Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions: AE5 Gold takes Brandon Ingram 16U championship
This game started at a fast pace with both teams scoring at will. 5 minutes into the game the score was (12-9) in favor of AE5 Gold. Zyree Brown picked up right where he left off by knocking in two first half 3s. He made this one a very fun one to watch in the first half. Luke McCrimmon of TNBA South was sure to join the party pouring in 11 first half points in many ways. He was able to break down the defense and create for himself and teammates in the first half. Both teams had a balanced attack with multiple players contributing. AE5 Gold took a slim (32-30) lead into halftime.
The second half started off living up to the hype of the first half. Zyree Brown came out scorching with back to back 3s to open the half pushing the AE5 Gold lead to 8 points (40-32). Both teams continued to trade baskets with Zyree Brown hitting a layup and the favor being returned on the other end by Lucas Robertson. With the game sitting at (53-47) in favor of AE5 Gold. TNBASouths hit a big 3 to cut into the lead. This was quickly answered by a Kyrie Irving-like finish on the other end by Antonio Rivers. With 5:28 to go and AE5 Gold leading by 4 points they called a timeout. Zyree Brown could be seen urging his teammates to keep the intensity.
With 3:40 to remain the game sat at (63-60) in AE5 favor but two back to back baskets gave them the lead. On the ensuing possession Zyree Brown ran off a set of baseline screens and drilled a corner three to give his team the two point lead. Zyree Brown and Anthony Brown traded baskets and the score sat at 70-67 in AE5 Gold's favor with 40 seconds left to play. A missed layup by Brown which was tipped in by Johnson BeSong would seal the deal for AE5 Gold and they went on to win this matchup (74-67).
Top Performer for this game was none other than Mr. Zyree Brown, when called on he answered. He finished with 32 points on 6 made 3s. Brown averaged 5.5 makes from 3 per game on Championship Sunday here at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. Brown plays with something you can’t teach and that is heart. He was the emotional leader of his team and is the reason AE5 are your Tournament Champs.