Grit Region Finals: Teddy’s Sunday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Indiana Ambition beats MAC (OH) in 16U Semifinal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 16U semifinal between MAC and Indiana Ambition was my first game of the day. This was my first time watching Indiana Ambition all summer, and they didn't disappoint. I was very impressed with Ambition's [player_tooltip player_id='1539669' first='Brooks' last='Thomas'] early on. The 6'7” Forward showed a lot of strength inside and was difficult to beat on both ends. He created space down low for a couple easy buckets and even added an assist in the opening minutes. Defensively, he forced lots of missed shots both in the paint and on the interior. As the game went on, he began to take advantage of his large frame more. Powering his way to the hoop and finding success at the pick and roll. Also at 6'7”, Ambition wing [player_tooltip player_id='1766507' first='Mitchel' last='Edwards'] really intrigued me with his size, length, and scoring abilities. An Illinois kid, he hit shots from all three levels and was consistent at the line. He really got hot late in the game and found his sweet spot near the corner. Knocking down a few triples in that spot in the second half. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='2628601' first='Xander' last='Niehaus'] was a beast. Despite being a 6'3” guard, he has a really long wingspan and took advantage of it. He picked up a number of blocks and steals in the game to go along with several poked balls out of bounds. I don't think I watched a single player score over him in this game. Ambition won 76-65 as Mitchell Edwards led the way with 20 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1384422' first='Eli' last='Ellis'] Leads 17U Kyle Guy To 17U Championship</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After watching [player_tooltip player_id='1384422' first='Eli' last='Ellis'] go off last weekend, it was time to see him again in the 17U Semifinal. He had an excellent start against a talented M14 Adidas squad with five quick points and a very flashy assist. But M14 was right there. [player_tooltip player_id='1295542' first='Bryce' last='Welch'] showed some blazing speed in the open floor with a couple tough buckets in transition. He also extended his range and banked in a three midway through the first half. At the same time, [player_tooltip player_id='1285522' first='CJ' last='Savage'] made some really good plays as a floor general. Almost everyone on M14 scored at least five points in the first half. But [player_tooltip player_id='1384422' first='Eli' last='Ellis'] scored 18 points to give Kyle Guy a 5-point lead at halftime. He reached 20 points with a really smooth reverse layup early in the second half. He continued to make plays after that with a step-back jumper and a corner assist. [player_tooltip player_id='1285522' first='CJ' last='Savage'] continued to impress and displayed a really explosive burst to the rim. [player_tooltip player_id='1295542' first='Bryce' last='Welch'] also stepped up and hit two big 3ms midway through the second half. This gave M14 their first lead of the half. [player_tooltip player_id='1295644' first='Treshawn' last='Blissett'] also knocked down a midrange jumper and made some nice plays on both ends. But [player_tooltip player_id='1384422' first='Eli' last='Ellis'] and 6'6” F [player_tooltip player_id='2079504' first='Deon' last='[program_tooltip program_id='2078452' first='[program_tooltip program_id='2076932' first='Richmond' last='']' last='']'] came through late for Kyle Guy to secure the win. In the championship, Ellis scored 27 points to give Kyle Guy Elite the 17U crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] Wins 15U Final</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 15U final featured [program_tooltip program_id='2075383' first='Chicago' last='Demons'] and [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game']. The KGE-M14 game ran late, so I missed the first part of this contest. When I got there, [program_tooltip program_id='2075383' first='Chicago' last='Demons'] held an 18-14 advantage. 6'2” Guard [player_tooltip player_id='2105399' first='Ahmad' last='Lee'] took control early for the Demons and had 10 quick points. [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] was right there behind a handful guys showing strength attacking the rim. They went on a really nice run late in the first half and eventually took a 33-24 lead at halftime. [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game']'s Jarvis Tolbert had another nice showing. He's a very strong athlete who finished some tough buckets driving down the lane. [player_tooltip player_id='1561100' first='Colson' last='Dobre'] also impressed. The 6'5” Forward moved well around the paint to create scoring opportunities and block shots. Demons crawled back in it in the second half as [player_tooltip player_id='2105399' first='Ahmad' last='Lee'] hit a string of inside buckets and converted a pair of free throws. He was able to tie the game with a step-back jumper a short time later. He was a big difference-maker when he was on the floor because every time he was subbed, [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] went on a run. Game eventually held on to win the 15U Championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078376' first='Illinois' last='Attack'] Falls to [program_tooltip program_id='2076224' first='DistinXion' last='']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The last game of the weekend featured a mix of Illinois and Indiana prospects on [program_tooltip program_id='2076224' first='DistinXion' last=''] against [program_tooltip program_id='2078376' first='Illinois' last='Attack']. [player_tooltip player_id='1295497' first='Josh' last='Aniceto'] picked up a string of assists for IL Attack in the opening minutes, giving them an early six point advantage. 6'3” SG [player_tooltip player_id='1295470' first='Colin' last='Gerrity'] hit a pull-up jumper and a contested three too. I really like the confidence he displayed to shoot over players right in his face. Gerrity hit two more contested three's shortly before halftime to reach double figures. But it was Dinstinxtion who held a halftime lead 29-27 behind two triples from Jace Berg. He's a player I really liked in this game. Not only for his shooting abilities, but for his defensive play, too. He showed tons of speed up the floor and stripped a fast break layup in the second half. It was there where I saw [player_tooltip player_id='1295470' first='Colin' last='Gerrity'] give Attack the lead back with a euro-step in transition and a baseline floater. But DistinXtion won 46-44 in the final seconds. Gerrity scored 22 in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->