When you have all that talent in the building, you are sure to have some fireworks. Friday night was no different, there were some great single game performances, some high flying antics, and some great team wins.
Here are some of the leading storylines from over at Proehlific Park.
Game of the Night
Brand X Vs River City Reign (Wright)
River City Reign (Wright) came out towering over Brand X, but Brand X jumped out with their scrappy play and defense. Led by 6’ Unsigned Senior Tevin Smith’s 16 points and the versatility of 6’5 2017 Rashad Dixon on defense, Brand X hung in for the entirety of the game. In the end
River City Reign (Wright) was just too much. As 5’9 2016 Deshawn Patterson led the second half charge, with 16 points. 6’3 Glenn Campbell (who will post grad at Woodstock Academy) chipped in 15 points (on 5 3s) and 6’11” 2016 Emmanuel Ugboh finished with 10 points, 12 boards, and 7 blocks.
This two teams will be excited to watch as the tournament progress, both have great pieces and elite level athleticism.
Peformances of the Night
Josh Hopkins (6’4 2017 NC Court Generals)
The Dudley High School sophomore finished with a very confident 24 points on 6 3s.
Romaeo Ferguson (6’5” 2015 Upward Stars Raleigh)
The big point guard finished with 26 points in the Upward Stars Raleigh win. His game is filled with winning plays and toughness.
Maliek White (6’1 2016 River City Reign – Iverson)
White finished with 21 points, showing a fearless attack and the ability to make things happen at 3 levels.
Gerrius Gates (6’4 2018 Team Charlotte 15s)
Gates left day one as the leading scorer, with 31. The combo forward showed great touch 15’ and in.
Big Ole Bodies
The night cap ended with a battle of football body types with 6’9/300 Iran Bennett (USA United) squared off with 6’8/260 JJ Matthews (River City Reign – Iverson). In the head to head Bennett finished with 16 points on a variety of low post moves. While conditioning is an issue, he showed great hands and nimble feet. Matthews finished with 14 points, he showed the ability to run the floor and was very active on the boards. This match up was not for the faint of heart.
Upset of the Night
Upward Stars SE 16U came into the event as one of the top ranked 16U teams. The NC Court Generals came out unfazed and wound up winning the game. 6’4 Josh Hopkins led the way with 24 points and 6’7 David Funderburg had 10 for the Court Generals.
6’2 Tariq Simmons was the leading scorer for Upward Stars SE with 19 points. 6’6 Duane Moss also had many on the sidelines buzzing with his high IQ play. The great thing about pool play is early losses don’t matter, and everyone still has a chance to win once the bracket play starts.
Great Team Pairity
The Carolina Wolves 16s only really played 6 kids, but those six played in a fluid fashion that had everyone defending, handling, and scoring. 6’1 Christiaan Jones led the way from the point guard position. The smooth lead finished with 19 points and 7 assists. In the world of upside category, 6’5 Keith Matthews finished with 19 points as he let his ability to defend kick start his offense. 6’4 Marquis Riley had 17 and 6’3 Jacor Nelson had 16 also for the Wolves. It will be interesting to see this team as they move forward, they were certainly one of the most exciting on day 1.