2021 SMAC Akron Elite-8th Grade Champions |
In one of the
best games of the day, SMAC Akron Elite (2021) outlasted Extreme Heat Neon to win the
8th grade division (72-71) of the Buckeye Prep Summer Showcase at Otterbein University yesterday. The
game was highly contested and the lead changed hands several times. Just when it appeared that Extreme Heat was
headed toward a victory, a last minute surge by SMAC proved to be the
difference. Both teams scored the ball
at will, but the Heat, who need over time to get by MKU Athletics in the
semi-finals, seemed to run out of steam late in the second half.
SMAC Akron Elite’s
success is not about 1 or 2 high flying or star players, but rather a team of highly skilled players who play together, move the basketball well and are blessed with
good coaching. They play hard, defend
well and can really shoot the ball. The
leading scores for SMAC were: Marcus
Steele (11 points), Jacob Jariga
(10 points), and Brock Henne (10
points). SMAC finished 4-1 on the
weekend with a 63-33 win over Probound Elite and a 54-48 loss to MKU Athletics
in pool play. In bracket play, SMAC
defeated Buckeye Storm (69-19), #4 ranked All-Ohio Phenom (62-70) and Extreme
Heat Neon in the championship game.
MVP & All- Tournament Team |
Extreme
Heat Neon finished 4-1 on the weekend with wins over All-Oho Black (65-46) and Buckeye Storm (55-52) in pool play, and Probound Elite (66-54) and MKU Athletics
(56-52) in bracket play before going down to SMAC in the championship game. In
the championship game, the Heat was led in scoring by TJ Pugh who dropped a game-high 24 points and Garrett Chapin who added another 15 points. We could not have been more impressed with
the play of Pugh! We’ve seen him excel
at our Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase, but some of the things he did this past
weekend raised his stock in our eyes. He’s
big, skilled and athletic and deserves to move up in or individual rankings. Congratulations to both teams for a great
championship game!
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