CHANDLER, Az. – Saturday’s overwhelming performance by the Paolo Banchero-led West team, and a terrific close-the-game effort by the South squad, set the table for the Sunday afternoon title game in the first-ever Pangos All-American Festival.
The West vs. South title game is set to tip off at 1 p.m. (MT) at Compass Prep in this Phoenix suburb.
It follows the Midwest vs. East game for third place at 11 a.m.
Because of COVID-19 conditions, no spectators (other than Compass Prep and Pangos staff, coaches and players, family and a few media members) will be in the building.
But both games will be live-streamed and archived by BallerTV (as were Saturday’s semifinals).
Pangos Director Dinos Trigonis is holding the event as a “substitute”, of sorts, for the Pangos All-American Camp which – normally – is held in late May/early June in Southern California.
It will resume in the usual format in 2021 assuming the pandemic has been brought under better “control”.
The 6-foot-10, 250-poundish Banchero (pictured/Seattle O’Dea) is a consensus Top 2- or 3-ranked player in the national Class of 2021.
And his effort during the first game Saturday (against the East) was a hell of a statement as to why he may be towering over the rest of the Top 10.
He forced – and missed – a jump shot in the opening seconds but then proceeded go into full-enraged “Hulk mode” on anyone even feigning an effort to get between him and a driving lane or rebound.
Banchero (who committed to Duke in mid-August) scored 24 points in a first half of 20 minutes that ended with his quad up by 23 points.
He finished with an eased-up 30 points (to go with 11 rebounds) in an equally eased-up 125-99 decision.
The West also got terrific backcourt play out of a roster that included just eight players, with Banchero’s teammates from Seattle’s Rotary Nike/EYBL squad, Kentucky-bound Nolan Hickman (22 points and four assists) and future University of Arizona Wildcat Shane Nowell (all 19 of his points, including four 3s, in the first half) part of that formula.
But Banchero and those West guards (which also included Southern California standouts K.J. Simpson of Chaminade and T.J. Wainwright of Westchester, who combined for 30 points Saturday) figure to get much more resistance from the South Sunday than did out of the East Saturday.
The Midwest, led by Chet Holmgren (Minneapolis) and Kobe Bufkin (Grand Rapids, MI), led the second game by nine points at intermission.
But the South was, collectively, getting more out of its roster – notably by way of future Southeastern Conference frontcourt standouts in Jabari Smith (a Georgian committed to Auburn) and Daimon Collins (a Texan headed to Kentucky), forward K.J. Adams (committed to Kansas but from the Dallas area) and guards TyTyWashington and Trey Alexander.
The 6-4 and left-handed Bufkin (committed to the University of Michigan), via a nifty converted drive while being fouled and ensuing free throw, put the Midwest up, 98-97, with 4:25 to go.
But it was to be its final advantage and last just 14 seconds as Washington (who plays for Compass Prep) scored on his own slick drive and conversation for the South.
The 7-foot (or thereabouts) Holmgren dazzled in just about every fashion possible on a basketball court while finishing with 20 points (including three 3s), 10 rebounds, 11 blocked shots and four assists.
His final points, on a drive from the left wing that demonstrated how much skill he has on the dribble, got his team to within 101-100.
He came up with his 11th block – with two hands – at the other end by Collins recovered the ball and dunked for a three-point South edge with 3:12 to go.
After a missed front end of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity for the Midwest, Adams (12 points and seven rebounds) scored on a drive for a five-point advantage.
Another empty possession for the Midwest led to a 3 from the left corner by Alexander (19 of his 21 points in the second half), set up by a Washington (21 points and three assists) pass.
Two free throws by Brandon Weston (Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, by way of Brooklyn and Chicago) trimmed the Midwest’s deficit to four points with two minutes to go.
But the 6-9 Smith (23 points and three 3s) backed down a defender for a turn-around 12-footer, following another failed 1-and-1 by the Midwest, and that was pretty much that, 116-106.
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