Weekend Recap

All-Ohio Red-Tournament of Champions Champs

The #3 ranked 2020 Mid-Ohio Pumas Black squad notched another tournament victory this past weekend at the Kentucky Jam Fest in Louisville, KY.  In the championship game, the Pumas easily defeated The Ville 50-29.  It's important to note that The Ville is wildly regarded as one of Kentucky’s top 8^th grade teams.  In that game, the Pumas’ Matt Allocco exploded for a game-high 27 points.  Over the course of the weekend Chris Mayfield averaged 21 points per game, while big Jason Morton dominated to the paint defensively.  It should be noted that the Pumas won the tournament without their stud Jack Pugh who is expect to return in time for the Pittsburgh Jam Fest, where they face a very competitive field.

Brian Farmer’s #11 ranked All-Ohio Red 2020 collected another championship on Sunday with a 5-0 run and a win at the Tournament of Champions in Cincinnati.  On Sunday, All-Ohio defeated the Knights in the semi-finals and the Kentucky Kings in the championship game.  Standouts included Jared McCorkle, Carter Gray and Luke Erwin.

Coach Justin Ferguson’s 2020 Rebels Basketball team made a nice run to the championship game of the Solon Cage Classic before going down to an unranked but well coached Murphy AC squad 65-63.  The Rebels’ path to the championship included wins over 4^th Quarter Basketball (72-46), Hardwork Basketball Black (78-45), A-Game (65-49), Marshall Warriors (76-54), TNBA East (64-46) and Wooster Warriors (60-55). The standouts included John Hugley who had a monster game with 30 points against 4th Quarter Basketball, Tahj Stavesdkie, Nick Ferguson and Dakota Cochran.

Playing in an Ohio Youth Basketball (OYB) event in Marysville this past weekend, Marty Finta’s #3 ranked All-Ohio Red 2020 team ran through the field on their way to the 7^th grade championship. The standouts for All-Ohio were Idris Lawrence, Gabe Finta, Alex Williams and Brent Walker. According to Coach Finta, Lawrence slashed his way to the cup the entire weekend, while Gabe Finta knocked down bombs from the perimeter.  Alex Williams enjoyed a balanced attack with both drives to the bucket and jump shots, and despite being doubled and tripled teamed in packed in 2-3 zone the entire weekend, Brent Walker was still able to contribute on the boards and defensively.  For the record, All-Ohio defeated Huntsman Select in the semis and Hidden Gems in the championship game by about 15 points.

All-Ohio Northeast-6th Grade Champs Solon Cage Classic

Danny Young’s #7 ranked All-Ohio Northeast squad claimed the 6^th grade title at the Solon Cage Classic near Cleveland on Sunday.  In pool play, All-Ohio took down Hardwork Basketball White (69-19), Caveman (50-40) and Crossover (55-15).  On Sunday, Yong’s team defeated the #5 ranked Ohio Shooting Stars (33-29) in the quarter-finals, followed by Rise Elite (55-15) in the semis and Cavemen (63-42) in the championship game.  In the final game, All-Ohio was led in scoring by Trey Martin with 16 points followed by Danny Young Jr. with 11 points.  For the weekend, Deon Horn took home MVP honors, while Jordan Huff, Young and Martin all collected all-tournament team hardware.

Hardwork Basketball White’s grabbed the 7^th grade championship at the Solon Cage Classic with a 49-34 win over the Ohio Hoopsters-Tillman in the championship game.  Standouts for Hardwork included Sonny Johnson Jr., Tyler Jackson, Makail Cottingham and Enavel Lighty, who averaged a double double on his way to receiving MVP honors.  Of note is the fact that a previously unranked Ohio Hoopsters-Tillman beat #5 ranked All-Ohio Northeast 46-44 in the semi-finals.

Hardwork Basketball-7th Grade Champs Solon Cage Classic

EBA Hoops (2022) finished 4-2 at the Solon Cage Classic with wins over TNBA South (62-12), Basketball Stars of America (52-9), Another Level (43-40) and Top Level All-Stars (44-36).  Their 2 losses were from Hardwork Basketball (38-36) and Caveman Evolution (53-41).  The big story is Jalen Wenger who put up big numbers all weekend, including 33 points against TNBA South, 25 points against Caveman Evolution and another 20 points versus Top Level All-Stars.  Chris Smith was the second leading scorer for EBA. The #13 ranked 2023 Ohio Hoopsters pulled a huge upset on Sunday with a 41-31 victory over the #4 ranked MWA Elite in the Solon Cage Classic.  Congrats to all of the players and coaches for a big weekend!

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