Great Lakes Finals: Teddy’s Friday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a long time coming. But I'm finally back covering events in-person after an incredible few months outside the country. I honestly missed doing this. And I'm sorry for missing the first month of the Illinois circuit. But Friday night was so exciting which couldn't have started any better than a triple-overtime game. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>here's my write-up on that contest as well as another game from tonight. We'll have jam-packed action all day tomorrow!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>Double-OT Thriller To Open</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Weekend</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br>The first game I covered was PAC 17u (IL) vs [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] McCormick. In the early stages, we saw tons of ball movement with a strong ability for pac to finish inside. Jaheim Jackson was one name that made his presence felt. The 2026 6'4" combo guard created some buckets off the dribble and added a pair of block on the interior early on. The playmaking was probably the best part of his game. But even then, [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] McCormick showed tons of aggression offensively to stay in it. Mostly impressed with what Prospect's [player_tooltip player_id='2834320' first='Danny' last='Simon'] did with his post moves. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An and-one from Quan Jameson gave Full-package the lead as part of a 10-0 run. Followed my more back-and-forth play between the two quads. I was particularly impressed with Charles Schlict's ability to score from all three levels. In fact, the 6'1" point guard opened the game with a driving dunk. The game was tied at 53 with a minute left and eventually went into OT. Then Double OT. Then Triple OT, where [player_tooltip player_id='2834320' first='Danny' last='Simon'] gave [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] the go-ahead lead heading with just a few seconds left. Free throws from Quan Jameson sealed the deal and [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] won 62-59</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2075622' first='M14' last='Hoops'] Downs Rise Elite 17u</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following a triple-OT thriller, I covered M14 17u and Michigan's Rise Elite 17u. This game was played at a slower pace early on. But it was Rise Elite who controlled things. It's mostly from 2029 G Elijah Haynes who's playing up a couple age groups. Already showing great strength and physicality in transition beyond his age. But similar to the previous contest, M14 did not go away. Much thanks to impressive ball-movement from their group of guards headlined by [player_tooltip player_id='2371812' first='Justin' last='Freeman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2390275' first='Carson' last='Miller']. Miller's a 6'3" combo with a smooth shooting stroke. And Freeman is a 5'11" point guards who was excellent at sharing the rock. I also saw a lot from Joseph Smith. Hitting shots from all three levels. M14 would stay ahead for much of this matchup. Much thanks to a strong inside showing from Judah Kalvig. Eventually they took care of business for a 60-50 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->