Prep Hoops Live: Teddy's Saturday Evening Notebook

Here's a look at some of my top takeaways from this evenings action.   Crazy Ending Propels D1 Minnesota 2027 to Buzzer-Beating Win   Quite a few teams are playing up this week, including D1 Minnesota's 2027 Adidas Squad playing up on the 15U circuit. I didn't see much of this contest, but it was a tight one against CyFair Elite from Texas. Down 37-26, CyFair found an open man down low for a lead with about 15 seconds left. Coming up the floor, D1 Minnesota took a quick shot and missed. CyFair grabbed the rebound and tried throwing the ball up the floor. But it was intercepted by PG Owen Counce, who knocked down the buzzer-beating 3-pointer from around the volleyball line. Counce scored 14 points to lead all scorers in the contest.     2026 Wisconsin Crusaders Make it Rain!   Top 2026 teams from the Madison and Appleton areas faced off to begin the evening. Wisconsin Crusaders (Appleton) shot the ball with tons of confidence and knocked down SEVEN straight threes on seven straight possessions midway through the first half. The Crusaders led 36-14 at the break and eight players scored (seven scored twice). There wasn't a player who immediately stood out. Everyone was doing their part and you could tell it was much more about the team than anything else. 6'0 CG Austin Adamzak had 12 points and hit 4 three's in the contest. He was a very confident shooter, and we also got to see some terrific playmaking abilities in the second half.    But Wisconsin Academy would crawl back behind strong play on the interior from Wes Rahn. The 6'5” forward started to find his way and finish some tough baskets on the interior. He had five inside field goals in the second half. While Guards [player_tooltip player_id='1756988' first='Anthony' last='Miller'] and Brady Whalen took advantage of their own chances behind the arc and with the midrange. They cut the lead to 5, but it wouldn't be enough. Crusaders would win 62-55 behind a full-team effort. [player_tooltip player_id='1561871' first='Austin' last='Adamczak'] scored 12 while [player_tooltip player_id='1561943' first='Jaxson' last='Kastern'] added 10.     Team Iowa 15U Elite Owns Team 1848   It was almost the exact same start for Team Iowa 15U as it was for the Crusaders. Everyones getting involved and the team is moving the rock at a high rate. Five players have already scored twice and they're up 23-10 over Team 1848 midway through the first half. 6'4” W Brady Randall was the first player in double figures. He hit two three's and got a fast break bucket to fall to go along with a couple free throws. 6'5” F Tyler Hilton showed tremendous length inside and was a real shot disrupter on the low block. He also found some easy scoring opportunities and he outsized everyone in the post. But his ability to push the ball up the floor and play outside the paint should not to unnoticed. He even hit a three in this game and went coast-to-coast for a reverse layup. It turned it to a blowout with Team Iowa winning by 27. Tyler Hilton scored 11 and Brady Randall added 12. 6'2” CG Cooper Grimm also scored 11 points.     Big Second Half for Chicago Demons 2026   Caught a little bit of action between the Chicago Demons and All-Wisconsin Platinum 15U. Both teams were unbeaten in their pool leading up to the contest. 6'9” F [player_tooltip player_id='1561925' first='Andrew' last='Jensen'] has an outstanding skillset for All-Wisconsin. He doesn't play like a big man, but more like a wing. He shows tons of confidence driving to the hoop and can let it fly from deep with a three early on. He also defended well and sent back a couple shots.    Jensen gave All-Wisconsin an 8-point lead at halftime. But a big run from the Demons allowed them to regain control. 5'9” PG Ashton Flowers created many problems defensively and turned that into a handful of buckets from deep. Markese People also got going with a nice drive to the hoop and three 3's in the second half. But it was [player_tooltip player_id='1552473' first='Alijah' last='Little'] who stole the show. He hit three triples in a row and scored 13 quick points to begin the second half and a few assists in transition too. The defense was undoubtedly the key to a massive second-half. Their full-court press was too much to handle and it created so many buckets on the other end. I don't think I've seen a team score more off turnovers than this Chicago Demons squad on the second half.   6'5” W [player_tooltip player_id='1561939' first='Ethan' last='Joling'] wouldn't go down without a fight and scored 20 2nd half points from inside and with the midrange. But the Demons would still hold on behind outstanding scoring performances from [player_tooltip player_id='1552473' first='Alijah' last='Little'], Ashton Flowers, and Markese Peoples.     Wisconsin Playground UAA Downs Team Tyus in Nightcap   Wisconsin Playground and Team Tyus squared off in the final game of the night. Led by Latrevion Fenderson, Playground started hot. Fenderson displays a high IQ and lots of physicality. At 6'4”, he's capable of playing as a guard or a forward right now and made positive plays attributing to both positions. A put-back slam and chase-down block were some of his early highlights. But once he got off the court, Team Tyus got back in it. Point Guard Marco London knocked down an outside shot and converted and and-one, while also forcing turnovers and dropping dimes in transition. The game was tied in a matter of no-time.     But stellar play from 6'3” SG [player_tooltip player_id='1561908' first='Grant' last='Hardy'] gave Playground a nice lead again. He's got a really strong build for someone his age and created lots of defensive problems. On offense, he hit three triples and had two fast break buckets in an eight-minute span. Latrevion Fenderson also showed range with a three of his own and the lead was back to double digits. They wouldn't look back and won 65-49 Latrevion Fenderson scored 15 points and [player_tooltip player_id='1561908' first='Grant' last='Hardy'] added 18.

Here's a look at some of my top takeaways from this evenings action.