LAS VEGAS — Four days down, and a “championship Sunday” on tap for the third and final week in the NCAA “summer recruiting evaluation period” for its the coaching staffs of its membership’s basketball programs.
At the Fab 48 at Bishop Gorman High, WE R 1 (88-83 over Big Red Elite), Splash City (53-45 over Uncommon Bulls), DC Premier (70-57 over Sports U), Each 1 Teach 1 (over E1T1 United), 82-78), the Florida Vipers (86-66 over RM5), the New York City Rens (68-55 over Expressions Elite), Earl Watson Elite (75-46 over Showtime Ballers) and OSA (78-69 over the Indy Hoosiers) captured Round of 16 contests in the Invitational Division Saturday.
The championship quarterfinals begin at 9:10 Sunday morning with games on Court 1 (Florida Vipers vs. NYC Rens) and Court II (Early Watson Elite vs. Omaha Sports Academy).
WE R 1 – based in Delaware and led by point guard Trevon Duval, among the very best of the prospects in the Class of 2017 – was due to play Splash City in another quarterfinal at 10:20 and on Court I but withdrew from the tourney, apparently because several players wouldn’t be available because of prior obligations, said event co-director Dinos Trigonis late Saturday night.
So Big Red Elite, made up of players from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana in Southern California, advances to play Splash City, which is made up of players from Northern and Central California communities at 10:20 Sunday.
In the final quarterfinal – also tipping at 10:20 but on Court II – DC Premier faces E1T1.
The semifinals (on Courts I&II) are set for 12:40 p.m. with the championship game at 3 o’clock.
The Big Red Elite-WE R 1 clash was just one of the better or more entertaining games played in the first four days, with a huge crowd of fans, family and college coaches on hand to watch.
BRE led much of the way before WE R 1 seniors-to-be Tyrese Martin (24 points) and Kevin Anderson (18, all of those in the second half) continually shook themselves open for jump shots.
Senior-to-be forward Justice Sueing (27 points) and junior-to-be point guard Spencer Freedman (18) led a squad that, as Mater Dei, will be among the very best teams in California in 2016-17.
In other Round-of-16 contests (each was the second “playoff” game the teams played Saturday):
*Six-foot-eight forward Jordan Nwora scored 24 points and point guard Jose Alvarado added 17 as the Rens knocked off Expressions Elite in a battle of Nike/EYBL programs;
*Earl Watson Elite (based in Southern California) continued to get exceptional jump shooting from 2017 standout guard Jemarl Baker (who is committed to Cal) as well as from another 2017 guard, Reed Farley while rolling to Sunday’s action;
*Six-four Teddy Allen (who spent his first three years in high school in Mesa in Arizona before playing as a senior at Boys Town in Nebraska last season) scored 40 points – 28 after intermission – as OSA stunned the Indiana Hoosiers, 78-69, after trailing by as many as nine points in the second half.
OSA collected its first upset on Saturday morning by edging the New Jersey Playaz, 69-66, in overtime.
*DC Premier got strong play from forward Naji Marshall and 2018 guard Prentiss Hubb Jr. not only against Sports U Saturday night but in its playoff-opening, 63-62 win over Northern Kings (from Canada) Saturday morning;
*In an “all in the family” game Saturday, Each 1 Teach 1 (based in Florida) knocked off it’s the young squad in the program (E1T1 United 16), 82-78.
E1T1 has gotten strong play throughout the tournament from two players from the Class of 2018, forward Emmitt Williams and point guard Nick Honor.
Leave a Reply