National Open Championship: Teddy’s Sunday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>This article is sponsored by VKTRY Performance Insoles - The Official Insole Provider of Prep Hoops</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some notes from Sunday games I covered.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2245199' first='Pride' last='Roc'] 17u Advances to Championship, Falls to Sanford</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Opened the morning covering [program_tooltip program_id='2245199' first='Pride' last='Roc'] Bynum and [program_tooltip program_id='2075808' first='Powerhouse' last='MN'] in the 17u Bronze semifinal. The game started with a lot of pace. Sort of like a Grinnell run-and-gun style that worked well in [program_tooltip program_id='2245199' first='Pride' last='Roc']'s favor. I can say with confidence all but one of their buckets in the opening quarter of the game was assisted. 6'3” 2025 PG Marquise&nbsp; Walker benefited tremendously with his pace up the floor to score in transition. On the interior, [player_tooltip player_id='2431192' first='Brandon' last='Gardner'] utilized some really strong post moves and pump-fakes to give himself space on the block. Walker later blocked a dunk in transition to help keep them ahead in the 2nd half while also burying a 3-pointer in the corner. PG [player_tooltip player_id='1289145' first='Ahmir' last='Woods'] further extended their lead with several 3-pointers and a put-back miss. PR took care of business and advanced to the Bronze title game. Woods finished with 17 while Walker scored 14. They later dropped the title game 62-51 to Sanford Sports academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Two eye-catching games mid-morning</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 10am hour was quiet at Jefferson with several teams dropping out. So I spent this time watching multiple games. Two eventually caught my eye. One of those games was 17u Vanguard facing a CV select team. For Vanguard, 6'9 F/C Cleo Mulfinger is a guy that really stands out for his elite size. He already has the build of a collegiate big man and can definitely be developed into an impact-player at the next level. This team also has Kayden Kloos. Kloos is a 6'4” sharpshooter who flashes tons of potential as a 3-and-d wing. Like Mulfinger, he also has the build of a collegiate-level prospect that can be developed.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another court had 16u [program_tooltip program_id='2075704' first='MN' last='Rise'] face Power Circle. Yet again, it was Will Bromland who caught fire. It took no time for him to reach double figures. Burying a pair of threes to go along with a tough drive inside and a midrange jumper. His third 3-pointer extended the lead to double digits in the first half. But it didn't take long for PC to come back. The on-ball defense and rebounding really stepped up with everyone sharing the rock offensively. PG [player_tooltip player_id='2407854' first='Charles' last='Lewis Jr'] was one of those guys who forced many turnovers and created lots of buckets offensively with his passing and playmaking.&nbsp; &nbsp; The two went back-and-forth in the final minutes. But eventually it was [program_tooltip program_id='2075704' first='MN' last='Rise'] who squeaked away late. Bromland led all scorers with 25. [player_tooltip player_id='1560808' first='Daroyce' last='Mills'] scored 18 for Powercircle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ETG 2027 Holds on to Beat Fury Zurn</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 15u platinum bracket saw MN Fury Zurn face ETG 3SSB (NE). Fury blazed off to a fast start in this one. Going up by as many as 16 in the first have to the Adidas squad. But Nebraska's ETG got back in it with some outstanding shooting from Landon Blum, who hit three consecutive 3-pointers to bring it to single digits before they eventually tied it at halftime.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The early part of second half saw ETG take their largest lead. Centered mainly around the 2-way play of Kellen Murphy. Sliding his feet well defensible to keep on-ball opponents in front of him. As a scorer, he buried a pair of triples while drawing a tough foul attackIng the rim. Murphy also hit a key floater to make it a 1-pt lead with 90 seconds left. Helping hold on to the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->