Go Hard in the Paint Claims Title

Go Hard In the paint-Nike Summer Championship Champions

Despite being down early and trailing for most of the first half, Coach Tony Rogers’ 2021 Go Hard In the Paint (GHITP) squad fought back to defeat All-Ohio Purple in the championship game of the Nike Summer Championships in Columbus on Sunday.  The Kentucky-based GHITP was sparked by the heroic efforts of Jaden Rogers (5’8/PG/2021/Louisville, KY), who exploded for a game-high 29 points to lead his team to a 72-69 win over the #1 ranked All-Ohio Purple.  GHITP was down as many as 8 points early in the opening period, but took their first lead (22-21) with 3:10 left in the first half. GHITP would later take a 1 point lead (32-31) into the break.   All-Ohio would score first to start the half and retake the lead, but the lead would change hands for most of the second half.  Every time All-Ohio mounted a charge, Rogers answered with a score.  Possibly the most impressive performance of the tournament, Rogers was virtually unstoppable as he scored at all three levels and made it look easy.  Highly skilled and clutch best describes Rogers’ game on Sunday.  He hit triples, pulled up in the lane and drove to the basket at will.  Also playing well for GHITP was Sam Conley (6’1/WF/2021/Shelbyville, KY), who finished with 13 points.  For All-Ohio, Montev Ware (5’10/SG/2021/Cincinnati) was impressive, finishing with a team-high 22 points, followed by Rob Thompson (5’11/SG/2021/Cincinnati) who added 17 points.  We also saw some good things out of Jadaka Stone (5’7/SG/2021/Cincinnati).

Wilson, Rogers, Nichols, Henderson & Crawford

It’s important to note that Seth Wilson (6’1/P/SG/2021/West Lake), the state’s #1 ranked player, was running with All-Ohio Purple for the weekend.  Unfortunately for Purple, Wilson sustained a hairline fracture to his right thumb during the semi-final game against All-Ohio Red.  In that game, despite playing with the thumb injury, Wilson also proved unstoppable as he went off on Red to the tune of a game-high 26 points.  Wilson hit contested threes, hit stop and pop pull-ups in the lane, and used his strong frame to finish at the rim.  Just when you thought Wilson’s game was all about using his size and strength to bully his way to the cup, he displayed an elite skill set and the ability to score at all three levels.  For those people who expected Wilson’s development to stall, forget about it, he’s still developing and he still sits atop the rankings!  In that semi-final game, it’s also important to mention the play of Keon Henderson (5’6/PG/2021/Detroit, MI).  Despite Red’s eventual 67-43 loss to Purple, Henderson was the lone bright spot as he finished with a team-high 17 points, most of which were on drives to the cup.  Although he can create space for his jumper, Henderson’s game is about beating his defender off the dribble and getting to the basket.  Montev Ware was great in that game as was Adrian Layson 6’0/WFD/2021/Cincinnati) who finished with 11 points.

Ohio Clutch-Nike Summer Championship-4th Grade Champions

Congratulations to Coach Steven Hightower and his 2024 Ohio Clutch team for capturing the 4^th grade title with a 59-45 victory over All-Ohio Blue.  The 2 teams were neck and neck for most of the game, but the Jonah Nichols-led Clutch was simply too big and too talented in the end. Nichols (5’7/C/2023/Akron) was a monster in the paint and All-Ohio simply had no answer for him. Nichols finished with an impressive 21 points in the win. For the record, Nichols is an “age eligible” 5^th grader. Behind Nichols in scoring was Jonathan Powell (5’1/SG/2024/Akron), who finished with 13 points.  Juan Crawford Jr. (5’2/WF/2024/Dayton) was the leading scorer for All-Ohio with a team-high 16 points.  Although he’s a big, Crawford sets on the perimeter waiting for catch and shoot 3-ball opportunities.  Both teams are loaded with talent and will crack our top 10 team rankings when we publish them for next season.

In some of the other finals results, the Ohio Bulldogs defeated TNBA South 56-35 to claim the 8^th grade title, while King James took down Tri-County Canada 56-27 to grab the 9^th grade crown, All-Ohio Red got by TNBA West Flash 54-31 in the 10^th grade division and All-Ohio Red bested Hidden Gems Black to take the 11^th grade gold.  Congratulations to all of the tournament winners as many teams wrap up their 2016 season.