Chick-fil-A Classic National Bracket Saturday Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 Chick-fil-A Classic was held at River Bluff High School this week. On Saturday, a new champion was crowned in the National Backet: Dynamic Prep (TX). <strong>Take a look at a recap the Championship Game, other Consoloation Games, and various tournament awards:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Scores:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rock School (FL) 57, Hillcrest Prep (AZ) 54</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Combine Academy (NC) 66, Gray Collegiate (SC) 59</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DME Academy (FL) 57, Dream City Christian (AZ) 53</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dynamic Prep (TX) 76, Prolific Prep (CA) 70</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Standings:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Dynamic Prep (TX) (3-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Prolific Prep (CA) (2-1)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. DME Academy (FL) (2-1)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. Dream City Christian (AZ) (1-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. Combine Academy (NC) (2-1)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. Gray Collegiate (SC) (1-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. The Rock School (FL) (1-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. Hillcrest Prep (AZ) (0-3)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>All-Tournament Team:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1620354' first='Clarence' last='Fondeur-Massamba'] (The Rock School)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1223822' first='Jermaine' last='O'Neal Jr'] (Dynamic Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AJ Dybansta </strong>(Prolific Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1702934' first='Tyran' last='Stokes']</strong> (Prolific Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1131546' first='Rakease' last='Passmore'] (Combine Academy)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Most Valuable Player:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1980386' first='Leon' last='Horner III'] (Dynamic Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Most Outstanding Player:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595670' first='Ikenna' last='Alozie']</strong> (Dream City Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Asemota Missed Buzzer Beater Seals Win for The Rock School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2310638,"width":"424px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-31-23-at-7.45-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-31-23-at-7.45-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2310638" style="width:424px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday at the 2023 Chick-fil-A Classic began with the National Bracket's 7th Place Game. It was an early 9:10 AM tip and both teams started off to a slow start with some sloppy turnovers on the offensive end. [player_tooltip player_id='1450204' first='Evan' last='Sterck'] (pictured), however, was not plagued by the early turnover bug. He had just 1 the entire game and hit 2 first-quarter 3s, including one from deep at the buzzer to put The Rock School up 15-8. For Hillcrest Prep, [player_tooltip player_id='1050391' first='Tarik' last='Watson'] had a very strong start to the game and put lots of pressure on the Lions' defense. In the second half, [player_tooltip player_id='1620354' first='Clarence' last='Fondeur-Massamba'] began to make some tough shots to find his feet in the contest. But every time The Rock School tried to mount a run and extend their lead, Baylor Signee <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1284846' first='Jason' last='Asemota']</strong> would answer with big shots of his own. And that's who the Bruins went to with the ball down 3 with 3.3 seconds left, but he couldn't hit the difficult shot to send the game into overtime. Massamba led all scorers with 27 points on 11-13 FG followed by Sterck with 14 and 3 assists. Asemota led Hillcrest Prep with 21 points and Watson added 18 with 8 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Combine Academy Tops Gray Collegiate Academy in Carolina Affair</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2310639,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-31-23-at-7.44-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-31-23-at-7.44-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2310639" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Second National Bracket Matchup of the day featured a home state team in Gray Collegiate Academy and a team from its neighbor to the north in Combine Academy. The Goats had the superior opening to the game and led by double-digits for the majority of the first half. Gray Collegiate wasn't necessarily outsized by Combine, but their big man struggled to consistently stop <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1280980' first='Rivers' last='Knight']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1907802' first='Elhadji' last='Diallo']</strong>. The two played a lot of minutes together and were exceptional on the offensive glass during those minutes. [player_tooltip player_id='996190' first='Justin' last='Pauling'] played a massive role in keeping the Eagles close. He was the spark they needed on both ends and made a significant amount of "hustle plays". One of those plays came with 2:00 left when he got a steal and turned it into a layup to give Gray Collegiate their first lead of the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259838' first='Paul' last='Jones']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131546' first='Rakease' last='Passmore']</strong> (pictured) each made big shots down the stretch for the Goats to rebuild their lead including a Passmore 3 to go up 64-54 with less than a minute left in the game. Thomas led all scorers with 19, while Passmore and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1343876' first='Jayan' last='Walker'] </strong>each had 17 for Combine Academy in the win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DME Academy Close Victory Earns 3rd Place</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2310640,"width":"423px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-31-23-at-7.43-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-31-23-at-7.43-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2310640" style="width:423px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the National Bracket 3rd Place Game there were some very impressive big men. Arizona Signee <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1634735' first='Emmanuel' last='Stephen'] </strong>and Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1879501' first='Moustapha' last='Thiam'] (pictured) each were very active from the jump. Stephen is your more traditional big man with a strong frame and a go-to hook shot while Thiam is a more hybrid big with good ball skills and an efficient jump shot. The absence of Dream City Christian's other Arizona Signee, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119247' first='Jamari' last='Phillips']</strong>, was clear to see. Although National Bracket MVP Ikenna Alzoie picked up a good chunk of the scoring load, Phillips's leadership and playmaking left a hole for the Eagles. Alzoie had a big bucket late in the fourth as Dream City cut the lead to 4, but DME did a good enough job making their free throws and limiting turnovers in the final minute to earn the 57-53 win. For Dream City, Alozie had a game-high 18 points and Stephen had a 13-point 10-rebound double-double. For DME, <strong>Babatunde Duradola</strong> had 16 points and Thiam had 11 points with 2 made 3s and 4 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dynamic Prep Defeat Prolific Prep to Claim First Chick-fil-A Classic National Bracket Championship </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2310642,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-31-23-at-7.42-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-31-23-at-7.42-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2310642" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game lived up to the hype, and then some. Dynamic Prep opened on an 8-0 run with a 3 from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1223822' first='Jermaine' last='O'Neal Jr']</strong> and 5 points from Leroy Kelly. Prolific Prep would quickly get back in it but it wasn't until the second quarter when the talent of <strong>AJ</strong> <strong>Dybansta</strong> was on full display. In fact, he borderline took over the quarter. He had 11 points in the period getting just about everything he wanted. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1276627' first='Winters' last='Grady']</strong> also made 3 second-quarter 3s to help propel Prolific Prep to a 38-34 lead at the half. In the 3rd Quarter, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1702934' first='Tyran' last='Stokes']</strong> took his turn having the offense run through him and he began to finish with strength around the rim. Stokes also had a beautiful assist on a Dybansta 3 to put Prolific Prep up 57-56 at the end of the third quarter. The two teams exchanged the lead for the majority of the fourth quarter and going down the stretch, [player_tooltip player_id='1126058' first='Jaylen' last='Washington'] hit big shots and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1980386' first='Leon' last='Horner III']</strong> was perfect from the free throw line to seal the Championship for Dynamic Prep. Horner, who was crowned the Bracket MVP, had 22 points in the win. Dybansta led all scorers with 26. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->