Havoc in the Heartland: Bundy’s Saturday Morning Notebook

<p>In one of the top events in the Midwest on the Prep Hoops Circuit, the Havoc in the Heartland continued with a full day of action on Saturday. Let’s take a look at some of the games that caught my eye on Saturday morning in Indianapolis.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Michigan Goonies 2024s Take Down Marlin Elite 2024 Despite Big Comeback</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Michigan Goonies could not miss in the first 11 minutes of the ball game as they cruised to a 47-18 lead with 5 minutes to go in the first half. However, after a timeout by Marlin Elite, the defense started stepping up, and the fight began. Marlin Elite fought all the way back to get the lead to 1 before falling 70-64. Wyatt Nickleson was the leader of the comeback on both ends of the floor for Marlin Elite as he wass hitting shots, setting up his teammates, and making his biggest impact on the defensive end of the floor. Nickleson ended with 27 in the loss, and [player_tooltip player_id="1386511" first="Max" last="Booher"] added 11 with some nice outside shooting. For the Michigan Goonies, it was Nicholas Speiser leading the way with 23 while Justin Lifshay and Derian Williams added 11 each.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>EG10 2024s Athleticism Carries Them Over All Area Basketball 2024</b></p> <p>All area basketball came out on fire shooting the ball from the outside, but the athleticism of the EG10 prevailed in the second half. Guard play was the story early on for All Area as [player_tooltip player_id="1275827" first="Jayden" last="Furney"] led them by scoring the ball in the lane shooting from the outside and dishing to open teammates. He seems to always have his eyes up looking for the open man, and he ended it with 10 points. De’markis Cole would lead them overall offensively with 17 points as he consistently finished around the rim. However, in the second half, the athletic guard play of EG10 was too much. [player_tooltip player_id="1384393" first="Matthew" last="King"] led the way with 16, and [player_tooltip player_id="1275784" first="Christian" last="Woodson"] added 14. They were able to push the tempo, get out in transition, and finish over the smaller All Area team.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Team GRIII Elite 2024 Rolls with Great Passing and Knockdown Shooting</strong></p> <p>Team GRIII Elite came out on fire against INB Elite, and they never let up. [player_tooltip player_id="1275807" first="Tyler" last="Parrish"] scored 10 of their first 12 points with a couple of nice finishes around the rim and his first of five triples. He would end with 27 points in one of the better performances that I have seen. Allen Briggs continued to attack the rim and finish through the defense with 14 points. Bryce Gray (University) was the lone player in double figures for INB Elite as he used his quickness to get into the lane and was hitting from deep as well to end with 13 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Reach Legends 2024 with a Hard-Fought Win Over Mac Irvin Fire Thanks to Dominating Outside Shooting</strong></p> <p>In a back and forth game the entire way, Reach Legends was able to get just enough on both ends of the floor to outlast the talented Mac Irvin Fire team. In the first half, it was a two-man game between [player_tooltip player_id="1300936" first="Uchenna" last="Amene"] and Bryce Omara as they both were hitting threes and attacking the rim. They combined for 32 points and 7 triples in the first half. Amene continued his domination in the second half as he would end with 28 points and several big assists in the win. Omara ended with 13 while [player_tooltip player_id="1111918" first="Daniel" last="Smythe"] added 12. For Mac Irvin Fire, it was Calvin Riddle hitting shots from the outside with 17 points and Calvin Robbins with 14 points including three big dunks. I would still put my money on him being the best athlete on the circuit, and he is a very good D1 prospect even at just 6’5. Side note, Reach Legends is now 3-0 on the year against EYBL teams. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Other Storylines</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">D1 Indiana 2024 holds on over NEBC thanks to a pair of 20 point performances from Dominque Murphy (23 points) and [player_tooltip player_id="1158226" first="Dhani" last="Flannigan"] (20 points)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Greater Purpose 2023 rolls over GPP 2023 Black with hot shooting on 13 made threes. [player_tooltip player_id="1113517" first="Maurice" last="Thomas"] with 18 points on 4 triples and [player_tooltip player_id="1371067" first="Anthony" last="Ciaravino"] with 17 points on 5 triples. Sam Bishop had 22 to lead GPP. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Team Future 2023 takes down Indiana Elite Side 2023 behind hot guard play. [player_tooltip player_id="1160717" first="Josiah" last="Ullom"] with 18 and [player_tooltip player_id="1143910" first="A.J." last="Roseman"] (2022) with 19 on 5 triples. [player_tooltip player_id="1236653" first="Aiden" last="Schmitz"] led all scorers with 22 on 6 threes while Jaxson Nielsen added 15.</span></li> </ul>