The Last Dance: Teddy’s Saturday Notebook (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Midwest Tar Heels Win At The Buzzer&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15u Team Factory and Midwest Tar Heels was a high tempo game to start with plenty of buckets. There's plenty of size from Nebraska-based Team Factory that I noticed from the start.  6'8” F Guot Guot was the tallest player out there and made a big impact forcing tough shots and winning all the boards in his area. I was also very impressed with Lance Smith. He showed an excellent burst to the rim and crosses over an opponent for an open three early. But it was the speed and pace from Midwest Tar Heels which gave them the early advantage. I was very impressed with the speed and playmaking abilities from [player_tooltip player_id='1561919' first='Shaun' last='Martin'], Jatavion Crawford Brock Hodges, [player_tooltip player_id='1561889' first='Amare' last='Hereford']. All four guards, and several others, brought so much energy to the floor. They displayed terrific guard skills with their ball-handling and playmaking, while also finding buckets consistently at the rim. It remained a close contest in the second half with Team Factory's Samuel Cooper knocking down two three's. He was very consistent throughout the contest, knocking down shots and converting free throws at the line. The game went back and forward for almost the whole 2nd half. Down 1 with four seconds left, Tar Heels G Jamar Jenkins Buries a mid-range buzzer beater to win the game. Tar Heels won 69-68. Jenkins scored 12 and [player_tooltip player_id='1561889' first='Amare' last='Hereford'] scored 19. Lance Smith scored 15 for Team Factory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gateway Blows Out New Mexico D1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game was extremely slow with whistles coming constantly. But 6'6” F Henry Kokal started strong for Gateway. He worked&nbsp; really well off the pick and roll to create space for himself and others to get to the rim. He also displayed excellent body positioning on defense to stop interior buckets. 6'3” G/F Christian Ronken also started strong. He's a physical prospect who uses tons of strength to score inside and create plays. He had a big and-one conversion towards the end of the first half as he spun past a defender for a finish through contact. 6'0” G Jack Anderson also knocked down a pair of three's while showing excellent vision on offense. The knights were rolling past D1 new Mexico in the opening frame and led by 20 before halftime. Almost everyone was getting involved in the second half with Christian Ronken continuing to find the hoop. He found holes in transition while also showing excellent slashing abilities to get to the hoop. He ended with 20 points in a 75-51 blowout. 6'2” G August Wims had a big second half for Gateway and scored 14 points too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Texas's Joe Little Comes to Town</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Joe Little Athletics 2025 came up to Chicago this weekend and were at the top of their pool heading into the matchup I watched. Against MN Heat Leo, they were firing on all cylinders. 6'1” G Otto Leon had a consistent start to this matchup. Scoring nine quick points from all three levels. 5'9” PG Evan Levy also impressed early on. He's smaller, but really intrigues me with his footwork and scoring capabilities. There's also a pair of 2026 bigs on this team playing up a year. Therron Dutton Lewis and Alex Hughes each made their fair share of plays in the contest. Alex Hughes moves his feet nicely in the driving lane to stop inside scores, while Lewis found his groove with a pair of inside scores.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>15U Crusaders Stand Out, But Lose in Sudden Death</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've been a big fan of Wisconsin Crusaders for a while. Valin Ramberg scored the Crusaders first eleven points of the contest. The 6'6” forward hit three threes to start and converted two free throws at the line. He carried that confidence over to the defensive side of the ball with a block and a steal shortly after. He was really feeling it int the opening five minutes. Cal Juckem got in on the action shortly after with a strong drive to the hoop and a three to keep crusaders in front. 6'9” F [player_tooltip player_id='1561872' first='Roan' last='Koeper'] stretched the floor for a three and played stellar on the low block. He's a lengthy prospect who wins the boards in his area and can guard players all over the floor. The Crusaders held a strong 36-18 lead at halftime before All-In went on a big run. Mar Nicholson was finding all the holes inside to get to the hoop. He helped All-In Indy start the half on a 14-2 run and this all of a sudden became a contest. A euro-step down the lane made this a one-point contest with 6 mins to go. But Perrion Palmer kept Crusaders ahead for a short bit. He got up for a transition slam and followed it up with a contested three right after. Nicholson finally tied the game up with a flashy dime and two free throws with under four to play. The teams were exchanging buckets and eventually went into OT. It was there where Perrion Palmer drove for a tough bucket through two defenders. But after a turnover, Roosevet Franklin of All-In put back a shot at the horn to send the game to sudden death. Right off the tip, Caden Claxton of All-In scored on a layup to give All-In their only lead and a win. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->