Although, to best to my knowledge, no Ohio-based teams won championships at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest this weekend, several teams made a little noise with deep runs in the tournament. All-Ohio Red U-17s stated Sunday with a big match up against a very talented DC Assault Gold squad. Assault has good size, athleticism and nice guard play. As they did the entire weekend, Red got off to a slow start and DC Assault exploited it by taking an early double digit lead. When the reserves were inserted into the game for All-Ohio the defensive intensity increased and All-Ohio fought back and eventually took the lead by midway through the second half. In addition to a stiffening defense, Northland’s Jordan Potts was the catalyst for the comeback, as he pushed the ball and attacked the rim in transition. Despite the start, Red got the 66-61 win. Michigan State-bound Kenny Kaminski had a breakout game and finished with a game-high 16 points, followed by Marion Franklin’s Elijah Macon who added 13 points, Jordan Potts who contributed 12 points, and Terry Rozier who finished with 9.
Game two found All-Ohio Red in a semi-final contest with North Carolina’s Team Loaded. Another sluggish start, combined with missed chippies and free throws, landed All-Ohio Red in the hole. Once again, the second unit stepped up to help erase an early deficit. Despite having to play from behind for most of the game, Red fought back to take a small lead late in the second period. When Northland’s Jalen Robinson began exerting control in the post, and Terry Rozier committed to getting to the cup, the game changed. Only problem, All-Ohio could not effectively guard North Carolina State commit Tyler Lewis (26 points) or his back court teammate, Andrew White (21 points), both of who lived in the paint and either scored or dished for easy buckets. It wasn’t just the guards; Frank Mason hit Red for 10 points as well. All-Ohio had a chance to tie the game with 6 seconds and the ball, but a Jalen Robinson trey missed the mark. Although they would later loose in the championship game to Team Takeover, Team Loaded went on to defeat All-Ohio Red 66-62. The leading scorers for All-Ohio were Robinson (16), Elijah Macon (video) (14), Myles Hamilton (9) and Terry Rozier (video) (7).
OBC’s 17’s made a big run this past weekend that did not end until the championship game of the silver division. OBC was tripped up by a hot SYF Players team out of Indiana by 20 points. 6’11 Mitch McGary (video) dominated the action and finished with over 20 points. Isiah Rogers and Evan Payne both finished with about 10-12 points. In the semi-final, OBC needed a tip in by Evan Payne with time running out to get by the West Virginia Wildcats. In that game, OBC was lead in scoring by Desmond Ridenour (17) and Isiah Rogers (16). In quarter-final action, OBC defeated the Franklin All-Stars by double digits on the strength of Desmond Ridenour’s 30 point explosion. OBC had to overcome a 10 point defect in the first half. A late arriving Isiah Rogers hit 6 straight points to spark the run. Next up for OBC is a showdown with All-Ohio Red on Friday night at the King James tournament. This game will feature 6 of Ohio top point guards
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| Isiah Briscoe 8th Grade |
I was able to catch some of the action between the U-15 King of the Courts and the NJ. Playaz. The Playaz got the 67-53 win to advance to the championship game. Evan Bailey scored a team-high 16 points followed by T. Junior with 13 and C. Davis with 9 points. King of the Courts were 3-0 at the point, with a 20 point victory over Grassroots Canada and a 2-point win over All-Ohio red in the first 2 rounds of bracket play.
In the U-14 division, All-Ohio Red faced off against the NJ Playaz in the final 4. When I left at half time, the Playaz were up 41-26. Keep an eye out for New Jersey’s Isiah Briscoe, a super smooth combo guard with good size and athleticism. Briscoe plays with a lot of poise and skill, and he handles the rock well for his size. I really like the New Jersey kids and I look for them to be a force in the future if they stay together and continue to develop. Hilliard’s Michael Simon was putting in work in the paint. He consistently worked hard to post up and get the ball, and he finished at a high rate. Lamonte Stone looked good running the point for All-Ohio, and it is already clear he is one of the top PGs in the class. Although he is a bit undersized, he is crafty, scrappy, and has a solid handle. Ohio High School Hoops post-event report. Check out Ty Kish's video of 2 of the top 8th graders in the country ballin at the Pitt Jam Fest. Second video.
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