Midwest Live (Omaha): Saturday Game Recaps
15U (1:00): Mavs Purple 73 vs KC Rush 65
It was a comfortable wire-to-wire win for this talented Mavericks squad. Led by Tate Crane’s 14 points and John Steffen’s 12, the eastern Iowa boys cruised to 17 point halftime lead. Kansas City applied some full-court pressure for the latter part of the second half, that proved to be troublesome at times for the Iowa guys. But the lead was big enough, and the win was secured early in this one.
17U (2:05): Kingdom Hoops X 58 vs Pump N Run Black 64
This was an interesting game, not only for the level of talent that was on the floor, but because Kingdom Hoops X played with just six guys the whole game. Those six played well together, and nearly came away with the win. But Iowa City Regina sharpshooter Jocoa Kerschen went off for six made 3s, some of them late and timely, and he was the key difference-maker in this one. Kerschen finished with a team-high 18 points. Jack Trudo was fantastic for Kingdom Hoops, netting 19 points and doing so in a variety of ways.
16U (3:10): SW Iowa Select Red 49 vs Pump N Run Black 62
We were pumped (pun very much intended) to check out New London standouts Mason Porter and Keontae Luckett with Pump N Run, BUT, they had a prom to attend and were not in Council Bluffs. Still, this talented Pump N Run squad got the W, and guys like Bryce Barnett — another Regina product — Carson Crile and Rhett Zeglen were given a chance to shine. Crile shined the brightest, he averaged a double-double with Fairfield as a sophomore and we see why, he finished with a game-high 16 points. When at full strength, this Pump team will be very tough to beat this summer.
17U (4:15): Mavs Purple 76 vs SW Iowa Select Red 62
No Griff Clark, no problem for this supremely talented Iowa Mavs squad. Again, it was Cedar Rapids Jefferson product Kyler Bell who impressed. He’s had himself a very nice spring. Tyler Kelley and Peter Timmerman were their usual dominant selves in the blowout win. This Southwest Iowa squad was not without some pleasant surprises though, Tyler Blaha is an athletic guard who can impact the game in a variety of ways. And Council Bluffs Lincoln product Preston Fant is about as close to a mini Russell Westbrook as I’ve seen in Iowa.
16U (5:20): Pump N Run Gold 43 vs Cornsharks Select 59
What a loaded group this Cornsharks team is. Highlighted by smooth and skilled lead guard Trey Hinote, this team could win a lot of games this summer. Though the Gold Pump team stayed competitive for much of the game, the strong play by Hinote and Boone product Justin Aspengren propelled the ‘Sharks to a relatively easy W. Will Turner shined for a bit in this one, and they got the big win despite arguably its second best player, Trent Williamson, netting just two field goals (eight total points). We’ll be interested to see how far this team — with their new awesome uniforms — can advance tomorrow.
15U (6:25): Nebraska Select 75 vs Sioux City Bombers 61
We’re really glad we headed over to check out this bunch of Northwest Iowa guys play. They didn’t come away with the win — and they can thank Treyvoyce Dixon for that, or whoever #8 was for Nebraska — but they stayed close throughout, and proved to have some very nice players. We were most impressed with Sioux City East guard Jack Peterson, especially when we thought he was a 2020 like the rest of the team (turns out he’s a 2019 playing down). Other standouts were 6’6 center Jacob Maxey and Sioux City East guard Sayvion Armstrong, who was making some impossibly tough shots at the rim. This Bombers team is a nice group of talent, they’ll win some games.