LONG BEACH, Ca. – It was pretty much “status quo” for the Midwest team in the third Pangos All-American Festival 4 (presented by Puma) Sunday afternoon at McBride High.
After polishing off the East by 23 points in a Saturday evening semifinal, the Midwest – led by event co-Most Outstanding Players Jeremy Fears and Flory Bidunga –cruised past the South, 120-99, in the championship game.
The South (which beat the West in the other semifinal Saturday, 126-116) trailed by 13 points at intermission in the finale.
It hung tough for the first eight to 10 minutes of the second half – cutting its deficit to six points once – behind the sharp-shooting of Mercy Miller (32 points after hitting 31 Saturday) and Sam Walters (who is from Florida but plans to sign a letter of intent with Alabama in November), who hit four 3s apiece.
The 6-foot-3 Miller (who was at Minnehaha in Minneapolis as a freshman and Oak Hill Academy in 2021-22) is one of the many reasons that Dusty Stromer-led Sherman Oaks Notre Dame will make a strong push for a return to the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs in the spring.
But the Midwest – even just a seven-player roster – had too much for its opponents over both days.
Fears (Joliet, IL, West), set to sign a letter of intent with Michigan State in November, also used the title game as part of his summer-long “best point guard in the Class of 2023” resume building.
He averaged 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists. 3.5 steals and just 1.5 turnovers in the event.
The 6-9, left-handed Bidunga (from Kokomo, IN; pictured with Fears and Puma Basketball Marketing Manager of Puma, Josh Johnson) had another game’s full of spectacular blocks, rebounds and dunks and also showed off a previously under-appreciated passing skill with four assists.
A couple of seniors who are playing for Southern California Academy in 2022-23, 6-9 Drew Fielder (Meridian, ID) and 6-4 Garwey Dual (Carmel, IN), turned in their second consecutive sparkling efforts for the Midwest.
Fielder went for 24 points (including three 3s) and 10 rebounds while Dual chipped in with a weekend-high 34 points (three 3s).
Studio City Harvard-Westlake junior Robert Hinton (who played Sunday only Sunday) showed off his nifty bounce for the Midwest, throwing down the most impressive dunk of the weekend over the top of one of the nation’s top shot blockers, Jayden Hastings (Bradenton, FL, IMG Academy; he had 11 blocks over the two games).
And his much-improved jump shot was on display, too, while hitting all three of his jumpers from behind the arc.
In the third-place game, the West knocked of the East, 118-102, as guard Tru Washington scored 32 points for the winners, less than 24 hours after collecting 26 in the loss to the South.
All-Pangos All-American Festival 4, presented by Puma, selections
Most Outstanding Players
Jeremy Fears (Joliet, IL, West HS/Class of 2023/Midwest Team)
Flory Bidunga (Kokomo, IN/2024/Midwest Team)
The other eight Selections:
Mookie Cook (Chandler, AZ, Compass Prep/2023/West)
Garwey Dual (Castaic, CA, SoCal Academy/2023/Midwest)
Drew Fielder (Castaic, CA, SoCal Academy/2023/Midwest)
Jayden Hastings (Orlando, FL, Christian Prep/2023/South)
Ty-Laur Johnson (Newark, NJ, St. Benedict/2023/East)
Mercy Miller (Sherman Oaks, CA/Notre Dame)/2024/South)
Sam Walters (The Villages, FL, Village School/2023/South)
Tru Washington (Chandler, AZ, Compass Prep/2023/West)
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