After overcoming an eight point second half deficit, the Greyhounds defended Blessed IJN well. With 2.7 seconds left, Marques Johnson inbounded the ball toward Zach Payton in the deep right corner.
The Greyhounds' O.J. Mayo deflected the pass, seemingly insuring overtime. However, Blessed IJN's Zach Payton corralled the ball and hoisted a desperation trey that sailed through the net, earning his team a 56-53 victory and berth in the title game.
Alex Davis led all scorers with 18 points. Johnson, who did a commendable job guarding Mayo, finished with 15 points and hero Payton chipped in 12.
William Walker scored 11 of his 19 points in the second half to spearhead the Greyhound comeback. Power forward JeJuan Brown (13 points) and Mayo (10 points) also hit for double figures.
In the other semifinal, swingman Etienne Labrecque poured in 21 of his 28 points in the second half as Sun Youth downed the Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs, 68-58. Sun Youth opened up a 40-29 lead thanks to a Labrecque trey, but Mt. Pleasant sliced the deficit to 41-36 on a three pointer from R. Thomas (28 points).
Sun Youth responded with a 20-12 run, capped by an Ali Kanaan dunk, to assume a commanding 61-48 lead. Forward Matt Thornhill (11 points) and sleeper combo guard Hamza Ruhezamihigo (10 points) also hit for double figures to power Sun Youth.