Saturday:

The best player that I’ve seen at the midway point of this tournament has to be 14U Walton Flame's Justin Bogard (pictured left). Despite losing a hard-fought battle today against the Georgia Achievers, 74-66, Bogard exploded for 33 points. This followed up a strong 20-point performance last night in a 67-32 win over DSA. He constantly gets to the rim and finishes strong in the process. His huge wingspan makes him a force on the defensive end as he blocked shots and got steals consistently in both games. Look for Bogard to have a strong freshman campaign next year wherever he plays.

In the 13U Division, two players who stood out to me were Chance Thacker and Oscar Lynch of Triple Double. The two-headed attack led their team to a big 10-point win over Game Elite DB as Thacker put up 22 points and Lynch followed with 17 points. Thacker knocked down big shots throughout the game and was a calming presence for Triple Double as Game Elite pressed nearly the entire 32 minutes. He ran the point beautifully and would also consistently find the open shooter.

The open man in that game was often Lynch as the big man knocked down a pair of  threes and multiple mid-range jumpers. While he was the tallest on his team, Lynch wasn’t afraid to step out and shoot the triple and would often handle the ball during press-breaks. These two were massive in Triple Double’s win.

In the 12U Division, I witnessed Malachi Robinson knock down a buzzer-beater as time expired to secure a 47-45 overtime win for the Effingham Bulls over MTXE Blue. While Robinson provided the heroics, it was Alfonzo “AJ” Ross who guided the Bulls all game. Ross put up 14 points in the win and dished out numerous assists. Ross faced constant pressure during the game and was able to handle it very well for the Bulls.

Friday:

In Team Forrest 14U’s 49-41 win over A1 Elite, Ethan Swan and CJ Taylor both put up 19 points to will Team Forrest. Swan constantly used his size all night to post people up and get to the rim. He also altered numerous shots throughout the game. Taylor is a big-bodied guard who paced the offense all game and constantly hit big time shots. He was able to get to the rim all night and was a great facilitator of his team’s offense.

Wes Bruno was the story of the game for the Cherokee Spurs in their 63-60 win over TNBC Select. Bruno dropped 23 (four 3’s) and silenced many TNBC comeback runs. The overarching theme of this piece is point guards who can handle opposing team’s pressure consistently and Bruno is another one of these guards as he faced full court pressure all game from TNBC. He would also drive the lane, draw defenders, and then kick it to the open man as many of his teammates also knocked down big time shots in the victory.