Battle at the Lakes: Friday/Saturday Game Recaps

FRIDAY NIGHT   7:00: 16U --  Grassroots Sizzle 64 vs Showtime Hoopers Black 26 This Sizzle squad has a very, very strong front-court, and that doesn't even include top-10 nationally ranked guard Jalen Suggs. This team obliterated the Iowa squad in Burnsville on opening night (it was 42-8 at halftime), and could make a deep run in this loaded 17U field. Chet Holmgren swatted an abundance of shots in this one, the 6'11 freshman did so while playing up a grade. Dain Dainja, who's blowing up with high-major offers of late, led Sizzle with 10 points. Marcus McCray led the Iowa squad with eight points.   8:05: 16U -- Kingdom Hoops Elite 58 vs Wyoming Power 43 This Wyoming team traveled 12 hours from Casper to be here, and they weren't messing around at all... in the first half. The second half, though, was all Kingdom Hoops. Cooper Nally, from Bedford, was all over the floor, on both ends of the court. He's got a high motor, nice length and active hands. Nebraska product Jared Mattley is the best player on this Kingdom Hoops squad, he's proved it time and again. The 6' South Papillion product finished with a game-high 19 points in the blowout win.   9:10: 16U -- Northern Exposure 71 vs Full Package 65 There weren't any Iowa teams playing in the 9:10 slot, so I picked a random game, and got really lucky. This was a doozy, with tons of solid players, and some competitive, healthy chippy-ness to boot. Northern Exposure's Reece Hazelton was the best player on the floor, the 6'6 wing from Michigan scored a game-high 26 points. And was getting it done when his team needed it most. Like when the Illinois squad closed a 14-point deficit to tie the game late. Brian Dowdell was fantastic for Full Package, he scored 23 points in the loss.   SATURDAY MORNING   8:30: 15U -- Beyond Ball 24k 45 vs Minnesota Heat-Johnson 39 A haphazard start to the game for Beyond Ball was able to remedied by gritty play and high motors abound. It took a little while, but the guys from Iowa settled in, and eventually would build a double-digit lead against the Minnesota squad. Mailk Allen is the clear catalyst for this team, he led with 15 points. Manny Austin, another Des Moines standout, was unable to make the trip to Minnesota this weekend.     9:35: 16U -- Wisconsin Playground Warriors 70 vs Old Gold 45 Iowa's second-ranked 2020, Even Brauns, is on this Playground Warriors team. Formerly an Iowa Barnstormers product, Brauns is now mixing it up with another dominant Midwest program. These guys are really, really good, especially Rochester Mayo 6'6 wing Gabriel Madsen, he scored 16 points in the blowout win. Brauns was good, he came off the bench and threw down a big slam within seconds, he came away with a slew of offensive rebounds as well. Towards the end of the game, LaCrosse Central wing Jonathan Davis threw down the nastiest dunk I've seen yet this spring. Sniper Treyton Zastrow canned five 3s and led all scorers with 17. This Playground Warriors team is poised for a very deep run in the loaded 16U field.   10:40: 15U -- Team Factory 54 vs Iowa Barnstormers 45 It was a tough draw for the Iowa Barnstormers' top 15U unit, another adidas program was waiting for them, and this Omaha team plays tough. The 'Stormers had chances to win this one, but too many missed 3s coupled with too many turnovers ultimately was their doom. Omaha Burke guard Jaren Marshall was sensational for Team Factory, he rained in five 3s and scored a game-high 18 points. Marcus Morgan saw his stock rise considerably, he'll certainly be a top-10 guy when Iowa's 2021 prospect rankings are released. He scored a team-high 11 for the 'Stormers.   11:45: 16U -- Iowa Barnstormers 80 vs Team RWA 65 This 'Stormers team is without Even Brauns this offseason, but they've picked up some considerable talent with Omaha's Donovan Williams, and CIML guys Will Berg (Valley) and Micah Johnson (Centennial). Bowen Born has always been dominant, and was certainly that in this one. He scored 11 points in the first 4 minutes to set the tone, and finished with a team-high 19 points. This RWA squad is nice, though, they just ran into a buzz-saw 'Stormers unit. Bolingbrook's 6-foot guard Darius Burford was scoring at will and netted a game-high 23 points. Kaleb Williams-Fenelus is a nice inside/outside threat for the Illinois squad, he scored 15 in the loss.   SATURDAY AFTERNOON   1:55: 15U -- All Iowa Attack Red 82 vs Full Package-Montay 36 First, it was 19-4, then 28-7, then 42-9, this game went into halftime with Attack leading 59-17. It was a complete and utter evisceration by the Iowa squad, which now advances to the Sweet 16. Zach Rizzuti had a bit of a coming out party in this one. The Panorama guard notched 15 points, and was scoring in a variety of ways. He was getting it done defensively, too. Angelo Winkel scored a game-high 18 points. His last two points were from an alley-oop off the backboard from Ankeny's Jaron Crews. That play pretty much summed up the game.   4:05: 15U -- Kingdom Hoops Elite 74 vs ECI Select 62 This game was really tight at the break, with Kingdom Hoops trailing the sharpshooters from North Dakota 31-30. But then the guys from Iowa came out with vigor in the second half. It was ADM point guard Nathaniel Mueller was shot from a cannon; he was slicing and dicing and diming on nearly every possession. He was flat-out electric. Johnston wing Reid Grant was outstanding, scoring 26 points, all from within the 3-point line. Waukee forward Payton Sandfort is going to be hard to handle for CIML opponents the next three seasons, he can shoot it, and bang down low. This is a good Kingdom Hoops squad, they'll play in the Sweet 16 after this win. Ian Ely led the way for the North Dakota squad, he canned his first six 3s he tried, and finished with a team-high 18 in the L.   SATURDAY NIGHT   Sweet 16, 8:25: 15U -- All Iowa Attack 51 vs Iowa Barnstormers 49 (Overtime) Connor Drew beat the second half buzzer and All Iowa Attack's mission if erasing a 15-point second half deficit had been accomplished. The last second shot in the lane tied the game, and Attack went into overtime with a head full of steam and all the momentum. The Iowa Barnstormers -- which at one point led this one 16-4, and again 41-26 -- could not get much going in the extra frame. It was Drew who stepped up big again for Attack, scoring the first three points in overtime, which it turns out, was enough to hold the 'Stormers at bay. Attack was led by Karson Sharar and Angelo Winkel, each of which tallied 11 points. Drews added 10. The Barnstormers were led by Cam Davis' 14. All Iowa Attack will play tomorrow morning in the Platinum Bracket 15U quarterfinals.