Great Lakes Finals: Teddy's Saturday AM Notebook (400th Article)

An incredibly exciting day in Bedford Park at the Great Lakes finals. Not only was there tons of action, but this is my 400th ever Prep Hoops Article. It's been one heck of a ride over the past five years. Here's a look at my morning notebook. My afternoon notebook will also be out shortly. Cheers to the next 400!     Gonzales, Frederick Propel MKE Trail Blazers     I opened the morning covering Milwaukee Trailblazers against DTFP 16u. It was a tight game throughout the matchup. But it was MKE Trail Blazers that stood out with their impressive ball movement. Probably the most impressive was 6'0" point guard Brett Gonzales, who shined with his playmaking abilities with a string of early assists, as well as his ability to break past defenders and score inside with his ball movement. He also showed he can push things in transition. A turnaround floater off a rebound gave them a tight lead at half. But as the game progressed, we saw other guys get involved on Blazers. Particularly [player_tooltip player_id='2672610' first='Charlie' last='Bleimehl'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2853768' first='Colton' last='Frederick']. Frederick is a two-way three level scorer who knocked down a string of second half shots. Much thanks to Bleihml's playmaking. Both leading a key second half run which got them up double figures. A true all-around effort. [player_tooltip player_id='2853768' first='Colton' last='Frederick'] led them with 18 points, Jaden Przybilla added 17     Venckas Twins Shine vs Basketball Paradise      [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] Basketball vs Basketball Paradise was an enticing matchup with a lot of action. From the start, [player_tooltip player_id='2125671' first='Nojus' last='Venckus'] was creating tons of buckets for [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] with a strong utilization of the pump fake and good ball skills. Adding 9 quick points. On the other end, it was Cason Mayer finding his groove on the interior with some excellent post moves. He was a huge factor on the glass, too. But it was [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] that eventually went on the first big run. This was when we saw [player_tooltip player_id='2125668' first='Nedas' last='Venckus'], Nojus's twin, get involved. I was most impressed with his vision and playmaking abilities. Never making a bad decision with the ball. As well as 5'10" G Abraham Martinez knocking down a pair of triples. The lead would not dwindle on them as we saw guys like [player_tooltip player_id='3575083' first='Enoch' last='Olukolade'] keep plays alive on the boards with some more positive results from the Venckus twins. Including an alley-oop slam from Nedas. Martinez and the Venckus twins each finished with 14 points in a 64-38 win.     A look at [program_tooltip program_id='2075258' first='ABC' last='Young Lions'] 16u     Young Lions had a slow start to the contest against Michigan's The High. Going down 11-2 early. But that didn't take away their confidence as they went on a huge 20-2 run to follow at the end of the first half. Much of that thanks to 6'3" 2028 G [player_tooltip player_id='2740246' first='Bennie' last='Garcia'] who scored 12 of those points. Really taking over the game with his athleticism, speed, and shot-creation. He later converted an athletic and-one with his left hand after breaking past a defender. Outside of him, I saw some strong play from 6'6" F [player_tooltip player_id='2423628' first='Grady' last='Elliason'] as he made a monster impact defensively and proved to be an effective rebounder. Even showing an ability to stretch the floor. Young Lions would hold on for a 52-43 win.      [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] 16u Black Downs Pure Hoops     I closed the morning with [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] 16u Black facing Pure Hoops. Crisp ball movement from [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] gave them a strong start. Multiple guys getting involved. Tyler Chan showed up and knocked in a few tough shots, including an and-one and a baseline triple. Gergo Molnar also showed some bounce with two fast break slams and an and-one. [player_tooltip player_id='2834513' first='Nick' last='Baker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2834509' first='Alex' last='Cohen'] worked really well off each other, too.      For Pure Hoops, Ryan O'Shea had the hot hand with three triples and 11 points to keep them in the game. Peter White also knocked down some shots as part of an early 2nd half run. Showing limitless range. Thomas Del Giudace made an impact with his physicality. Snagging tough boards on both ends while converting a pair of difficult inside scores. But it was [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] that controlled the game late and secured a 64-40 win.

An incredibly exciting day in Bedford Park at the Great Lakes finals. Not only was there tons of action, but this is my 400th ever Prep Hoops Article. It's been one heck of a ride over the past five years. Here's a look at my morning notebook. My afternoon notebook will also be out shortly. Cheers to the next 400!