Storm Classic Standouts: Day 3
Championship Sunday is the final day of action at the annual Storm Classic. Games on this day are elimination games, so it’s either win or go home. For teams serious about winning, this is when stakes are the highest. The best players step up and show out during important games. Below are some of the top performers from day 3 of the Storm Classic:
Nelson McCauley (Mustangs 17u) – McCauley had a big scoring stretch to open the second half that was a big reason for his squad’s comeback win over a favored 1Nation team. He hit threes and free throws, as well as finishing some tough layups in traffic. He also made an impact on the glass, rebounding the ball well despite being 6’4″-6’5″. His defense was solid as well. He repeated his impact performance with another solid outing in a blowout win against The Family later that day.
Mark “Rocket” Watts (The Family 16u) – Watts had himself some fun in a championship-game win over the Ohio-based NEO Shooting Stars. He came out red-hot, hitting his first 4 or 5 threes. He was pulling from all over the place and was simply unguardable. Not just a shooter, he was taking defenders off the dribble and had multiple pretty finishes in the paint. He finished with 37 points with 9 three point makes.
Demetrius Lake (Mustangs 17u) – Alongside McCauley, Lake helped carry his team to the championship game in the platinum bracket. Lake was a 2,000 point scorer in high school and showcased that exceptional scoring ability in two huge wins on championship Sunday. He scored in a variety of ways, hitting pull-up threes, step-back threes, midrange jumpers and finishing around the rim.
Terry Armstrong (The Elite 17u) – Despite falling short to Ohio-based C2K Elite, Armstrong looked solid on the final day of action at the Storm Classic. Armstrong created a ton of offense for his squad, scoring from deep, midrange and at the rim. While he wasn’t dominant and his team lost, Armstrong’s performance stood out due to the fact that The Elite had quite the struggle to create offense when he wasn’t on the floor. Terry, however, looked comfortable and performed well against a loaded C2K squad that features two Ohio State commits and several more mid-to-high major D1 players.