EBA Summer League-Championship Notebook

<p>Last night the EBA Summer League championship games took place for both division. The Ballstars (Aberdeen) and the Soldiers (Kenwood) faced off in the Black Division game while Putty Hill (Parkville) and Blue Magic (Mt. Carmel) went head-to-head in the Gold Division game. Let’s take a look at how each game panned out. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Waruru-Mubia.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1253003" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Waruru-Mubia-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Ballstars vs Soldiers</strong></span></p> <p>In a back-and-forth affair, the Ballstars used a late run in regulation to force overtime and eventually claim a 54-50 victory over the Soldiers. 2022 forward Waruru Mubia capped off what has been a consistently productive summer league by leading his team with 24 points and seven rebounds. Mubia isn’t the biggest forward at 6-foot-3, he isn’t the most athletic player on the floor or the most agile, but he understands how to play and get to his spots. He mixed it up offensively scoring from inside and out, all while keeping pressure on the defense by drawing fouls and converting at the line. 2022 guard Tysean Rodgers was key behind Mubia as he did his damage in transition scoring at the rim on his way to 16 points and nine rebounds. Rodgers had a few big-time buckets as time was winding down to help swing momentum in the Ballstars’ favor.</p> <p>2022 guard [player_tooltip player_id="902065" first="Malik" last="Scipio"] led the way for the Soldiers with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Look for Scipio to put up big numbers for Kenwood this winter. At 6-foot-2 with a burley frame, Scipio can overwhelm smaller guard on his way to the rim. He’ll knock down open looks from three and shows some ability to make plays off the bounce. Where he’ll need to improve is his decision-making on a consistent basis and cut down on turnovers.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Nick-Jones.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1253116" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Nick-Jones-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Putty Hill vs Blue Magic</strong></span></p> <p>In a tightly-contested game, Putty Hill escaped with a ____ win over Blue Magic. It was a great showcase by both teams with dynamite scorers. For Putty Hill, 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1127304" first="Sincere" last="Barfield"] had his breakout performance against a quality opponent as he led with 24 points, five rebounds and five assists. The 5-foot-11 rising sophomore was doing it all. He scored from three, made good decisions off the bounce in the mid-range area and finished above the rim in transition. Barfield was also a tenacious defender on and off the ball as he generated a handful of turnovers thanks to his active hands. 2022 guard Nick Jones is going to be a name that high-level JuCo and Division II programs seek heavily. The 6-foot-1 guard made his few above the rim finishes on the break while knocking down a couple of three’s on his way to 12 points and seven rebounds. 2022 forward Emezie Egeonu had it going on face-up mid-range jumpers that his matchup was "baiting" him into taking. The 6-foot-7 rising senior pitched in with 14 points and five rebounds in the effort.</p> <p>2022 Loyola (MD) commit [player_tooltip player_id="904628" first="Deon" last="Perry"] proved why he’s arguably the top point guard in the 2022 class for MD/DC. He scored 28 points and was absolutely lethal from three and seems to make the game look easier every time he takes the floor. 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1164829" first="Mitchell" last="Kalu"] flexed his muscles and should be a top rebounder in the state. He scored consistently and efficiently around the rim, sporting a double-double stat line of 14 points and 14 rebounds. He put tremendous pressure on the Putty Hill bigs when it came to offensive rebounding. Often times he’d get fouled and cashed in on his trips to the charity stripe.</p>