In a battle for the 704, Team United 2021 faced off against Team Charlotte 16U in the 16U Blue Division Gold championship game and this one did not disappoint. The game was neck and neck the entire way and would come down to the final possessions. 6’7 F Josiah Dow got things rolling for Team United as his post presence and offensive rebounding were critical early on in setting the tone for his team. Then 5’11 sharpshooter Kris Robinson and 6’6 F Jaylin McClurkin came off the bench to spark a 10-0 run for Team Charlotte including a devastating block from McClurkin in which he pinned the ball on the backboard. Going into the half, Team Charlotte bolstered a 37-32 lead.
The point guard match-up in this one excited too as Team United’s 6’1 Trey Hubbard, who scored a team-high 16 points, went up against 5’11 Tony Waters of Team Charlotte who ended the game with a game-high 20 points. If not for the play of these two, the game could have ended drastically different. Game MVP 6’4 RJ Noord of Team United, however, hit a huge three with 3:58 remaining to give his team a 60-57 lead. His ability to make timely plays were the difference in this one as Team United defeated Team Charlotte by a score of 72-69 in one of the most hyped games of the day.