The Last Dance: Teddy's Sunday Notebook

Papi Rivera Scores big Numbers for 15u D1 Indiana.   Before today, Rogelio (Papi) Rivera was putting up strong scoring numbers for D1 Indiana, averaging more than 24 points per contest in the first two days. They opened the morning against a solid Wisconsin Crusaders squad that always gives teams tough battles. It was a slow game to start. But Rivera heated up and drilled four 3-pointers from beyond the arc. An and-one put his total at 15 points by the end of the first half.   The game continued to stay close between the two sides, Crusaders Point Guard Drew Daouse put up some more impressive scoring numbers. He scored 10 straight points for them in the 2nd half. hitting fade-away’s 3-pointers, and scoring on the fast break. He was surely the player on 15u Crusaders who stood out the most.   [player_tooltip player_id=’1297014’ first=’Denhm’ last=’Holt’] for D1 Indiana made two tough finishes at the hoop through traffic, and got to the line for two more points. A euro-step finish in transition gave them a 9 point lead. On the other end, his on-ball defense was on point. Forcing players in difficult situations and keeps good balance. Rivera was also hitting some buckets to prevent any type of comeback. D1 Indiana would hold on for the win. Papi Rivera scored 19 points and [player_tooltip player_id=’1297014’ first=’Denhm’ last=’Holt’] scored 12. Drew Daoust led all scorers with 22 points.       Brown, Williams are Stock Risers for 15u GRIII Elite   There’s two names that really stood out to me in GRIII Elite’s 15u Matchup against Full Package in an exciting game. That’s Kelvion Brown and Brandon Williams. The two guards were all over the floor against Full Package in a really fun game to watch.   [player_tooltip player_id=’1385306’ first=’Colby’ last=’Smith’] began the game with two 3’s and athletic cut to the rim for Full Package. He’s been impressive in every game I’ve covered. 6’5” W [player_tooltip player_id=’1385299’ first=’Ian’ last=’Miletic’] also played for them this morning. He’s got tremendous ball-handling skills as a wing and nice slashing abilities in the early going. But Kelvion Brown had an even better response. He started with a spot-up 3 and a drive to the hoop in transition. He banked home another mid range shot shortly after. But it wasn’t just his scoring. His rebounding, defending, and distribution abilities were on full display. Brown created tons of scoring plays to give GRIII a double-digit advantage. Other moments included a 2nd chance bucket off of a missed FT, and a terrific find to Williams in transition from a steal.   Brown began the 2nd half with even more fight. He put back his own miss, broke past a defender for an easy bucket, and rejected a layup attempt on the defensive front. He was very active on the low block, as GRIII’s tallest player was maybe 6’5". [player_tooltip player_id=’1385306’ first=’Colby’ last=’Smith’] kept FP in it with 6 early 2nd half points, including a powerful drive down the baseline to the hoop. At the same time, Ian Milletic showed solid midrange abilities with two jump shots in the 2nd half. A fast-break steal and score by Smith put him at 20 points to lead all scorers. A 3-pointer from Smith was able to tie the game.   But then Brandon Williams stepped up. Williams hits midrange jumper to help regain the lead. Brown added baseline floater, and made more tough plays to bring them back ahead. Williams has had a terrific game for GRIII. He showed hands defending the perimeter, and found lots of opportunities to score in transition. He scored from all levels in this game, and ended with 17 points. Brandon Williams Scored 18 points,, and [player_tooltip player_id=’1385306’ first=’Colby’ last=’Smith’] scored 23 for Full Package.       16u Breakaway uses Long Range Abilities to Down Basketball Paradise   Paradise was at a disadvantage from the start. With big man [player_tooltip player_id=’1285496’ first=’Jason’ last=’Jakstys’] not in attendance for this one. Breakway took advantage of this, and was off running from the start. Connor May began game with a euro-step in transition. Adds a 3-pointer shortly after. [player_tooltip player_id=’1285524’ first=’Jack’ last=’Stanton’] made an impact on both ends. He’s a lengthy guard who found a couple steals early and quick buckets in transition. Jacob Riemer had strong presence early. Not going against a true big surely made things easier for him. The 6’8” PF takes advantage of his size down low for easy buckets. He scored on an impressive alley-oop jam with 2 mins left on an in-bound in the opening half.   [player_tooltip player_id=’1285497’ first=’Luke’ last=’Kinkade’] tried to bring paradise back with some tough drives and a 3-pointer. He scored 13 points in the first half. Bryce Herrity also hit two 3-pointers in the opening frame. but paradise still trailed Breakaway 40-31 at halftime. Connor May and Jacob Riemer each scored 10.   But the 3’s really started flying for Breakaway in the 2nd half. Connor May was a 3-pt machine with four 3-pointers once play resumed. Stanton then took a charge, and pulled up for a 3-pointer. I counted seven 3-pointers for Breakaway in the opening six minutes of the 2nd half. Stanton hit another 3-pointer shortly after. At the same time, May was finding buckets down low. Giving the green light for his teammates to catch heat. Two tough inside buckets for May midway through the 2nd half. Breakaway would win 76-54.     17u GRIII Elite Play Fast-Pace Game With Wisconsin Crusaders   It was a quick back and forth game from the start. There weren’t a lot of whistles early, and the clock was ticking.   [player_tooltip player_id=’1157213’ first=’Jaedin’ last=’Reyna’], after leaving Illinois in the winter, now plays up on the 17u team for GRIII. He was piling up the assists from. Did an excellent job leading the offense, and knocked down a 3-pointer. [player_tooltip player_id=’814532’ first=’Brandon’ last=’Trilli’] was scoring a ton early too. He always looks for new ways to get the ball in the hoop. He hit a 3 and slammed home a dunk in the opening half. He eventually scored 13 points by halftime.   Lots of players for the Crusaders also stepped up. Levi Birkholz had 2 dunks in transition. Alex Sherwood scored 7 pts and Ethan Heck had 8. At least 6 players scored in the opening frame. The game was tied 34-34 at half. Ball State commit [player_tooltip player_id=’935722’ first=’Mason’ last=’Jones’] made the most of his opportunities with two 3’s in the opening half and a tough layup inside. Displayed a ton of strength for a forward.   2 more cuts to the rim for Birkholz began the 2nd half. But a back jumper by Trilli, and 3 from Jones rough them back and gave them the lead. Reyna made more plays for his teammates. Finding [player_tooltip player_id=’935745’ first=’Luke’ last=’McBride’] open for a 3-pointer.   GRIII was up 5 at this point. Then Alex Sherwood hit a 3. There was more back-and-forth play. Sherwood hit another 3, and dunked it. [player_tooltip player_id=’814532’ first=’Brandon’ last=’Trilli’] converted an and-one, and Jones hit another 3 to put them ahead late. Jones also knocked down a pair of free throws in the last minute to put the game out of reach. GRIII would win.