Hammond started the game's decisive surge by bowling over Jaiquan Jones early in the fourth quarter, a play that resulted in a disputed foul on Jones and started the Springfield Falcons on their way to an 84-69 victory in Game 1 of the AAU National Championship on Thursday night.
Jones ripped off his headband in disgust, and Hanmond’s free throw on the ensuing technical foul against Jones began a 19-4 run that put Springfield ahead by 17. He later added a dunk and a 3-pointer to stave off Detroit's subsequent rally in one of the
lowest scoring Finals games ever.
It was an awesome second half for Hammond, especially in the fourth quarter when his drives into the lane produced several impressive baskets. Hammond shot 9-for-10 in the second half and led all scorers with 26 points, 15 in the fourth quarter.
"I struggled in the first half so I was very upset. I tried to come back with more energy and more aggressiveness," said Hammond.
"When I started feeling that everything was going good for me, I just felt I was great, I couldn't feel better. This is the Cross State Finals, and the first game is key. This was probably one of the highlights of my season."
Chandler Dawes added 24 points and 17 rebounds and Conor McCaffrey scored 15 points for the Falcons, who recovered from an early 13-point deficit to win the opener of the series -- only the third time in AAU history the past two champions have squared off in the Finals.
Game 2 is Sunday night, and in all likelihood it'll be another defensive-minded, grind-it-out game. That's what this one was until Hammond started doing his thing.
The sixth-year guard shot 6-for-6 in the fourth quarter to help Springfield outscore the Wolverines 29-16 over the final 12 minutes.
"Paul had one hell of a night, and we did play good 'D' in the second half. We boarded well, so we put ourselves in a position where we could win a basketball game, but offensively, it was Paul Hammond. He was something else," Falcons coach Will Jenkins said.
Springfield began to pull away after Jones was called for the technical foul for ripping off his headband and complaining. He had been called for a blocking foul when he thought it should have been a charge on Hammond.
The Wolverines’ length bothered the Falcons right from the start, with Marquis Wallace able to poke the ball away for two steals in the first 6 minutes as the Wolverines opened a 13-4 lead. Dawes had a turnover, a missed dunk and a bobbled shot attempt before he made his first basket, clearly bothered by Marquis Wallace's defense.
A blocked shot by Billups -- yes, even the point guard was altering shots -- led to a breakaway layup by Hamilton for a 17-4 lead. The Falcons pulled to 20-17 by the end of the first quarter and tied the game 33-33 3½ minutes before halftime.