By Temwa Chisanga (photos courtesy of Nimi Ojikutu)
In the championship game of the 2023 Capitol Hoops Summer League, the Tenley Tigers of Jackson-Reed defeated defending Summer League champions DeMatha 64-62 in an overtime thriller. This is their program’s second CHSL title, their first being in 2018.
It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth game that saw 11 lead changes throughout the game. Ultimately, the Tenley Tigers were able to avenge a loss suffered to DeMatha on the last day of the Summer League regular season, despite missing key starter Emmanuel Okitondo.
DeMatha controlled the game in the first half with their physical playstyle that the Tenley Tigers could not compete with missing Okitondo. ‘24 F Malcolm Thomas, who had only played in the team’s two previous playoff games before the championship, made his presence felt, scoring 12 points in the first half and serving as a true paint protector. On the perimeter, Kade Sebastian played a huge role, intercepting 4 passes and stripping a ball handler for 5 steals entering the half.
While they were down entering the half, the Tenley Tigers played their part to remain in striking distance of the lead. Serving as the man of the half, ‘24 G Micah Charles contributed a strong 10 points on perfect shooting while also grabbing 5 rebounds to lend his squad some support. The team’s second leading scorer of the half, ‘25 JJ Massaquoi came off the bench and immediately had a high impact scoring 8 points despite checking in with 6 minutes already played in the half.
The second half of the game provided more of the same back-and-forth action that fans were treated to during the first half. The Tigers came out of the half early and made the necessary adjustments needed to match the physicality that DeMatha was bringing by experimenting with different lineups in an attempt to limit Thomas on the interior offensively. These adjustments led to Thomas picking up 3 charge calls which played a huge role in the Tigers forcing overtime later in the game.
Ultimately for DeMatha, the charge calls that Thomas had picked up during the second half came back to haunt them, as he fouled out early in overtime, hurting them greatly. Without the interior force of Thomas roaming the paint, the squad was unable to keep the Tigers out of the paint without fouling which led to the team from Jackson-Reed knocking down key free throws securing the victory in a true team effort.
In addition to adjustments made by the coaching staff of the Tigers, the squad played the rest of the game with an energy that was not seen before halftime. On the defensive end, ‘24 G Joe Mcrae was an absolute stud, guarding DeMatha’s primary ball handler and adding 4 steals to his 2 from the first half. Additionally, Summer League MVP Lucas Sekasi turned it up another notch, getting to the paint more and scoring all of his 8 points after halftime.
‘25 F Jayden Fort, who also started the game on the bench along with Massaquoi, also played a huge role in the team’s victory, contributing 13 points, 6 rebounds, and a block. Most importantly, down the stretch of regulation, Fort made a huge play, aggressively driving to the basket and scoring a layup that would help extend the Tigers’ lead to 4 with only 36 seconds left.
With his contributions helping the team secure a title and his performances throughout the playoffs, Fort was crowned as the 2023 Summer League MVP, adding to his accomplishments of making the first team for his performance during the Summer League regular season. Fort earned the Postseason Most Outstanding Player honors, averaging 14.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.3 big, 65.9% FG, and going 3/6 on threes.
Both teams fought hard throughout the entire summer and concluded their campaigns with a hard-fought nail-biter that went to overtime. While DeMatha came up short in the championship game, they are a young team that has been to the finals three years in a row and will have a chance to extend their streak next year. For the Tigers, not only did they prevent DeMatha from three-peating, but they also now are tied with DeMatha for the most Summer League Titles with two a piece.