Bluff City Blues: Early birds

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday morning featured a handful of solid performers at the Bluff City Blues AAU Tournament at the P7 Sports Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the guys that stood out:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brennan</strong> <strong>Meloy</strong>, [program_tooltip program_id='2819045' first='Booker' last='Elite'] 16U: Meloy came out early and made shots for his team's 62-46 win over Hoop City 16U P32. The 6-foot-3 guard was aggressive on the offensive end, attacking the rim on many possessions. Meloy was active on the glass and played solid defense. He's an efficient player. Meloy's 15 points led the team Saturday morning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2855319' first='Jackson' last='Nichols']</strong>, Team McKnatt 17U: Nichols helped his team cruise to an easy 90-53 win over IgniteOB 17U. The 6-2 guard did a great job of taking what the defense gave him. Nichols moved well without the basketball and made shots from the perimeter. He's crashed the boards. Nichols was a hard worker in the early hours on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2855390' first='Will' last='McCarter']</strong>, Team McKnatt 17U: McCarter was one of the best point guards on the floor Saturday morning. Against IgniteOB 17U, the 5-10 guard lived in the paint. McCarter did a solid job finding his teammates open for shots. He was finishing at the rim. McCarter isn't afraid of contact. He's a tough kid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'], Hoop City 17U P32: Hoop City needed every point from the 6-7 forward in its 58-42 win over Illinois Orange 17U Hill. Perry had the advantage in the post, finishing over the top of each defender. On the defensive end, he was his usual self, blocking and altering shots at the rim. Perry finished with 19 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1760995' first='Ronald' last='Towns III'], Hoop City 17U P32: Towns had 11 points in the team's win over Illinois Orange 17U Hill, but that wasn't the most important take from Towns' time on the floor. It was the important reps he's getting this weekend in the absence of [player_tooltip player_id='2194624' first='Eli' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1588175' first='Jonathan' last='Sanderson']. Towns handled the ball pressure well and did a good job of finding his teammates. When Towns needed to score, he went into attack mode. More reps for Towns will help his confidence and Southwind in the long run, especially when the 2025 season tips off towards the end of the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->