steals. Chandler led Newark East Side with 22 points, while 6’5 sophomore Aaron Boddie scored only 6 points but added 8 rebounds, 6 blocks and 5 steals for Newark.

               On the day we celebrate Martin Luther King’s Holiday,The Playaz Basketball Club  is holding it’s annual Freedom Fighters Hoop Challenge at Eastside Highschool in Paterson, N.J. All proceeds from the event goes to the Haitian Fund to help the people of Haiti after the tragic earthquake.

    Schedule:    3:00 –   Kennedy H.S.  vs.  HighTech

                            4:30 –   Teaneck H.S.  vs.  Union H.S.

                            6:00 –    Paterson Eastside H.S.  vs.  Newark Eastside H.S.

                            7:30 –    Paterson Catholic H.S.   vs.   NIA Prep

    Hoops Journal acknowledges the memory of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His fight for equality is the reason most of us have the opportunities we have today! Born January 15,1929, Dr. King was shot  and killed on the balcony of a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee April 4, 1968. If you get a chance, try to listen to the ” I Have A Dream” speech today. Probably the most powerful speech of all time!