Phenom Hoops kicked off the season in a big way with the Carmel Christian Tip-Off Classic, bringing in some of the premier talent and teams from around the region under one building in Charlotte.
Heading into the late-night games, Combine Academy was back in action, taking NC Good, Better, Best in what looked to be a coaching battle between two fantastic coaches. Combine came out strong, led by their senior leader in 2022 Jayden Epps who scored 10 first-quarter points and helped Combine out to a 20-9 lead. But the size of NC GBB started to make their own impact, getting on the boards and helping cut into the lead. There were a lot of fouls called in the first half, with teams taking advantage from the free-throw line. NC GBB eventually cut into the lead and the lead eventually started to go back and forth all the way until halftime. Patrick Wessler was able to get the shot off before halftime though, as Combine Academy went up 35-33.
The third quarter was much like the second for the first half, with teams trading baskets. Both teams were extremely competitive. It wasn’t until late in the third quarter when Combine started to increase their lead to double-digits and eventually 14 at the end of the third behind a late three from Epps (60-46).
Combine didn’t let up though, as the outside shots continued to fall and they were able to expand their lead to as many as 18 points. NC GBB though never gave up and competed until the final buzzer, but Epps and company were just too much in the end as Combine took home the 91-73 win.
Final: Combine Academy 91 – NC GBB 73
Stats:
Combine: Jayden Epps 39 points/ Patrick Wessler 13/ AJ Smith 14/ Braylhan Thomas 10
NC GBB: Tichyque Musaka 15 points/ Keyon Webb 18/ Caden Bell 10/ Broderick Ellis 9