Prep Hoops Grit Region Finals - Ramsey's Sunday Notebook

<p>After several weeks of various events and hundreds of teams across the 15u, 16u, and 17u age divisions we have now crowned three champions in the Prep Hoops Circuit Grit Region. Over the next few days we will have plenty of content coming out as we debrief from yet another busy weekend on the circuit. However, first, let's empty out the notebook from Sunday's play.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">8:00 a.m. Crew</h2>   <p>As always, let's begin by shouting out some of the prospects who stood out right away on Sunday morning. The 8:00 a.m. crew had boots on the ground at the Canlan Sports Center in Barrington, Illinois and these prospects wasted no time getting to work.</p>   <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2219307' first='1' last='Dream Basketball'] 17u started the morning off with a 79-57 win over Brook Town Force 17u. It was a pair of guards from St. Anne High School that really caught our attention, but they were on very different ends of the age spectrum. 5'10" point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2835956' first='Matthew' last='Langellier'], a rising senior in the Class of 2026, led the way with 18 points. Meanwhile, an incoming freshman in the Class of 2029, [player_tooltip player_id='2835996' first='Raleigh' last='Hays'], scored 12 points while playing up three age groups. The super quick, dynamic guard really captured our attention with the way he was able to control the tempo and not have any issues against players significantly older than him. Two-sport Bishop McNamara star [player_tooltip player_id='2437681' first='Richie' last='Darr'], a 6'5' forward, was very good in the morning win as well scoring 15 points while also making a big impact on the defensive side of the floor.</p>   <p>For Brook Town Force, 5'7" guard [player_tooltip player_id='2125695' first='Henry' last='Davis III'] (South Bend Riley H.S. 2027) went off for a game-high 26 points despite the loss. Davis III is obviously a smaller guard in terms of height, but he makes up for it with a very strong frame. He can play through contact, has the explosiveness to create separation on the perimeter, and was a creative shot-maker from a variety of spots on the floor.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Quarterfinal Upset</h2>   <p>With all four 17u quarterfinal matchups going on at once in the 10:10 a.m. time slot our scouts spread out across the Canlan Sports Center. My focus was on Basketball Paradise and [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Black. A defending champion from the Grit Region, [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Black simply didn't have enough juice in the tank on Sunday. After competing with just six guys on Saturday, including a 9:00 p.m. game, they were down to just five players on Sunday and it showed. They struggled to get anything going from the perimeter and simply couldn't keep up with a Basketball Paradise group that had fresher legs. Paradise went on to win 62-52.</p>   <p>6'2" guard [player_tooltip player_id='2334404' first='Tre' last='Watkins'] (Metea Valley H.S. 2026) was the best player on the floor in this matchup. He finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 blocked shot. Whether he was making pull-up jumpers, catch-and-shoot three-pointers, attaching the rim, or being disruptive defensively Watkins found a way to consistently be involved. [player_tooltip player_id='2382446' first='Michael' last='Rembert'] (Oswego East H.S. 2026) added 13 points, including three three-point shots, and 5 rebounds. 6'7" big man [player_tooltip player_id='2779481' first='Warren' last='Schweitzer'] (Rochelle Township H.S. 2026) played very well opposite 7-footer [player_tooltip player_id='2105376' first='Colin' last='Stack'] putting up 11 points and 5 rebounds. Jake [player_tooltip player_id='2860144' first='Ryan' last=''] (Naperville North H.S. 2026) also scored 11 points including three three-point shots. 5</p>   <p>For [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'], [player_tooltip player_id='2834460' first='Tommy' last='Moffett'] (Fremd H.S. 2026) finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in the loss. 7'0" center [player_tooltip player_id='2105376' first='Colin' last='Stack'] (Benet H.S. 2026) was dominant on the glass ending up with 12 points and 16 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='1552461' first='Ethan' last='Matz'] (Carmel Catholic 2026) added 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shoutout to the Champions</h2>   <p>15u - Power 5</p>   <p>16u - Power 5</p>   <p>17u - VIP Kings</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Quick Hitters</h2>   <p>Jazire McDuffy (Davenport North H.S. 2026) played very well for 2 Face Elite in a hard fought 47-45 win over [program_tooltip program_id='2078408' first='Team' last='Rose'] on Sunday morning. The undersized forward found success scoring around the basket and using his strength and physicality to his advantage.</p>   <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2524117' first='219' last='Elite'] came up short after fouling on a half court shot as time expired, but [player_tooltip player_id='2830539' first='Mason' last='Thorpe'] (Hobart H.S. 2026) shot the ball very well in the tough loss. The 6'0" guard can make shots on the move, does a great job of getting square to the basket, and has a quick release. He played well in both [program_tooltip program_id='2524117' first='219' last='Elite'] games that we watched over the course of the weekend.</p>   <p>Speaking of shooters, [player_tooltip player_id='2864928' first='Jesse' last='House'] (Simeon H.S. 2026) had it cooking from beyond the arc in [program_tooltip program_id='2075957' first='The' last='Work Foundation']'s dominant victory over Big3 Basketball-2. He knocked in five three-point shots to lead the team with 15 points.</p>   <p>In typical Garrison Gilvin fashion, the talented 6'3" guard from Trinity High School in Louisville was the best player on the floor while leading the VIP Kings to the 17u championship. He scored 23 points in their quarterfinal win over [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] White and backed it up with 21 points and 9 rebounds in the championship game.</p>

After several weeks of various events and hundreds of teams across the 15u, 16u, and 17u age divisions we have now crowned three champions in the Prep Hoops Circuit Grit Region. Over the next few days we will have plenty of content coming out as we debrief from yet another busy weekend on the circuit. However, first, let's empty out the notebook from Sunday's play.