Hard Work Region Finals: Saturday Game Recaps
Hoisting trophies and celebrating tournament championships gets saved for Sunday. But, if teams want to get to Sunday with their championship hopes still in-tact, they need to make it past Saturday. With over 12 hours of nonstop action, the platinum bracket became more exclusive, while the loser’s bracket gained more teams. The matchups tipped off in the early morning and ended late at night. Some prospects were able to help weave their team through the obstacles, others faltered and will come up empty-handed. See which teams were able to advance during day two’s action:
MN Comets take down H.I.T
In the first game of the day, the Minnesota Comets came back from a significant deficit to beat H.I.T. In the opening minutes of the game, it looked as if the Comets would be unable to slow down H.I.T’s big men. Brian Mathews and Luke Braman were dominating early. The duo was pulling down rebounds, influencing shots on defense, and getting layups on offense. Mathews and Braman were effective in the first period, but the MN Comets were able to hinder their effectiveness in the second half. During the second half, the MN Comets finally found their offensive rhythm. Gustav Gunderson and Ben Arseneau both had strong second-half performances. Gunderson was a steady hand for the Comets on offense, while Arseneau made multiple key shots in the final minutes.
Playground blows out IL T Wolves
Without David Joplin, Wisconsin Playground Club was a team loaded with 2021 talent. With Joplin, PGC has claimed three of the top five players in Wisconsin’s junior class. In their first game of the Hard Work Region Finals, Wisconsin Playground Club beat the Illinois T Wolves without any troubles. Cade Meyer led PGC to the 76-55 victory, pacing his team with 19 points. Meyer has a unique combination of strength and leaping ability. The 6″7′ power forward can out-muscle defenders in the paint, or just dunk on them. David Joplin put up 13 in his PGC debut, Brayden Dailey tallied 12, and Cameron Palesse had ten. In addition to Playground’s top prospects playing great, their role players stepped up. Hayden Doyle, Victor Desmond, and Samuel Kick were all instrumental in the win.
One of the bright spots for the T Wolves was Jaiden Lee. Playing with an intensity that hasn’t been seen from him, Lee scored 23 points, which led all scorers.
WI United falls to West Central United Select
WI United’s 16U team had a great showing at the Prep Hoops Summer Challenge. Unfortunately, on Saturday they were a little less impressive. United fell to West Central United Select, 55-43 in a 16U round of 32 matchup. Despite the loss, point guard Brandon Leach played well. Leach was extremely assertive on offense. The 6’0″ guard was effective driving and shooting the ball. Leach tallied 12 points in the loss. Corbin Froelich and Chance Fazio did a lot of the heavy lifting for West Central United Select. The duo combined for 30 points.
Wisconsin RAP survives scare from ET 21 Buckeyes
After leading comfortably for most of the game, Wisconsin RAP almost had the rug pulled out from under them. ET 21 Buckeyes were persistent in their effort to win. Regardless of the score, the team in black was playing with the intention of walking away with the victory. Thanks to Shilo Bowles, RAP was able to fend off the Buckeyes and advance to the next round. Throughout the entire game, Bowles was tremendous. He was too big and strong for any defender to stop down low, pulling down board after board. Bowles made most of his profits while dwelling on the paint, but he also stepped out and made a couple of open threes. Gerald Gittens Jr. was another Wisconsin RAP player that showed promise in the win. Gittens got to the rim and finished a lot, even if his defender was glued on him. Heading into Sunday, RAP is one of the favorites to be crowned 17U Hard Work Region champs.
SD Attack Sneaks Past Crusaders
Matthew Mors and Kobe Busch were not present, but SD Attack was able to get past the Wisconsin Crusaders, 60-55. Akoi Akoi filled the shoes of Mors and Busch in the win. The 6’5” forward scored 23 points in front of multiple D2 programs. Akoi showcased his versatility, getting the job done inside and out. While Akoi was busy getting work done all over, Alex Van Kalsbeek colonized the paint. Van Kalsbeek scored 16 points in the Attack win.
Ryan Claflin scored 15 points in the loss for the Crusaders. During the 2019 AAU season, the Southern Door forward has started to get some serious college interest, picking up interest from Northern Iowa and UW-Green Bay. In his final AAU game, Kaukauna’s Keaton Ferris scored nine points, including one made three. Most of Ferris’ three-point attempts were off target, but he still distributed the ball well for his team.
Michigan Trazition runs past ABC Young Lions
The matchup of the two lowest seeds in the 17U age group actually featured some top-notch talent. Sterling Scott was very aggressive on offense, attacking and finishing early and often in the game. Scott dropped 18 total points, 14 of which came in the first half.
Although his team lost, Amari George showed his upside. George is a long 6’7’ forward who started the game off playing really good. He swatted two shots and pulled down a bunch of rebounds. He is not a prospect who will put up crazy scoring numbers, but he was extremely valuable for ABC this summer.
Wilson, Augillard, and Rollins lead Y&R to victory
When the game ends with an Amar Augillard windmill dunk, chances are the opposing team didn’t win the game. Y&R Brim has a great chance to bring home the 16U Hard Work Region championship. In Y&R’s win over Team M.O.R.E, Kimahri Wilson, Amar Augillard, Darrell Reed combined for 38 points. Team M.O.R.E was able to make Y&R Brim compete in this matchup, but they could not finish the deal. Y&R moved on with the 74-64 win. Wilson’s slick passing skills and the strength of Augillard and Reed overwhelmed TM.