3SSB Palmetto Road Championship - Sunday's Indiana Standouts

There will be some events still played over the course of the next two weekends, but for all intents and purposes the final buzzer on Sunday brought the end of another grassroots basketball season. The live period is now officially over and most athletes will take a short break from organized hoops before returning to school at the beginning of August. Prep Hoops Indiana will obviously continue to bring you coverage 365 days a year, but before starting to put any kid of bow on the summer we need to highlight Sunday's top performers from what we saw in Rock Hill.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />    There was a sideline full of college coaches watching Garner Jr. throughout the weekend in Rock Hill and that wasn't any different even at 1:00 on Sunday. The super explosive point guard helped lead Indiana Elite 17u to a victory over Dream Vision 17u. Gardner Jr. finished with 18 points and 4 assists. His ability to relentlessly attack the basket both as a scorer and facilitator makes him one of the hardest guards to contain nationally.     IBC [program_tooltip program_id='2620245' first='Team' last='Southern Indiana'] had to make a couple of double-figure comebacks throughout the game, but always found themselves right in it. That was true into the final seconds as well. Gilpin was a big part of them finding their footing and turning the aggressive defensive pressure against the opponent. He was athletic enough to simply put his head down and attack the ball pressure which led to several trips to the free throw line. The rising junior from South Ripley High School finished with a team-leading 22 points to go with 5 rebounds in the tough Sunday morning loss.     This Belmont commit played one of his best games of the summer on Sunday to cap off Indiana Elite 17u's week in Rock Hill with a 90-78 win over Dream Vision 17u. Hunter was 3-5 from three-point range scoring 15 points while helping handle the ball and find open teammates out of the backcourt. Continuing to shoot the three consistently will only make him that much harder to stop offensively.     It was Jones' bucket at the front of the rim that ultimately completed a double-figure comeback and tied the game in the closing moments for [program_tooltip program_id='3559625' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Crossroads'] 16u. They ultimately came up short, but Jones was able to finish with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. The 6'3" guard is primarily thought of as a catch-and-shoot threat, but he has the ball skill and athleticism to serve as a secondary playmaker as well.     Longest served as [program_tooltip program_id='3559625' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Crossroads'] 16u's 2-3 Zone buster on Sunday. He did a great job of operating from the high post both as a jump shooter and a right hand driver. The 6'2" wing/forward did a great job of crashing the offensive glass and finishing through contact around the basket as well. He is asked to play more as a big man on this team and fills the role very well. Longest, a rising junior at Jeffersonville High School, finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds.     In a summer full of outstanding individual performances, Mohler turned in one of his best on Sunday morning to lead Midwest Basketball Club 15u to victory. The 6'5" guard, who recently received an offer from Indiana and played in front of a Purdue assistant in this game, went off for an incredible 30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Watching his consistently dice up the defense as a scorer and playmaker at his size in the backcourt is incredibly impressive.     Per usual it was Pearce's size on the wing that caused matchup problems for the opposing defense. He was the beneficiary of several buckets at the back end of the press break against their full court pressure, but he also had success slashing and driving from the perimeter in the half court. Pearce is an excellent interior finisher once he gets to the rim. He helped lead a big [program_tooltip program_id='3559625' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Crossroads'] 16u comeback late in the game, but it wasn't quite enough. He finished with 22 points to lead all scorers.

There will be some events still played over the course of the next two weekends, but for all intents and purposes the final buzzer on Sunday brought the end of another grassroots basketball season. The live period is now officially over and most athletes will take a short break from organized hoops before returning to school at the beginning of August. Prep Hoops Indiana will obviously continue to bring you coverage 365 days a year, but before starting to put any kid of bow on the summer we need to highlight Sunday's top performers from what we saw in Rock Hill.