Grind Region Finals: Missouri Team Recaps (Saturday)

Day 2 of the Grind Region Finals was an exciting one full of terrific games, dominant performances, and a few developing Cinderella stories.  Here's a look at how some of the teams representing the state of Missouri fared and what prospects made their presence felt:

Missouri Flight Blue 17u sees their run to "Championship Sunday" come to an end:

In their round of 32 game today, Missouri Flight Blue looked to be clicking on all cylinders as they rolled to a 72-33 victory of Houston Live.  After quickly jumping out to a 31-3 lead, MO Flight was able to conserve some energy and get everyone involved in the convincing victory.  Hard-nosed combo guard Dontae Taylor led the way for the backcourt with 11 points.  High scoring wing Daniel Abreu and constantly improving sharpshooter Karter Lowry also pitched in double figures with 10 a piece.  The frontcourt duo of Simmerman and Touvenot both played exceptionally well with each big man stepping out beyond the arc and showing off some range.

Later in the afternoon, Missouri Flight squared off against 40th seeded KC Pacers Blue in a battle for a spot in the Elite 8.  In an exciting, tight game it was KC Pacers Blue that snuck away with a 55-52 upset victory to propel themselves into Championship Sunday.  They were "paced" by 6'7 forward Paul Otieno who had a monster game across the board.  He finished with 23 points that included dunks, soft touch with his jump hooks, put backs on the offensive glass, and a corner 3.  He proved to be a tough assignment from tip to final horn.  He was assisted in the win by the knock-down shooting of Connor Robertson, who buried four triples, and the shifty, slippery play of lead guard Cougar Downing.

Missouri Flight had valiant efforts from Daniel Abreu who made clutch shot after clutch shot finishing with a team high 16 points.  He has really improved his confidence from behind the arc this summer and continues to be nearly an automatic bucket from mid-range and in.  Maurice Grayer showed off his jumper as well, cashing in a trifecta of triples and pitching in 13 of his own.  Dontae Taylor added 10, which included a connection from distance, but was largely in part to his tenacious defense and relentless effort on the glass leading to lay-ups.

The slipper almost fit for Missouri Flight 16u:

After an opening round win yesterday, Missouri Flight Blue's 16u squad followed up with a mini-upset win (18 over 15) knocking off 1Ten Basketball in a tight game that came down to a defensive stop on the final possession that sealed the 48-46 victory.  MO Flight followed that up with a date against the 2nd seeded BTR, but unfortunately they came up just short of the upset win and fell 68-66.  MO Flight battled throughout and held a comfortable lead midway through the second half, but were not able to hold on in the end.

There were a number of players who caught our eye against BTR.  Isaiah Smith and TJ Sorgentfrei make up a quality back-court.  Both are solid ballhandlers who can create off the bounce and stretch the floor with their range.  Speaking of range, Kyle Renkowski has a smooth stroke from beyond the arc as well.  Add in the scrappy play inside of undersized forward Taylor Harrison and the recipe was nearly there for a berth in the Elite 8.

The St. Louis Blazers are tested, but notch a pair of victories and roll into Championship Sunday:

The 5th seeded St. Louis Blazers opened up play this morning against #32 Tennessee Edge, and they'll be the first to admit that they did not bring their "A" game.  It very nearly cost them against a tough, scrappy group from Tennessee that had upset on their mind.  Both teams played at a frenetic pace, and early on it looked like the Blazers were going to impose their will and win going away.  Emphatic slams from Demarcus Sanford Jr and Aaron Hendricks had momentum on the Blazers side, and they held a 45-35 lead at halftime, but Tennessee Edge came out on fire and on a mission in the second half.  They stunned the Blazers and wound up leading by us much as 8 midway through the second half.  Tremendous defensive intensity and aggressive attacks to the basket by the trio of Marcus Pepper, Nyjahl Vaughn, and Sanford helped the Blazers battle back and force overtime.  In the extra period, it was a huge "and-1" finish by big man Aaron Hendricks that sealed a closer than expected 84-81 win.  Survive and advance right?

In their second game of the afternoon, the Blazers faced another low seed in #53 North Florida Hurricanes who played much better than their seed suggested.  Things were back and forth for most of the first half, but eventually the Blazers pressure defense created chaos and they ran away for a comfortable win to advance to tomorrow's Elite 8.  Nyjahl Vaughn led the way with 17 points.  He was relentless attacking the basket and can finish with power or finesse.  Aaron Hendricks was a force in the paint, finishing with 11, and Rico Singleton knocked down several three pointers in route to a convincing 73-40 win.

All Missouri Attack falls to 7th seeded SSA Hoops Elite:

After an upset win yesterday, All Missouri Attack was looking for more of the same against a high-quality SSA Hoops squad.  In a game that featured a dizzying, up-tempo pace, All Missouri Attack battled but wound up falling 76-53 to end their run in 16U Championship Bracket play.  

SSA Hoops is an impressive group led by sniper Jack Hutchinson.  He has one of the purest strokes in the gym and when the three isn't there he can put the ball on the floor and finish with craft in the lane.  He had 18 in the game.  Charles Snyder was a load inside for SSA that All Missouri Attack simply did not have an answer for.  He has nice touch off the glass, establishes position efficiently nearly every possession, and can put the ball on the floor and attack from the perimeter.

Eli Cook scored 11 points for All Missouri Attack.  He cashed in on hustle points running the floor in transition and did a nice job on the offensive glass and finishing dump-offs around the bucket.  Ryce Piper was also assertive on the offensive end, slashing to the basket and chipping in 9 points.