It was a knockdown, drag-out defensive struggle. The game, like the final score, wasn’t very pretty. In total, there were 31 fouls.

One would think that it was a contest between two rivals. In fact, it was just the opposite. When Exodus NYC beat the Golden Girls, 49-42, on Saturday in the Rose Classic semifinals at JHS 113 in Brooklyn, it was a game involving two teams from the same Exodus organization.

Almost every player on the court had been teammates at some point – whether in high school or AAU. Most are close friends. Golden Girls coach Lauren Best is Exodus NYC coach Apache Paschall’s assistant at St. Michael Academy. It was a veritable civil war.

 

“There’s no friends on the court,” said Golden Girls guard Janine Davis, who is bound for George Washington next year. “We both wanted to win.”

Exodus NYC will meet Swagger Like Us in the Rose Classic finals Sunday at 2 p.m. Paschall’s squad has made the Rose finals every time dating back to 2006 and has won the last six championships. The only title Exodus NYC didn’t win was in the spring of 2006, when No Limit (Munch) beat them in the final.

“I know they’re gonna win tomorrow,” said Davis, who played at St. Mike’s.

Exodus NYC guard Bria Hartley, out of North Babylon (L.I.), led all scorers with 27 points. The next closest on her team was St. John the Baptist (L.I.) guard Alexis Smith, who had five points. Holy Trinity (L.I.) forward Terry Green led the Golden Girls with 11 points. St. John’s-bound center Jennifer (Big Love) Blanding added eight points.

“I think that this should have been the championship game,” Green said.

That was the sentiment from both parties involved. Paschall said the reason the game was so physical and intense is because of the familiarity – and respect, too.

“You have to play that way or you’re gonna get run out of the gym,” he said.

 

                      

The Golden Girls were done in by a pair of injuries to their biggest stars. St. John’s-bound guard Shenneika Smith had bad leg cramps and Virginia-bound point guard China Crosby banged her knee against an opposing player’s knee. Neither played in the second half.

“If they played, it would have been anybody’s ball game,” Paschall said.

Exodus NYC guard Jelleah Sidney said there was normal talking and laughing between the two teams during the game, but not an excessive amount. The physicality of the game was something expected from both sides.

“We were joking around about it at the beginning of the game,” Sidney said. “We pushed each other around for fun.”

Sunday’s final could be similar. Paschall and Swagger Like Us coach Lenaire (Dinero) Young have a strange relationship. Young left Exodus recently to coach for Mike Flynn and the Philly Belles. Sidney said the game could be “hysterical,” because both Young and Paschall are sarcastic. But Paschall has other plans.

“I want to see him sweat,” Paschall said of Young. “He wants to get to the top without doing any work. Tomorrow, I’m gonna make him sweat.”

mraimondi@fiveborosports.com