Eddie Norrills and his 6th grade Team Toledo team will be hosting tryouts at St. John's Jesuit in Toledo, Ohio this Sunday from 3-5:00pm.

OBC To Hold Tryouts

The Ohio Basketball Club's 7th and 8th grade teams will hold tryouts this Sunday February 23rd from 5-7pm at Garfield Heights HS. located at 4900 Turney Rd Garfield Heights, Ohio. Registration begins at 4.30pm and tryouts will start at 5pm sharp. Players from all over the state as well as PA and Michigan will be in the house so bring your a game.

Gym Rats President’s Day Tournament-Final Day Report

West Coast All-Stars-6th Grade champions

It took 3 days, but we finally got some very competitive games on the final day of the Gym Rats President’s Day Tournament in Portland. First up on Monday morning, the much anticipated showdown between the Oakland Soldiers and the San Diego Rebels; 2 of the best teams on the west coast. Both teams arrived in Portland with quality guard play and elite frontcourts. From the tip, the Soldiers drew first blood on a Fred Burton layup, but the Rebels responded with an old fashioned three point play by Jack Pugh to take a 3-2 lead. A 4-2 mini run put the Rebels up 7-4 at the 8:43 mark. Midway through the first half the game was tight, as both teams traded buckets. By the 6:15 mark, the Rebels had built a 15-10 lead. The Soldiers responded with a 4-0 run to trim the lead to 1 point (15-14) with 3:40 left in the half. Poor rebounding by the Soldiers allowed second chance opportunities for the Rebels, which they used to take a 22-18 lead into the half. Pugh led the Rebels with 7 halftime points while Shemar Morrow paced Oakland with 6 points.

Jack Pugh & Shemar Morrow

San Diego opened the second half with a trey to push their lead to 25-18. Later, a Morrow layup would draw Oakland to within 1 point (25-24) at the 9:45 mark. A 5-0 run by the Soldiers gave them their first lead (30-29) with 7:52 remaining in the game. The Rebels later  retook a 31-30 lead with 7 minutes left, and from there, the lead would trade hands a couple of times before Oakland began to pull away as Shemar Morrow began to impact the game both offensively and defensively. When the Rebels were able to get off a highly contested shot without it getting rejected by Morrow, they were limited to just one shot as Morrow dominated the boards. The closet the score would get was 38-36 with 5:40 left.  A key adjustment in game involved a double team of Alex Wade which effectively kept the ball out of his hands. The adjustment was crucial as Wade was having a lot of success penetrating and dishing. Denying him the ball spelled the beginning of the end for the Rebels, as Oakland would push the lead to 51-39 with only 3:31 remaining in the game, and later go on to claim a 64-50 victory.  As expected, this game was very intense and was played at a high level. As their reward for the win, the Soldiers punched their ticket to the championship game, where they would face the West Coast All-Stars. Shemar Morrow was a monster defensively, while also finishing with a game-high 16 points. Jay Taylor stepped up big as well and added 12 points, while Fred Burton finished with 9 points for the Soldiers. The Rebels were led in scoring by Jack Pugh who finished with a team-high 14 points while Obinna Agbo added 11 points. Although Wade did not lead the team in scoring, his quickness and understanding of the game was affecting the game early. In conclusion, it was a great game that featured a lot of individual talent.

Willis McClendon & Paris Dawson Paced the All-Stars

You just know a game is very important and is about to be a grudge match when the head coaches can’t even agree on which basketball to use before the game. Such was the case in the 6^th grade championship game between the Oakland Soldiers and the West Coast All-stars. Both teams were locked and loaded with elite talent; the Soldiers with #1 ranked Shemar Morrow and West Coast with nationally ranked Jason Harris. Like most in attendance, I was looking forward to the matchup between Morrow and Harris, 2 of the top players in the country. West Coast got on the boards first with a Parris Dawson layup (2-0), but Oakland came right back with a score. The game was nip and tuck early, and Oakland went up 12-10 after a Devin Hightower jumper at the 4:46 mark. The game was still close with 1:30 left in the game, but the All-stars held a 2 point lead (18-16). By halftime, West Coast was up 22-17. Will McClendon was dialed in from beyond the ark, having drained 3 treys for 9 points. Devin Hightower was hot as well and finished the half with 7 points. 

Parris Dawson drove to the basket again to start the second half and to extend the lead to 24-17. The Soldiers mounted a run that would cut the deficit to 3 points (23-26) at the 7:58 mark. With Dawson in attack mode, and McClendon still hot from the perimeter, West Coast found themselves comfortably ahead 34-26 with 5:48 remaining in the game. However, multiple turnovers and empty possessions by West Coast led to a 7-0 Oakland run that got them back in the game and trimmed the lead to only 2 points (34-32) with only 2:10 left in the contest. Despite their offensive woes late, West Coast was able to hold on and claim the championship by a score of 35-32. Will McClendon was the man for the all-Stars, finishing with a team-high 12 points, followed by Paris Dawson who added 9 points. Harris was sluggish early and finished with only 6 points. Shemar Morrow led Oakland with 12 points, followed by Hightower with 10 points.  In terms of the matchup, the edge clearly goes to Morrow who was more productive offensively and successfully blocked many of Harris’ shot attempts. Harris was more of a defensive factor late, but Morrow owned the boards and protected the rim.

Celtic Family In Championship Game

In the semi-finals of the 7^th grade bracket, the I10 Celtics Green cruised by the Yellow Jackets 62-43 to advance to the championship game against Hoop Salem. What was most impressive about that win was the fact that Keion Brooks and Dexter Shouse did not arrive to the game until the second half. By that time, the Celtics were up by 10 points (24-14). Makani Whiteside (5’11 SG/WF LA CA) had it going in the first half for the Celtics to the tune of 12 points. In the 7^th grade championship game, The Celtics had little trouble getting by a much smaller and less athletic Hoop Salem team 67-57. Although the final margin of victory was only 10 points, the score was not indicative of the game. Dexter Shouse paced the Celtics with 11 points, followed by Whiteside who added 7 points.  The top guys for Hoop Salem were Johan Downey (5’10 SG Silverton) and RJ Veliz (5’111 WF Woodburn). Look for the Celtics to take their show on the run this summer in the NYBL.

For the record, in the 8^th grade championship game, the I10 Celtics Black defeated the Celtics Green team 62-50. Kiiwon Bradford (6’4 SG Sacramento) led the Black squad with 13 points. Although his team fell to the 7th grade Hoop Salem in the semi-finals, big Adam Campos (6'3 C Hercules, CA) was the leading scorer for the Hayward Tar Heels, finishing with a game-high 17 points.

5th Grade I10 Celtics Take Gold

The 5^th grade championship game was a real barn burner, as the I10 Celtics faced off against Seattle Future Black.  Although the Celtics got out of the gate quickly with a 10-0 lead, Seattle found their bearings and came racing back to tie the game at 10 by the 8:19 point. The rest of the game these 2 scrappy competitors traded buckets and leads before the Celtics eventually outlasted Seattle 56-46 to claim the crown.  I was really impressed in the talent level in this came.  Those little guys could ball! Also, a shout out to ARC for winning the 4^th grade championship game with a win over the Seattle Stars.

ARC 4th Grade Champions

It was a long weekend that started slow in terms of competition, but by the time the horn sounded on Monday afternoon I had seen some of the top 6^th and 7^th grade teams on the west coast as well as some nationally ranked individual talent. It’s also always nice to see players from other parts of the country. Finally, to my Midwest and east coast followers, the “Left Coast” has some talent as well!

Top Performers Pictures

Final Day Photo Gallery

Morrow Dominates in Portland Tournament

Shamar Morrow

 

Day two of the Gym Rats Presidents Day Tournament offered a few more competitive games as pool play concluded and the first 2 rounds of bracket play tipped off. In the morning, I had the opportunity to catch the second half of the Oakland Soldiers vs Hoops Dreams Black game (6^th Grade). Unfortunately, due to a schedule change, I arrived at the game at halftime. As you would expect in a pool game for an Oakland Soldiers team that had recently added the number 1 player in the country in Ohio’s Shamar Morrow, the game was already out of hand by the break (34-15). There was little intrigue in this game, as the Soldiers steamed rolled Hoops Dreams Black by a final score of 53-27. Morrow was as dominate as expected while scoring and rebounding with little resistance. In addition to Morrow, the Soldiers have picked up additional hired guns for the weekend. Devin Hightower (George Hill), Devin Askew (916) Jay Taylor (916) and Fred Burton (Inland Force) have all recently suited up for different teams.



Oakland Starters

In the first round of bracket play, the Soldiers fought though a slow start against Sugar Bush Hoops. Despite the significant talent gap between these two teams, a scrappy Sugar Bush squad went toe-to-toe with the Soldiers for much of the game. Although the Soldiers jumped to a 6-0 start, Sugar Bush fought their way back to cut the lead to 5-7.  By the 7:22 mark, Sugar Bush was as close as 12-13, and was only down by 4 points (23-19) with only 3:10 left in the half. By halftime, the score was only 24-33 in favor of the Soldiers. Morrow again showed why he is so highly regarded, as he dropped an impressive 19 points by the break. For the record, with all of the talent on this team, Sugar Bush should not have kept this game as close as they did. A lack of chemistry and poor defense were evident in the game.  Of course the Soldiers would later blow the game open, but it was a lot harder than it should have been. In fact, in the second half, Sugar Bush was as close as 9 points with 6:30 left, but very quickly, the lead ballooned to 20 points (60-40) before the Soldiers called off the dogs.  Oakland would eventually cruise to a 72-41 victory before advancing to the second round. Morrow finished with a game-high 26 points followed by Jay Taylor who finished with 10 points. With their second round win over Seattle Future Black, the Oakland Soldiers are 5-0 and are headed to the semi-finals where they will match-up with a tough San Diego Rebels at 9:05am.  This should be one of the best games of the tournament!

BJ Riley

The Soldiers were not the only team to find themselves in an early battle against an inferior opponent, as the San Diego Rebels had to fend off a scrappy Bay Area Aces in their opening round of bracket game. It was 5-5 early, and the rebels were only up 11-15 by the 4:50 mark in the first half. However, by half time, the Rebel’s depth and size began to take its toll on the Aces, as the lead was pushed to a more comfortable 16-24. Despite a mini run by the Aces midway through the second half, the Rebels would seize control game and advance to the second round with a comfortable 65-32 win. BJ Riley (5’4 SG San Diego) had a big game, finishing with a game-high 14 points. Alex Wade shot the ball extremely well while adding 10 points. The Rebels later defeated EBC Blue to advance to the semi-finals.

Although I have concentrated on the 6^th & 7^th grade divisions this weekend, I could not resist checking out the 8^th grade Oakland Soldiers take on their Bay Area rivals Flight Elite. The game was close early in the first half, but the more talented Soldiers would take a 36-20 lead into halftime. The Flight would make a run in the second period and get the score as close 7 points before the Soldiers would step on the gas and go on to claim victory 66-45. I was really impressed with the play of Oakland’s Kyriee Brown (5’9 PG Berkley), who showed a lot of skill, toughness and a high basketball IQ as he lead his team to the win. Brown knows what he’s doing at the point and is an excellent floor general that handles the ball well, communicates effectively with his teammates and is a willing and able passer. LJ Anderson (5’8 SG Oakland) is a player to watch as is Christopher Wiedt (6’6 C Sacramento). Wiedt has great size at this age and was he gets more aggressive in the post he could be a good looking prospect going forward. Later in the day, the Soldiers lost in overtime 68-66 to a local Maeko team.

Jovon Blackshear

The I10 Celtics Green found themselves in a serious battle with the I10 Celtics Black. Although Green raced to a 6-0 lead, the score was as close as 7-8 by the 9:52 mark. Celtics Black was still hanging tough with 5:56 left in the half and was only down by 2 points (16-18). The more talented Black squad relied too heavily on deep jump shots and struggled to rebound consistently.  Consequently, the Black squad, based mostly out of LA, was still in the game by halftime (34-27). An opening trey by Black cut the lead to 30-34. Thanks to the hot shooting from Celtics Green’s Jovon Blacksheer, the Arizona-based Green team would hold on to get a 10 point victory (47-57) to advance to the third round where they will face Lynden Tractor at 7:55pm on Sunday. Blackshear was big for Green with a game-high 19 points, Blacksheer had his full game on display as he drained deep jumpers, knocked down floaters, scored easily in transition and defended aggressively.  Jalen House came off the bench and was hot from beyond the ark, converting on 3 treys. Keion Brooks and Dexter Shouse both had solid games, with each player finishing with 8 points. Brooks did an effective job defending the rim while Shouse was more of a facilitator from the high post.

Devin Hightower

The West Coast All-Stars collected 2 more wins on Sunday with victories over Rainer and Flight Elite to advance to the semis where they will face the winner of Team Balance and FOH Blue. Things should really heat up tomorrow as teams advance and battle for championships.

Photo Gallery

 

Gym Rats Presidents Day Tournament-Day One Report

Seattle Rotary Bench

One of the sure signs the AAU basketball season has begun is the tip off of the Gym Rats Presidents' Day Tournament held every year in Portland, Oregon. As is the case every year, this field features a number of very talented west coast teams in the middle school divisions. Some of the top teams this year include the Oakland Soldiers (7^th & 8^th), West Coast All-Stars (6^th), and the San Diego Rebels (6^th). In terms of numbers, the eighth grade division is the largest with 40 teams entered, followed by the seventh grade division with 42 teams and the sixth grade division with an additional 29 teams.  Since were covering the event as part of the NYBL, our coverage this weekend will focus on the 6^th & 7th grade divisions primarily.

Daeshawn Wayne

Day one of the tournament started off like most of events, double-digit blowouts in pool play by more highly seeded teams. In fact, right out of the gate, I watched Seattle Rotary destroy a San Diego-based Triple Threat by a final score of 25- 60. Other than the fact that Seattle Rotary was a much more talented team and totally dominated, there was nothing else really left to say about this game. Both teams started slow, but eventually, Seattle shook off the rust and got busy. As the game progressed, the bigger, more athletic Rotary began to overpower the much smaller Triple Threat players. The only real bright spot for Triple Threat was the play of Solomon Davis (6’3 C Marietta, CA). Davis has good length, is skilled and appears to have a lot of upside potential. According to the score sheet, Davis scored almost half of the Triple Threat points. For Seattle, the point guard play from Daeshawn Wayne (5'7 PG Seattle, WA) was spectacular. Wayne is crafty, plays with a lot of poise, and does a great job of running his team and getting other players the ball. I was also impressed with Wayne’s midrange game, a lost art these days, and his ability to drive and dish the ball. I also really liked Noah Williams (6’1 C Seattle, WA), who's got good size, is very athletic and handles the rock well for his position. Williams has good long-term potential as well.

Jack Pugh

The second game of the day featured another blowout, this time the San Diego Rebels totally outclassed HD Rock 62-19. The Rebels are a well-built team that uses precision and execution to excel. Although the Rebels’ strength lies with their frontcourt, they are an all-around very talented squad. As if the Rebels were not already talented enough, this weekend, Jack Pugh (5’9 PF Hilliard, OH) is running with the team. Pugh is an excellent complement to an already talented frontcourt. As is his trade mark, Pugh is attacking the basket and finishing everything. The frontcourt includes Obinna Anyanwu (6’0 C San Diego, CA) and Chibuzo Agbo (6’0 PF San Diego, CA), both of whom are blessed with good size and athleticism and can finish at a high rate around the cup. It’s not just their bigs, the Rebels’ guard play is also solid with Kobe Sanders and Alex Wade. As a team, the Rebels are patient on offense and they pass the basketball extremely well while seeming to work as a cohesive unit. Team oriented play and talent will win you a lot of games.

Tyron Washington

Blowout number three of the day featured a lopsided game between the West Coast All-Stars and Team Black out. Even without their best player, Jason Harris, who was apparently involved in an accident, the All-Stars had little trouble getting by and undermanned Team Blackout. In this game, it was all about run outs transition buckets for the All-Stars. The All-Stars effectively employed a 2-2-1 full-court zone trap to force turnovers and feast off of easy transition buckets. The top performers for the All-Stars were Tyrone Washington (5’5 SG Phoenix AZ), Nick Valencia (6’0 C Phoenix, AZ) and Paris Dawson (5’7 WF LA CC). Washington showed a nice little mid-range game in addition to the ability to push the rock in transition and find open teammates for easy buckets. Valencia is a big space eater who is not that athletic and is not a high flyer, but is very effective in using his size to protect the rim and gobble up rebounds. Bottom line, you simply can't turn the ball over on this team and expect to beat them. By the time the buzzer sounded, the final score was 58-16. Finally, look for the West Coast All-Stars in the NYBL this season.

Dexter Shouse

Later in the day, I had the opportunity to catch some of the I10 Celtics versus Prep Elite game. By the time I walked in the gym, the score was already 8-2. As was the case all day long, this game quickly turned into a blowout, and by halftime, it was already 39- 9 in favor of the Celtics. Although there was no drama associated with the game, of note, is the fact that the Celtics have added some firepower to their team in the form of Dexter Shouse (6’1 PF Indianapolis, IN) and Keion Brooks (5’11 WF Indianapolis, IN). Both guys are Indiana natives and are highly ranked nationally. With Brooks and Shouse holding it down in the post, an undermanned Prep Elite squad had little chance of scoring and/or rebounding around the bucket. With the addition of the Indiana guys, this Celtics team is extremely deep and extremely talented. In fact, they come off of the bench with guys who can score and defend. Not only does this team have an elite frontcourt, they enjoy great guard play. Specifically, Jovon Blacksheer (5’7 PG LA, CA) and Dominic Winbush (5’5 PG Oakland, CA) are 2 quality guards who can both score and defend. Add Makani Whiteside (5’11 G LA, CA) to the mix and his team is going to be very difficult to beat this weekend. Whiteside has good size for his position and showed the ability to get to the rack and finish. We (NYBL) rank him as a WF, but he may possess PG skills. I plan to watch him more this weekend. Hopefully, day 2 will offer in more competitive games and more compelling storylines.

Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to watching the Oakland Soldiers (6^th grade) lace it up. From what I understand, they've added some significant talent for this weekend's tournament. I’m also hoping to see more competitive games on day 2. Some other results: I10 Celtics (8^th) defeated Washington Elite 59-57; Oakland Soldiers (7^th) defeated Rainer 60-19; and Team Balance (6^th) defeated Yellow Jackets 45-37.

Top Performers Pictures

Photo Gallery

Buckeye Prep Schedules Tryouts

  

Buckeye Prep will sponsor 2 travel teams in 2014.  Ed Lyshe will be coaching our 8^th grade team while Aaron Brown will head the 5^th grade squad. In 2014, both Buckeye Prep teams will play very competitive schedules.  Last season, both teams finished in the top ten of their respective D-II AAU Nationals. Below is information about both team’s tryout plans.

5th Grade Tryouts:

Date:  February 16^th & 23rd

Time: 4:00-6:00pm

Location: Rosemont Center

Address:  2440 Dawn Light Ave Columbus

Phone: 614-937-9709

8th Grade Tryouts:

Date: Sunday February 16^th

Time: 3:00-5:00pm

Location: Grandview Heights HS

Address: 1587 W. Third Ave. Columbus

Phone: 614-746-5537

Jaguars Claim Back to Back Championships

Hillard Jaguars-8th Grade Champions

On Saturday, the 8th Grade Hilliard Memorial basketball team completed its second consecutive undefeated basketball season with a dominant 46-25 victory over Dublin Sells in the Martin Memorial Tournament in Hilliard.  The victory represented the Jaguars’ fourth consecutive blowout win in the tournament. Not only was Hilliard dominate in tournament play, but they also won all of their regular season games by 20 or more except for a double overtime game against this same Dublin Sells they beat in the championship by 21.  Memorial finished their two year run with a record of 34-0 with only 3 games during that time period within single digits.

In the championship game,  Isaiah Speelman led all scorers with with 22 points, followed by Braden Norris who finished with 9 and Kory Taylor who added 7.  Trevor Grady led Dublin Sells with 8 points

The names of the players are as follows (from left to right):Jackson Beard (in sweater), Tyler Welch, Matt Hanson, Isaiah Speelman, Braden Norris, Kory Taylor, Jaret Lundy, Marlyn Hill, Ryan Kaylar, Isaiah Winters, Jacob Kirk, Clay Stausbaugh, Brad Cronin, Jack Rondy, Assistant Coach Tony Long and Head Coach Andrew Lavender.

Highlight Video

Gahanna West Punches Ticket to Championship Game

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to catch the second semi-final game of the 2014 Gahanna Lion Invitational at Middle School East in Gahanna. The 8^th grade game featured a matchup between a 4^th seeded Reynoldsburg and an 8^th seeded Gahanna Middle School West. Each team featured a player in Buckeye Prep’s Top 30 list, including Gahanna’s Cameron Carlisle and Reynoldsburg’s Jamil Goliday.

By the time I walked into the gym, the game was already knotted at 2-2.  At about the 2:10 mark, the score was locked at 6-6. A 4-0 run by Gahanna put the Lions up 10-6 with 1:10 left in the opening quarter. Despite several attempts by both teams, the score remained at 10-6 to close the first quarter.

A Jamil Goliday corner trey to open the second quarter cut the lead to 10-8. Gahanna’s Randy Olverson answered with a 3 ball to extend Gahanna’s lead to 13-8 with 3:59 left in the first half. Multiple Gahanna turnovers midway through the second quarter opened the door for Reynoldsburg, and a Goliday layup trimmed the Gahanna lead to 1 point (12-13) at the 2:59 mark. The second quarter was marked by turnovers, missed free throws and field goals attempts.  However, Gahanna West hit more shots and would later take a 20-15 lead into halftime.

Cameron Carlisle scored on a layup and a free throw to open the second half and put Gahanna up 23-15. Later in the third quarter, back-to-back buckets by Reynoldsburg cut the Gahanna lead to 20-26. Another layup by Carlisle stopped Reynoldsburg’s 4-0 run and extended the lead to 28-20 with 1:45 remaining in the quarter. By the end of the third quarter, Gahanna was still ahead 33-29.

Cameron Carlise

Another Cameron Carlisle opening quarter layup extended Gahanna’s lead to 35-39, followed by back-to-back treys by Reynoldsburg to reduce the Gahanna lead to 3 points (32-35). Gahanna would respond with a 4-0 run of their own to run their lead to 39-32. Both teams would trade buckets, but another layup by Carlisle would put Gahanna ahead for good. The Lions would go on to collect the 39-48 victory and advance to the championship against the second seeded Pickerington Lakeview Middle School.

Although he was forced to play out of position in the post, Gahanna’s Cameron Carlisle was the catalyst for Gahanna, finishing with a game-high 21 points. Right behind him in scoring for Gahanna was David Miller and Randy Olverson, who finished with 12 and 8 points, respectively.

For the record, Lakeview knocked out Gahanna Middle School East in the first semi-final game of the night. Also, Gahanna’s route to the championship included wins over a 9^th seeded Worthington Way and number 1 seeded Westerville Heritage. Lakeview’s path included victories over Blendon (15^th seed), Olentangy Shanahan (10^th seed) and Gahanna South (3^rd seed). Reynoldsburg knocked out 13^th seeded New Albany and 3^rd seeded Gahanna Middle School East to advance to the semi-finals. Gahanna South and Reynoldsburg will play for third place on Saturday. Congratulations to Gahanna West for earning a spot in the final game.

Photo Gallery

Lakeview Defeats Rival

 

You know a middle school basketball game is really big when the game is moved from the middle school to the community’s high school facility. Such was the case on Thursday when crosstown rivals Pickerington Lakeview and Ridgeview Middle Schools squared off at Pickerington Central High School for ultimate bragging rights. Entering the game with a perfect 16-0 record, Ridgeview appeared to be the slight favorite over an 11-1 Lakeview.

Lakeview controlled the opening tip and took early lead when Ely McNamara converted 2 free throws. Ridgeview answered on the next possession with 2 free throws of their own. Both teams suffered from turnovers early, but a 6-0 run by Lakeview put them up 8-2 with 3:37 left in the opening quarter. Ridgeview stopped the Lakeview run with a field goal at the 1:06 mark, and would actually cut the lead to 6-7 to close the first quarter.

Lakeview scored first to start the second period on a Tyler Potts free throw. The second quarter was marked with Ridgeview turnovers and limited scoring by both teams. However, Ridgeview would make a mini run and would take a 10-8 lead with 2:28 left in the half. Lakeview responded with consecutive layups by Jimmy Weirick to retake the lead and finish the opening period up 12-10.

A baby hook by Ridgeview’s Juan Elmore ignited a 6-0 run that resulted in a 16-12 lead to start the third quarter. Later, a Jimmy Weirick trey knotted the game at 16 at the 1:15 mark. Xavier Henderson’s layup put Ridgeview ahead 18-16, but a Tyler Potts floater tied the game at 18 to close the 3^rd quarter.

A Jimmy Weirick layup put Lakeview up 20-18, but a Juan Elmore layup tied the game at 20. Lakeview got out to a fast start in the 4^th quarter and was up 26-21 with 1:33 left in the contest. Despite Lakeview’s attempts to run time off the clock, Ridgeview would later cut the lead to 23-26. A Xavier Henderson layup cut the lead to 1 point (25-26) with only 25 seconds left in the game. After Henderson drove the length of the court and failed to convert a layup, and several missed opportunities by Ridegview to win the game, Lakeview got the victory by a score of 27-25.

Jimmy Weirick-Pickerington

The star of the game was Lakeview’s Jimmy Weirick who dropped a game-high 12 points. Xavier Henderson was the high man for Ridgeview, finishing with 6 points.  Keep an eye on Lakeview’s Dondre Palmer, a 6’2 WF with good length and the ability to handle the ball. Palmer is more potential than production right now, but he’s the type of player who could come out of nowhere down the road and develop into a legitimate college prospect with continued development.  Congratulations to both teams for a hard fought game.

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