Preview: West Potomac kicks off Thursday
Coming into the Adidas Uprising Summer Championship Sweet 16 game versus Dream Vision, Team Loaded VA 17U had four straight wins.
Loaded had a slow start against Dream Vision and didn’t get their first field goal until 3 minutes into the game when Rasir Bolton scored a layup.
Although as a team they shot 17.9 percent from the field and trailed by 9 at the half, Bolton, a 2018 PG for the Carlisle School, was shooting 100 percent from the line and had 11 points behind Dream Vision’s Donnie Tillman who led with 13.
“I felt as though they [the free throws] were important. They are open shots and you’re supposed to make all open shots,” said Carlisle School PG, Rasir Bolton.
Dream Vision, who shot a hefty half, was held to just 34 percent the second half which led to Team Loaded’s comeback.
Evan Battey, kept Dream Vision in the game despite the run by Loaded VA. Battey had shot 50 percent and above from the field in 4-5 games played thus far in the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships.
Antwan Walker cut Dream Vision’s lead to 8 after a deuce and a three-point play by Bolton made it a six point game with 6:34 to go.
Bolton gained his 21st point moments later that put his team down two possessions.
HD Woodson’s Kiyon Boyd was also a prominent factor for Team Loaded VA in the second half. Boyd’s free throw with them a one point lead before Battey tied up the game with a free throw of his own.
Boyd and Battey’s shots from the line sent the game into OT and Team Loaded VA jumped out to an early lead after triples by Bolton and Walker.
Battery answered with one of his own with 26 seconds left in the extra period but Antwan Walker solidified the win after a shot from the charity strike to give Team Loaded VA 17U a 80-78 edge over Dream Vision.
In the victory, Team Loaded VA shot 58.3 percent the second half to send the game into OT and forced 19 turnovers.
“Our coaches told us to keep pushing and keep fighting because we were going to win the game and we came together as a family and believed it,” said Bolton.
Dream Vision’s Battey led all scorers with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks and Loaded’s Rasir Bolton succeeded him with 29 points, 14 of which were from the line.
Team Loaded VA will continue dancing to the Elite 8 and they will play Brookwood Elite at 4pm (PST).
-Tamara Brown
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