7th Grade AAU Nationals-Day Two Report

JJ Ried Dropped 28 Points on the Hoopsters

The start of day two of the 7^th Grade AAU Nationals was rough for Ohio-based teams as 5 teams took losses by 4:00pm in the afternoon. The first loss of the day was rung up by the Ohio Hoopsters in their matchup with the Spice Kentucky Gators. I got there after the tip, but from what I heard, Spiece jumped out on the Hoopsters by 18 points. However, Ty Wiley got hot, knocked down a couple of treys to help the Hoopsters cut into the lead. He didn’t do it alone as Thomas Hickman came off the bench to add a spark to the Hoopsters, comeback. That comeback was short-lived, however, as the halftime score inched back to 46-32, and was 32-48 early in the 3^rd quarter. By the time the clock ran to zeros, the Gators had claimed the 75-55 win. It was clear early that Spiece was bigger and stronger at just about every position. Also, the Gators did a great job of spreading the court, marinating good spacing and creating driving lanes. Big JJ Reed (6’3 PF/C Louisville) was a horse, is a great looking prospect, and is arguably the top player in Kentucky’s class of 2018. He led all scorers with a game-high 28 points. Jabari Perkins paced the Hoopsters with 15 points, while Ty Wiley notched 14 and Juan Elmore finished with 10 points.

Juwan Moody, Jerrel Kelly & Kaili Faulk All Played Well

Early Tuesday morning All-Ohio Red found themselves in a dogfight with the Florence Cougars from South Carolina. Despite getting off to a slow start, which included missing 13 uncontested layups; All-Ohio erased an early double digit lead to make this a close game. By the third quarter, the score was 38-40. All-Ohio would take a 46-42 lead with 5:20 left in the game, but late turnovers and a Juwan Moody jumper put the Cougars ahead 48-46 late, and they would later go on to win it 56-50. The Cougars were led in scoring by Juwan Moody (5’8 PG Conway, SC) and Jerrel Kelly (6’3 C Sumpter, SC) both of whom finished with 11 points, followed by Kaili Faulk (5’6/SG Marion, SC) who added 10 points. I really liked Moody who is a strong guard with a solid handle and the ability to get to and finish at the cup. Jamil Goliday led All-Ohio Red with 16 points.

Sherif Kenny Paced DC Assault

The King James Shooting Stars faced off against DC Assault on Tuesday.  As most people know, DC Assault has always been one of the top teams in this class. The game was close until the last 3 minutes in the second quarter until DC’s Sherif Kenney (6’2 PF) scored 11 straight points to stretch the lead. At one point it looked like DC Assault was going to run away with the game but their scoring went cold and King James mounted a furious comeback and cut the lead to within 3 points with about a minute left in the game. Although missed free throws and rushed shots kept King James in the game late, DC Assault held on to preserve the 56-52 victory. Sherif Kenny led all scorers with 20 points. King James was led in scoring by Grayson Green and Mike Bothwell, both of whom finished with 14 points.

Team Excel had another tough day and are now 0-2 in pool play after a 15 point loss to Florida Family Purple. The game was as close as 7 points with about 3 minutes left when Florida started to pull away. Although Excel has always relied on perimeter shooting, they only converted one of 15 treys the entry game. At this point, Excel may have to make a run in the Classic bracket to leave Memphis with any success..

Jaret Pallotta Sparked Run

SMAC U got Ohio back in the winning column with a 60-51 win over the MA Shooting Stars late on Tuesday. This game was nip and tuck the entire way until a 14-0 run was mounted by SMAC U in the 4^th quarter which broke the game open.  The run was sparked by Jaret Pallotta and a barrage of treys that helped SMAC seize momentum late in the contest. Sincere Carry is back with SMAC and he definitely had a positive impact running the point. Pallotta finished with a team-high 15 points, followed by Cooper Crawford with 11 and Carry with 9 points. Paul Durkee paced the Shooting Stars with 17 points followed by Devondre Edmonds with 13 points. The SMAC win puts them at 2-0 after an opening round win yesterday against Team United, the South Carolina AAU state champs and a nationally ranked team.

Seth Goodson-Gahanna

Buckeye Prep had another big game late on Tuesday.  This time they raced out to another huge lead against the Memphis Sonics and never took their foot off the gas. By the time the horn sounded, Buckeye Prep had cruised to an easy 67-33 win.  As was the case in game one, Prep use suffocating defense to cause turnovers and convert easy transition buckets. Also, Prep’s bigs did a great job on the glass creating extra possessions.  Buckeye Prep enjoyed balanced scoring as 4 players finished with double digit scores. Gahanna’s Seth Goodson led all scorers with 14 points, followed by Garrett Tipton with 12 and Chase Rankin and Cameron Carlisle both with 10 points.

The Shining Stars got another easy win on Tuesday as they absolutely destroyed the Memphis eagles 71-38. Jack Cravaack had a big game with 18 points, followed by Isaiah Payton with 13, Jackson See with 12, Javon Hicks 11 and Tate Goodyear with 7 points.  Chuck Painters Dayton Metro squad got another win yesterday with a 52-43 victory over the Randallstown Runnin Rebals. Andrew Ashhurst was the high man with 15 points, followed by TK Robinson who added 10 points.

Team Toledo’s 37 turnovers led to a 53-51 loss to Sele Warriors Elite.  With that loss, Toledo is 0-2 in pool play and likely headed to the Classic bracket. Murphy AC is still rolling as they rode balanced scoring all the way to a 71-51 win over Game Speed on Tuesday. According to Coach Jackson, several players all scored about 9-10 points in the win.

Day Two Photo Gallery