Championship Sunday Notes: River Cities Tip Off
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The OSA River Cities Tip Off ended Sunday with all three OSA 3SSB teams claiming the championship in their respective divisions. In the 15U division, OSA 3SSB defeated Lincoln Supreme National 1 by a score of 81–56. The 16U team…
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Continue ReadingThe OSA River Cities Tip Off ended Sunday with all three OSA 3SSB teams claiming the championship in their respective divisions. In the 15U division, OSA 3SSB defeated Lincoln Supreme National 1 by a score of 81–56. The 16U team beat OSA National Lindburg, 88–64. And in the final game of the night, 17U OSA 3SSB beat All Iowa Attack Red 71–61. There were obviously impressive individual performances from the champions, but I also saw plenty of other players worth writing about on the final day of the tournament. Here are the players who impressed most from the games I watched:
15U Division
Lincoln Supreme National 1
Supreme challenged OSA 3SSB 15U in the first 16 minutes of the game. Going into halftime, they held a three point lead, largely thanks to Carter Mick. The sharpshooter from Lincoln East had 17 first half points (5/7 3FG). He knocked down his deep balls off the catch, off some movement, and had one confident pullup three at the top of the key in transition. The second half got out of hand quickly, as OSA 3SSB limited their turnovers and saw shots fall, but Mick was ready for the challenge from the opening tip. He finished the game-leader in points with 24.
OSA 3SSB
Marcus Glock Marcus Glock 6'4" | SF Wahoo | 2024 State NE finished off the weekend with another eye-popping performance for me. He didn’t score many points in this one, but he was hounding Supreme ball-handlers and competing hard on the glass. He was one of the few 3SSB players who came ready to play in the first half. Neal Mosser Neal Mosser 6'2" | SG Millard North | 2024 State NE led his team with 18 points, and shot the ball extremely well.
16U Division
Lincoln Supreme National 1
The best player for Lincoln Supreme National 1 this weekend was Lukas Helms Lukas Helms 6'5" | SF Lincoln Southwest | 2023 State NE . He made his biggest impact on Sunday with his defense and rebounding. Jared Townsley Jared Townsley 6'1" | SF Lincoln East | 2023 State NE also impressed with his decisiveness and efficiency. He found gaps to attack off dribble hand-offs, and shot the three well on limited attempts.
OSA 3SSB
There were several players from the 3SSB 16U team that played well on Sunday, but I won’t mention them all. Jaxon Stueve Jaxon Stueve 6'4" | SF Bellevue West | 2023 State NE had the best game I have seen from this summer. He can shoot the ball, and did so on this particular day, but he put the ball on the floor and his aggressiveness paid off for some tough paint finishes while earning several trips to the free throw line. It was a complete game from Stueve, who played solid point of attack defense, and forced a few turnovers with timely digs at the nail. Speaking of complete games, Josiah Dotzler Josiah Dotzler 6'3" | CG Bellevue West | 2023 State #225 Nation NE was excellent on Sunday, also one of the best performances I have seen from him in a while. He was calling out actions on defense, got his team easy points with great cuts, and attacked the rim. He was in control and dictating pace on both ends in the semifinals and finals.
17U Division
Lincoln Supreme National 1
Mason Strong Mason Strong 5'11" | PG Omaha North | 2022 State NE (pictured) of Omaha North showed off his scoring prowess in the midrange and at the rim. He mixed pace with deceptive ball-handling to consistently get himself open looks inside the arc. Brady Christiansen complimented Strong’s performance very well, using his physicality to win rebound battles and get his shoulder into defenders to open up space on the drives. His passing is one of the better parts of his game, as he can accurately throw it with either hand from all angles. They came up short in the semis against All Iowa Attack, but both of those players had splendid showings.
OSA 3SSB
Outside of Iowa’s Josh Dix, PJ Davis PJ Davis 6'2" | SG Omaha Central | 2022 State NE was the best player on the floor for OSA 3SSB 17U this weekend. In the final, PJ scored 25 points, continuing his hot shooting from three (6/12 3FG). He competed well on defense, too, along with Kyle Ingwerson Kyle Ingwerson 6'6" | SF Papillion-LaVista | 2022 State NE , who did a lot of the dirty work for the team. Ingwerson rebounded well, provided good linking passing, and scored against pressure defense by attacking off the dribble and finishing with floaters and midrange pullups.