Fury Shootout Recap: 17U Division
The Fury Shootout took over the southeast Metro last weekend and with many of the top local AAU teams in attendance; it didn’t take long to find a compelling matchup or uber-talented players.
Here’s how championship Sunday went at the 17U level:
The Minnesota Eagles, Rip City, Southeast Minnesota Lightning, MN Ice, Magic Elite and Comets Servaty all picked up wins Saturday night to advance into the final eight of the championship bracket.
Fury Wilde matched up with SE MN Lightning in the first game Sunday and while the Lightning hung tough early, without a couple of their top players, Fury’s athleticism wore them out to the tune of a 68-43 win. Aidan Doherty and Charlie Jacob set the tone in the second half particularly on defense allowing Fury to cruise to a win.
The Eagles were perhaps even more impressive, dismantling Magic Elite 76-42. The defensive effort was outstanding throughout the game and while the Magic had a massive height advantage inside, the Eagles never allowed the guards or bigs to get comfortable.
Comets Servaty and Fury Antl met up in a quarterfinal game that felt more like a championship game and in a back-and-forth affair that saw Comets jump out to a big lead and Fury respond with a big comeback, it was Comets getting just enough from big man Justin Balcome and guard Gavin Bates in a 76-73 overtime contest. Rosemount’s Luke Siwek had an excellent second half for Fury helping them overcome a double-digit deficit and it looked like the Comets would wear out from playing four games the previous day, but the size of guys like Balcome, Rogers forward Jordan Belka and Grand Rapids center Blake Smith allowed the Comets to advance.
MN Ice beat Rip City 71-70 in an ultra-competitive game as well. Jeremiah Coddon was one of the top players in the tournament as a whole and he made his mark on the game, controlling the offense and either scoring or getting teammates shots throughout the game.
Comets Servaty met up with MN Ice in one semifinal game and in a battle of size versus speed, size won emphatically as the Comets wore out Ice inside 70-50. Princeton big man Logan Miller joined the big man party and was a force early on. Tyler Kettelson provided great energy inside as well and Bates continued to score with great efficiency. Park Christian guard Steele Senske played arguably his best game of the tournament in the semifinal as well, knocking down multiple 3-pointers and facilitating at a high level. Jake West was a bright spot for Ice, slashing and scoring on numerous occasions, using his speed and strength to finish through contact and over length.
Fury Wilde and MN Eagles met up in the other semifinal game which was more akin to a championship game. MN Eagles jumped out to an early double-digit lead, using stifling defense and machine-like efficiency offensively to frustrate the Fury. But as the game went on, Fury started gaining some momentum. Woodbury guard Michael Jones and Apple Valley wing Nathan Macho went toe-to-toe with both guys making big plays down the stretch and in double overtime, it was Fury that prevailed 77-73.
The championship game was over in a hurry as Fury jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first handful of minutes and never looked back. They led by 23 at half and cruised to a 71-40 championship win.
Doherty was a force again, using his quickness to beat Comets players to spots where he could score. Jordan combo-forward Eric Tiedman was excellent all tournament and was fantastic in the championship game as well. Anoka big man Jake Phipps controlled the paint extremely well and never let the Comets establish the inside presence that had allowed them to dominate other opponents. Nate Seeleye was a bright spot for Comets in the championship game as he flashed a strong drive game and good decision-making ability as a playmaker which complements his good outside jump shot.
Fury Wilde improves to 23-5 and left little doubt that they are a legitimate top-four team in the state at the 17U level. Their depth was on full display throughout the weekend as they got timely contributions from just about everybody.