I made my way down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida this weekend to see some of the best competition South Florida has to offer. Here’s what I saw from the DS Sports Plex.

9th grade: DC Finest 71, South Florida Shockers 70

South Florida Shockers found themselves up six at the half over a solid DC Finest squad. DC recollected and came out with a strong start to the second half. They would lead by 6 early on in half two. A big three pointer put DC up nine with just three to go. DC struggled to take care of the ball down the stretch and the Shockers were able to pull within four with 40 seconds left in the game. Jordan Carmona hit a tough layup to cut the lead to two. Jarod Stanbury-James finished an incredible euro-step layup to tie it up at 64 and send the matchup into overtime. Both teams traded baskets throughout the extra period but DC point guard Nicholas Mate would end it with a contested floater from the right short corner. 

10th grade: Miami Runnin Rebels 74, High Hoops 68

The High Hoops 10th grade squad managed to remain within five points of the Miami Runnin Rebels at the half of their battle, despite only one player scoring only five points. Lias David put up a tough 10 points in half one for High Hoops, while Adrian Saledo and Bubba Malina had 10 and nine points respectively. Cade Daugherty would come alive in the second half for High Hoops, putting up 12 of his 17 points after the break. David stayed consistent for his squad, adding 13 second half points to bring his total to 23. It wouldn’t prove to be enough as Runnin Rebels guard Emilio Ramirez came up with 13 second half points as well, boosting him to 17 in their win. Saledo finished with 16 points and Malina hit another three to give him 12.

11th grade: Rock United Commanders 58, Wellington Wolves 55

The Rock United Commanders were down seven at the half to the Wellington Wolves. Giovanni Guerrier of the Commanders did most of their scoring in half one. He had 12 points at the break. The Wolves struggled with their ball security in the second half and turnovers helped the Commanders get back into the game. Jackson May put up 15 points in the game but the Wolves couldn’t come up with enough scoring down the stretch. Guerrier finished the game with 21 points for Rock United. Marshaun West, a high flyer, helped out with 14 points. The Commanders would go on to win by three.

11th grade: Jupiter Jaguars 52, Rock United Commanders 49

The Jupiter Jaguars pulled away late and got the win over Rock United Commanders Saturday afternoon. Joshua Glesil led the way with 16 points, scoring eight in each half. Sean Gormley added 13 and Larry Issac Scott had 12 for the Jags. Jordan Hinds was the only Rock United player in double-digits for the game with 13 points.

Game Winners

There was solid competition all day at the DS Sports Complex, but I stuck around late Saturday evening and was able to catch 3 consecutive games that ended with game winners.

9th grade: Wellington Wolves Gold 58, DC Finest 55

The 9th grade Wellington Wolves Gold we’re up 3 points with about 25 seconds left in their matchup with DC Finest. Out of a timeout, DC ran a beautifully executed play and hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to tie the game at 55. The Wolves would have about 10 seconds to answer and pushed the ball past half to take their timeout. The team from Wellington didn’t exactly come out of the timeout with a sure-fire play to win it all but instead got a deep three from the left hash mark from Caleb Mackrey to get them out with a win.

9th grade: Victory Basketball 62, Miami City Ballers 60

The Miami City Ballers were down two at the end of each half in their matchup with Victory Basketball on Saturday night. The Ballers gave up 16 first half points to Camilo Guevara but managed to escape the half only down 35-33. Jamarion Paige took over the second half scoring duties for Victory, also putting up 16 points in the period. Despite the solid offensive effort by Victory, the game was tied with just eight seconds left to on the clock. Jamarion Paige had the ball at the top of the key and was able to maneuver past him man into the paint. Paige sunk a difficult floater as time expires to lift Victory over the Miami City Ballers, 62-60.

11th grade: Broward Blue Chips 56, Rock United Commanders 53

The Blue Chips from Broward and the Rock United Commanders were in a physical battle for the most of their matchup. A lot of the points scored in this game were in the paint but a three from the left hashmark by Jonathan Rabinovich was was ultimately sealed the deal for the Blue Chips.

8th Grade Standouts 

Cameron Gibson, South Florida Shockers 

Gibson’s 20 points on Saturday morning helped lift the SF Shockers over a solid Triple Double Tarheels team. He followed that performance up with 17 points against the Riviera Beach Chargers on Saturday afternoon. He’s a lanky wing with great ball handling skills and a nice drive to the basket. Gibson was definitely one of the best players I saw in the 8th grade division.

Travis Wilson, Victory Basketball 

Victory big man Travis Wilson only needed one half to prove how dominant he was in the paint versus the Triple Double Tarheels. He had 16 points before the break and added six more to bring his total to 22. He’d come back with another amazing offensive performance on Sunday morning, dumping in 28 points in a win over the Wellington Wolves.

6th Grade MVP

Jayden Joseph, CBF Lightning 

CBF Lightning held off a solid PBG Starzz squad to win by three on Saturday afternoon. Jayden Joseph put up 22 points in the win. He came back Saturday evening with another 21 points but wasn’t able to get the win versus the Triple Double Tarheels.