Great Lakes Finals: Fortuna’s Saturday AM Notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday morning I attended the games at Batavia High School and spent the majority of my time watching the action on Courts 1-3. While I was not able to catch every single game in full, there were still a number of prospects and teams that stood out throughout the morning slate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>2 Face Elite 17U vs [program_tooltip program_id='2076027' first='Wisconsin' last='Blizzard'] 17U</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 8 a.m. matchup ended up being much more competitive and lively than you might expect for an early game. Blizzard Ice had several players making an impact, including Samuel Voskuil, [player_tooltip player_id='2396436' first='Matthew' last='Peeters'], [player_tooltip player_id='2386230' first='Gage' last='Beggs'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2386798' first='Bo' last='Grabner']. On the other side, Jonathan Dockery and Juel Coney helped keep TwoFace Elite in striking distance throughout the game. Ultimately, Jonathan Dockery and Jules Coney did just enough late to help secure the win for TwoFace Elite. Both players immediately stood out because of their athleticism and ability to create their own shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Final Score - 2 Face Elite 52 vs [program_tooltip program_id='2076027' first='Wisconsin' last='Blizzard'] 42</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] 16U Regional vs Icon Elite 16U</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next game I caught was [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] versus Icon Elite. [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] had several contributors throughout the contest, but Patrick Ryan was the player who really helped close things out. He had a strong jump-stop finish late in the game and also made a number of disruptive plays defensively down the stretch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Final Score - [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] 50 vs Icon Elite 47</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] 16U White vs All In 16U Mitchem </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From there, I watched a portion of [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] versus All In. Killian O'Flaherty consistently attacked the basket aggressively and used his size well around the rim. He also utilized his height advantage to shoot over defenders effectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Final Score - [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] White 50 vs All In Mitchem 15</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>The New Threat 17U Beinborn vs [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] 17U White</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TNT versus [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] turned into one of the better battles of the morning. Marcus Bainborn caught fire offensively for TNT, while Cohen Haynes also scored in bunches. [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] continued to battle back thanks to strong guard play and several timely three-pointers that kept the game competitive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Final Score - The New Threat 82 vs [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] White 70</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Michigan Jayhawks 16U vs [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] National 16U Black</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another notable matchup featured the Michigan Jayhawks against [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last='']. [player_tooltip player_id='3580807' first='Anthony' last='Tyler'], [player_tooltip player_id='2840763' first='Vinny' last='Owens'], and Jason Strada all produced offensively for [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''], and what stood out most was how well they moved the ball without forcing much offensively. The Michigan Jayhawks competed hard throughout the game and brought good energy, but [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] eventually pulled away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Final Score - [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] 74 vs Jayhawks 53</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Thunder Elite 17U vs [program_tooltip program_id='2961389' first='Illinois' last='Express'] 17U</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thunder Elite ran away with this one thanks to Antonio Walter and [player_tooltip player_id='2830660' first='Jordan' last='Johnson']. Walter splashed in 3's, while Johnson was getting to the rack. <br><em>Final Score - Thunder Elite 72 vs [program_tooltip program_id='2961389' first='Illinois' last='Express'] 29</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Over The Edge 17U vs [program_tooltip program_id='2075258' first='ABC' last='Young Lions'] </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the final games I caught during the morning slate featured Over the Edge and ABC Lions. 2028 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2531996' first='Giles' last='Murray'] impressed with his shooting ability and deceptiveness, while junior Michael Roache consistently got downhill and found ways to score in the lane.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Final Score - Over The Edge 72 vs [program_tooltip program_id='2075258' first='ABC' last='Young Lions'] 65</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall, there was plenty of talent and competitive basketball throughout the morning session, and I will have an afternoon notes article coming soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->