I camped out at the Infinite Energy Forum on Saturday to catch some games on Day 3 of US Amateur Nationals action. I got to see a good mix of local and out of state teams. Here’s my breakdown of how the day went:

15U: Team Expo 60, Motor City Thunder 51

It seemed as if Team Expo couldn’t miss to start off in this one. They came out on a 21-9 run and did not look back. Gannon Chase had 11 at the half while Ben Diamond added 7. Team Expo got it done on the other end of the floor as well, holding the Thunder to only 20 first half points. Motor City Thunder guard Caron Clayton kept his team afloat offensively, putting up 22 points. Chase finished with16 for Team Expo.

14U: Indiana Red Storm 55, West Georgia Warriors 38

Red Storm’s offensive execution is this game was fun to watch. A series of backdoor cuts led to easy scores for them. Conversely, the Warriors used pace to their advantage, pressuring up defensively to force the issue. The team from West Georgia simply couldn’t find consistent scoring in the second half. Thomas Fellmouth of Red Storm had full command of the court, putting up 18 points and dishing out several assists.

13U: Atlanta Big Five 44, Maegahoops 35

Atlanta Big Five was clearly the bigger team in this matchup but Maegahoops shot the ball well enough to compete in the first half. Alexander Diggs and Tarai Dennie had six points each at the half for Maegahoops, who trailed by 3 at the break. About midway through the second half, Maegahoops’ shots stopped falling. Big Five’s length started causing turnovers, which led to easy buckets, and pushed their lead to 11. Joyful Hawkins and Deuce Miller finished with 10 and 8 points respectively for. Alexander Diggs gave the opposition a run for their money, putting up 16 points in the loss.

12U: EOTO 56, Savannah Thunder 39

EOTO built an eight-point lead with just over two minutes left in the first half. Thunder guard, Larry Johnson, playing up a year for the Thunder, shot the ball very well. He and Zay Wilson of EOTO faced off in a matchup that was flat out fun to watch. Wilson, who is bigger and stronger than most 6^th grade ball handlers, did it all for EOTO. His scoring is what helped them take a five-point lead into halftime. The team from Savannah’s whole starting five had foul trouble early in the second half, which ultimately lead to its demise. EOTO took advantage of its trips to the free throw line, and pulled away. Zay Wilson finished with 14 points. Larry Johnson and Antonio Baker’s performances were worth noting though, as both finished with 12 points for the Thunder.

9U: Team Edition 52, Minnesota Elite 25

Emotions ran high in this third-grade game, but the players showed the type of competitiveness you love to see at that age. Zacuras Dawson carried the offensive load for Team Edition, scoring 19 of their 52 points on his own. Sebastian Martinez helped out with 13 points. They were able to execute and score at a pace that Minnesota Elite simply could not keep up with.