Kreul Classic: (Day Two Standouts) – Part One

I took in four games on day two of the 30th annual Kreul Classic, which brings in 40 of the top boys' basketball teams from nine states across the nation to Coral Springs, FL. The first half of games I viewed featured Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, FL) vs. Our Lady Of Good Counsel (Olney, MD) and Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, FL ) vs. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, FL).

Here are the scores and observations from each:

Pine Crest 47

Good Counsel 52

The Our Lady of Good Counsel Falcons defeated the Pine Crest Panthers 52-47 in round one of the AF Best Securities bracket of the Kreul Classic. Trailing by two at the end of three, the Falcons, ranked ninth by MaxPreps in the state of Maryland, used a 19-point quarter to edge out the Panthers for the victory. Our Lady of Good Counsel overcame a second and third quarter where they scored just 15 points total. Down by two with less than a minute to go, Panthers 2022 guard Auser Thompson's 3-pointer from the top of the arc clanked off the back rim to virtually end it for Pine Crest. The Falcons were led 2021 guard/forward Day's Juan Walters, who was the only player in double figures for Our Lady Of Good Counsel.

Top Performers:

Auser Thompson - Pine Crest: The 2022 guard finished with a game-high 18 points, including the teams lone 3-pointer. Thompson is an athletic kid, with good size at six-foot-five for the guard position. The Panthers scored just two points in the second quarter and I thought Thompson's leadership was a big reason why they righted the ship in the second half.

Amen Thompson - Pine Crest: The 2022 guard is the twin brother of Auser and had an equally impressive night. Thompson scored 15 points, nine of which came in the second half. The Thompson twins are both athletic players with an extra level at the rim. Look for both of them to be on highlight reels in the near future. 

Day's Juan Walters - Our Lady Of Good Counsel: Walters played big in the second half of this one, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the final two quarters. The six-foot-five 2021 guard/forward also pulled down five rebounds for the Falcons. With both teams struggling to score early on, I thought Walters was key to the Falcons edging out the Panthers for the five-point victory.

Westminster Academy 50

Calvary Christian (Clearwater) 49

This is a game that saw Calvary Christian jump out to a strong start, leading the Lions 16-11 at the end of one quarter. In a fun story line, six-foot-eight 2020 forward Josh Berenbaum for the Warriors was matched-up with six-foot-eight 2022 forward Ben Middlebrooks for the Lions. Berenbaum is committed to the North Florida Ospreys while Middlebrooks has a handful of high division one offers. Overall, I thought Berenbaum got the better of Middlebrooks in this one, who still finished with a double-double of ten points and 12 rebounds. The Lions played better in the second quarter and were led by Kaleb Walters. Westminster Academy took a 28-22 lead at the break, outscoring the Warriors 17-6 in the second eight minutes. The second half slightly favored Calvary Christian, who got a strong offensive performance from upcoming guard Tristan Gross (2023). The Warriors had a chance to win it with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter, but failed to get a shot off in time to fall to the Lions by one point.

Top Performers:

Tristan Gross - Calvary Christian: The six-foot-one guard was awfully impressive against the Lions, scoring a team high 18 points. Gross is a lights out shooter, connecting on four 3-pointers on the night. For his final bucket, the freshman drove into the lane for a pretty floater that fell off the back rim into the basket. Gross is a player to watch moving forward in the state of Florida.

Josh Berenbaum - Calvary Christian: If not for the buzzer, Berenbaum would have hit the shot of the night as his left corner shot swished into the net for the Warriors. Despite that, Berenbaum had an impressive night with 13 points and nine rebounds. At six-foot-eight, the Osprey commit has good size and was able to knock down three 3-pointers. In addition, I thought Berenbaum played good defense on Middlebrooks, moving his feat well as the Lions forward tried to drive into the lane. Furthermore, Berenbaum was able to use his 215-pound frame well against Middlebrooks who still is growing into his body as a sophomore.

Kaleb Walters - Westminster Academy: The second best performance of the night that I saw came from the 2022 shooting guard, who finished with a game high 23 points, 18 of which came in the first half. Walters hit three 3-pointers and possesses a great leap off his jump shot. The sophomore positioned himself baseline on multiple possessions for buckets down low and also had a tip-in off a miss. If you look at his mid-range shot closely, Walters just has an extra step on his ladder which makes him difficult to defend. I expect Walters to pick up steam with offers in 2020 and beyond.

For any South Florida hoops news or information, please contact Michael Costeines on Instagram @Steins_23 or follow him on twitter @Mungertown_Mike23