Contributed by Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)
16U: Wellington Wolves 59, Vanguard Elite 50
This Georgia vs Florida battle began with runs by both teams; a 7-0 run by Vanguard and then a 11-0 run by Wellington within the first 6 minutes of the game. The teams continued with fast-paced action throughout the first half, with the Wolves having a solid lead at halftime. Wellington capitalized inside from offensive rebounds and also received a big boost outside with multiple 3’s from Aramis MacKrey in the first half.
Vanguard struggled to hit open shots and was plagued by turnovers but stayed in the game with production from Myles Todd (Pace) and Terrell Burden (McEachern). Wellington extended their lead to double digits early in the second half with the help of MacKrey, Josh Williams and Alphonse Alfred. They looked to have control of the game when Vanguard stormed back with pesky defense, with Donaven Hairston (Milton) coming alive and Todd continuing to play well. However, Wellington was able to settle down and close out the game with free throws after a few missed opportunities by Vanguard.
Wellington was led by Aramis MacKrey, who had 15 points on (5) 3’s, and Josh Williams, who had 10 points. Vanguard received 16 points from Myles Todd and 11 points from Terrell Burden.
16U: Southern Stampede 72, TNBC 51
In a matchup of two teams who like to get up and down the court, the Stampede and TNBC went back and forth for much of the first half with neither team finding a way to secure a comfortable lead. Davis Herndon (Riverwood) started the game hot for TNBC with 8 points on (2) 3’s but was matched by Jalen Durham (Berkmar) of Stampede who was also connecting from the outside.
Trae Broadnax (Islands) also had a strong first half for the Stampede but Steven Seramur (St. Pius) and TJ Malloy (Westminster) responded with (2) 3’s each. The difference in the first half was the play of Jalyn McCreary (Kennesaw Mountain) late. McCreary was almost nonexistent for most of the first half but went on a tear where he scored 10 points and grabbed a multitude of rebounds in a span of 4 minutes, resulting in a 37-25 halftime lead for his Stampede team.
The beginning of the second half was similar to the start of the first half, with the Stampede extending their lead a bit to 15 with solid play from Donell Nixon (Buford). TNBC then went a run of their own where Jordan Krueger (Walton) began to heat up and Herndon continued to attack, cutting the deficit to 6. After a timeout, the Stampede came out locked in offensively and picked up their defensive intensity, causing havoc left and right. Broadnax and Nixon led this charge with versatile scoring and Brandon Green also gave great energy in transition for the Stampede team. TNBC was left flustered and was not able to recover, eventually falling behind by 20. The Stampede had 4 double-digit scorers in Trae Broadnax (18), Jalyn McCreary (12), Donell Nixon (11), and Jalen Durham (11). TNBC received 16 points from Davis Herndon and 10 points from Jordan Krueger.
17U: Atlanta Allstars 58, Game Elite Orange 46
This late-night matchup began very slowly for both teams, with neither squad finding offensive production from anyone. Game Elite found their groove about midway through the first half and received baskets from 7 different players with Marques Frye (Mount Vernon) scoring 8 points and Justin Brown (Northview) putting up 7 points in the first half. The Allstars, however, remained in a slump and found themselves down 35-18 at the break.
The tables turned entirely as the second half started. The Allstars came out with incredible energy and erased the Game Elite lead very quickly. Alex Jones (Buford) took over the game in transition with his speed and was able to create his own offense while also distributing to others, most notably Adrian Cohen (Etowah). Adam Flagler (Duluth) also went into attack mode on the offensive end for the Allstars, while Game Elite started settling for contested outside shots and could not score at all. This complete 180 in the second half resulted in a 58-46 win for the Allstars.
The Atlanta Allstars received 16 points from Adrian Cohen, 15 points from Adam Flagler, and 14 points from Alex Jones. Justin Brown was the lone double-digit scorer for Game Elite, finishing with 12 points.