2019 Bama Jam Championship stories
HOOVER, AL - The 2019 Bama Jam is in the books and the champions have been crowned.
17U Black: Tennessee Tigers 77, CKY Magic Morton 51
Two teams with balance, skill and good guards had to battle it out for the 17U Black championship here at the Bama Jam. In the end it was the Tigers that held up the trophy at the end of the day.
They earned it.
To win the 17U Black bracket, the Tigers had to beat Pro One, Team Speights and CKY Magic-Morton on Sunday to claim the title. That isn’t an easy task.
Ryley McClaron scored 24 points in the championship game and drilled four three-pointers in the championship game. He mixed it up with gorgeous floaters in the paint.
Big man Dalton Marsh scored 10 and rebounded well all the while protecting the rim. Speedy Isaiah Poore turned steals into transition buckets and scores in the paint. Kavon Blankenship capped off a strong weekend with 11 points. Dusty Williams added 13 in the victory.
Amirion Joyce had a terrific weekend for CKY Magic. The class of 2020 guard finished with 14 points in the title game. Big man Lincoln Bush scored 20 points. - Justin Young
17U Orange: SBC 68, Team Impact 56
In a game that tested bost teams will power, SBC squared of against Team Impact in our 17U Championship. Both teams swapped leads in the first half as the games methodical pace forced the players to find offense. Jaelin Simpson followed his 33 point game with a first half explosion of 21 points, leading SBC to a 34 to 28 lead.
The second half was owned by Jakario Funchess as his athleticism took over in the open court. As Team Impact made a run he would respond with several coast to coast layups in transition. 16 points n the second half helped lead SBC to a 68 to 56 win in our 17U Championship. - Tai Young
16U Black: Team WHBH 77, JSI Elite 66
A steep first-half hole was too much to come back from as the events most cohesive team got off to a fast start. Team WHBH, lead by guard Grant Hurst would not let their foot off the gas from the start. An 11 to 3 opening run would highlight much of what has made the team click all weekend. Matthew Thurman played well in the interior while the transition offense from John Widley would create further separation. A lead down that was once as high as 16 points would but cut down due to a late half run as Team WHBH would still carry an 11 point lead going into the half.
History repeated itself as Team WHBH would see their lead swell up to 20 points. The air was taken out of the ball in the second half as Team WHBH would control the tempo and spread the wealth around. Grant Hurst lead all players in scoring with 19 points as Team WHBH won 77 to 55. - Tai Young
16U Orange: Pro One 95, Team Speights 75
Pro One used a late run in the second half to claim the 16U championship over Team Speights at the Bama Jam on Sunday. The Alabama-based squad was able to pull away towards the end of the game with a handful of 3’s and made shots.
Brody Peebles led the way with a quiet 38 points to solidify his impressive weekend. He highlighted Saturday’s action with a 43-point performance in the night-cap of the event. Colby Carter made five 3’s on his way to 19 points and Landan Williams added 14.
Omarie Sherrod proved to be one of the toughest guards to contain in the 16U age group. He scored 22 points in the loss for Team Speights. Maleek Huggins chipped in with 16 points and Dayvion Smith added 15. - Garrett Tucker
15U: Pro One 72, BMaze 70
The 15 and under division of the Bama Jam was a hard one to earn this weekend in Hoover. In the end, the age group came down to two of the best programs in the South.
In the end, it came down to sudden death and the first one to score wins. For Pro One, of course it had to come down to a final bucket from guard Evan Smith. The point guard scored 18 points in the second half and overtime to help his team claim the championship.
Pro One had to fight off a terrific three-point barrage from BMaze, who had it dialed in all weekend long from deep.
The second half became a battle of untying you can do, I can do better. Smith and BMaze guard Jakobi Gillispie were trading buckets down the home stretch. Championship games are supposed to be this fun. Gillispie scored 12 points in the second half.
Pro One big man Will Shaver did a great job on the glass and limited BMaze to one shot attempts in key possessions.
BMaze guard Reid Satterfield shot the lights out all weekend long. His perimeter touch was one of the best in the entire tournament. Jackson Garner was also dialed in for the second half and overtime periods. - Justin Young
14U: Iron City Huskies 67, JSI Elite 57
The Iron City Huskies defeated JSI Elite 67-57 to win the 14U division of the Bama Jam on Sunday. The Birmingham-area matchup showcased some of the best young talent in the city and surrounding areas.
Big man Kelby Collins led the way for the Huskies with 18 points, followed by 16 points from Dylan Campbell. Xzayvion Childress also added 11.
JSI overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half and was able to battle back to trim the lead to 4 with just a few minutes left in the game.
Carson Huff capped off a phenomenal weekend with 20 points in the loss. Ray Rolley chipped in 14. - Garrett Tucker
13U: Triple Double 60, JSI 59
Triple Double emerged victorious by a score of 60-59 to secure the 13U championship at Bama Jam on Sunday afternoon. The game was a back and forth affair throughout the afternoon with both teams going on their own respective runs.
Triple Double made fine use of the three-point shot, as they made eight 3’s en route to their victory. Caleb Underwood led the way with 18 points. Braden Mullis added 14. - Garrett Tucker