Georgia Cup: Middle School division championships
14U BLACK: TNBC 59, CHARLOTTE ACES 39
TNBC used patience, passing and persistence to bring home the 14U Black Championship in a win over the Charlotte Aces. TNBC was led by Landon Kardian, who scored 18 points while point guard Justin Wilson scored 15 in the win. It was a good weekend of work for the Atlanta based program. The Aces were led by Trevon Dozier who scored 11 and Devine Allah scored 9 points. - Justin Young
14U ORANGE: 365 DEA BALLERZ 48, GEORGIA PROSPECTS 42
Peyton Daniels scored 18 points while Quamari Williams scored 12 as the 365 DEA Ballerz won a hard-fought game to earn the championship trophy in the 14 and under division. It was a great weekend of work for the Ballerz, finishing 5-0 over the course of two days.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the second half and things got tight down the stretch in the fourth quarter but the Ballerz made enough stops on the defensive end to bring home the title in the hard. Very good weekend of work for the crew.
13U BLACK: GEORGIA JAZZ 42, TRIPLE DOUBLE 41
The Black bracket of the 13U division featured two teams that battled all weekend: Triple Double and the Georgia Jazz. We expected nothing short of a highly contested game, and that is exactly what we got. The two teams went back and forth the whole game with numerous ties and lead changes. When the fourth quarter began, the Jazz has their biggest lead at 7 points. However, Triple Double's shooting helped them battle back late, taking a one point lead with 29 seconds remaining. However, after a Triple Double free throw, on the Jazz's last possession, Cole Kelly got the ball and knocked down a three at the buzzer to win the game 42-41. Glendarius Tate led the Jazz with 16 and Khyle Cowan added 9. Chance Thacker led Triple Double with 8 points, capping off a great weekend for himself and his team. - Carter Wilson
13U ORANGE: GEORGIA HEAT 55, FIVE STAR BASKETBALL 38
The Georgia Heat’s size advantage was too much for Five Star to overcome even after closing the gap to seven points in the fourth quarter. Casey Brubaker got the Heat off to a quick start, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half as they raced out to a 33-16 halftime lead. Chathan Jackson and Jaylen Smith scored 8 and 7 points respectively to help balance the scoring attack. In the fourth quarter, Five Star made a push and cut the lead to 41-34, but the Heat responded with a 12-0 run to put the game away. The Georgia Heat keyed in on point guard Ashton Blackwell and held the Five Star standout to 5 points. - Kyle Sandy
12U: EOTO 53, GEORGIA BISON 40
The Georgia Bison locked horns with EOTO GA 2023 in the 12U Championship. The 1st quarter ended with both teams tied at 11 apiece. Zay Wilson’s 8 2nd quarter points helped EOTO create some distance. EOTO led 29 to 21 at halftime. Mason Kidd, of EOTO, led all scorers with 10 points at the break. EOTO’s lead was as large as 15 points in the 3rd quarter. The Georgia Bison scored 7 unanswered points to start the 4th quarter.
EOTO’s leading scorers Zay Wilson and Mason Kidd continued to make shots down the stretch to halt The Bison’s comeback. Mason Kidd led all scorers with 20 points. Gabriel Warner was the high scorer for The Georgia Bison with 9 points. EOTO defeated The Georgia Bison 53 to 40.
