Janaz Jordan’s first offer is a big one
by Tamara Brown, recruit757
Mass Rivals rolled past the New England Playaz in the Elite 8 to advance to the Adidas Uprising Final Team Loaded VA 17U.
The two traded buckets early but Mass Rivals broke away after a trio of triples by Wabissa Bede, Azar Swain and Aaron Wheeler.
A timeout was called by Loaded succeeding the run and out of the break Kiyon Boyd knocked down a jumper and Aamir Simms jammed one in to leap back in the contest. Wheeler responded on the other end with his second three ball of the game to give Mass Rivals a seven-point advantage with just over seven to play in the first half.
A pair of Group 3A athletes, KJ Davis and Greg Jones, knocked down a few shots in the final minutes of the first to keep Mass Rivals’ lead to seven at the midpoint.
Norcom’s Davis led all scorers with nine at the half and Team Loaded VA had a 52.4 percent shooting average from the field versus Mass Rivals’ 44.8 percent. While there wasn’t a significant difference in shooting percentages, Mass Rivals had an advantage both halves with second chance points, half and 9 in the second.
Steered by Wabissa Bede, Ashto Makai Langford and Aaron Wheeler, Mass Rivals held on to defeat Team Loaded VA 64-51. Team Loaded failed to score a field goal until halfway through the second half and in conclusion they shot 27.6 percent in the deficit. Although Mass Rivals advanced to the championship game against Garner Road (NC), Team Loaded VA’s AAU season wasn’t quite over.
Team Loaded VA was selected to play in the showcase game versus D1 Minnesota. Upon the showcase game, the two teams had met twice and they both one a game a piece. The game started out fast with both teams exchanging baskets for the first few minutes of the game including two three pointers by LC Bird’s Mario Haskett Jr and John Marshall’s Greg Jones. While the pair had proficient offenses averaging around 70 ppg, D1 Minnesota’s well oiled machine offense took flight after Nate Reuvers and Jack Hutchinson helped their team take the lead just before intermission. Gonar Mar was also a primary factor for D1MN in the first 16 minutes, leading his team with 12 points, 4-7 from the field (2-2 from 3) and five rebounds.
Too many live ball turnovers and the triple team defense against Dave McCormack yielded Team Loaded VA’s offense, which allowed D1 Minnesota to thrive off of a double-digit advantage. Wisconsin Commit, Reuvers, doubled his first half points and top 25 2019 PF, Matthew Hurt, put in great effort on both sides of the ball granting D1 Minnesota a win to end their AAU campaign with a 88-76 victory over Team Loaded VA.
-Tamara Brown
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