Hardwood Classic: Saturday Recaps
9:05 (15U Sweet 16): Team Factory (NE) 52 vs Kingdom Hoops Elite 38
The guys from Kingdom Hoops kept it close for most of this one, and after a tough first half by both teams, they trailed by just four, 18-14. But the Nebraska squad got hot midway through the second half, and extended it’s very meager lead out to double-digits in a hurry. Jaxon Smith was the best player for Kingdom Hoops. He’s an athletic playmaker on both sides of the ball, and had a better game than anyone in front of North Dakota coach Brian Jones. Team Factory advanced to the Elite 8 with the win, despite reportedly missing their best player.
10:10 (16U First Round): Iowa Barnstormers 86 vs Round Rock Dream Team (TX) 45
It was an utterly dominant stretch in the first half from Iowa’s top-ranked 2019 Patrick McCaffery that was the difference-maker in this one, and which propelled his ‘Stormers into the Sweet 16. The 6-foot-8 wing came off the bench and scored 14 points in three minutes — 3s, lay-ins, floaters — and that extended what was already a small ‘Stormers lead to an insurmountable ‘Stormers lead. McCaffery was as good as I’ve ever seen, impacting the game majorly on both sides of the ball — he finished with a team-high 22 points. Trey Hutcheson was showcasing his butter stroke from deep, the Linn-Mar shooting guard canned four 3s en route to 14 points. The Barnstormers advanced to the Sweet 16 with the win, where they’ll play KC Spurs Grey at 4:40 this afternoon.
11:15 (16U First Round): Kingdom Hoops Elite 80 vs SW Minnesota Stars 59
This Kingdom Hoops unit is fun to watch, and its duo of Trayvon Williams and Kylan Smallwood is one of the best in the Midwest. Each of the aforementioned Iowa prospects had moments in this game where they were unstoppable, and together they scored 37 points and came away with a slew of steals, rebounds and blocks. We’d put those two up against just about any tandem out there. And now that they’ve made the Sweet 16, the competition will greatly stiffen. Up next for the Williams, Smallwood and Co. : a meeting with former Kingdom Hoops standout, Tyreke Locure, who now plays with Kansas City-based MOKAN Elite. That game will be tonight at 5:45, we’ll be there for it.
12:20 (17U First Round): Kansas Cagers 64 vs Showtime Hoopers Black 55
This game was competitive throughout, but it was one of those instances where the guys from Iowa just couldn’t get over that hump. They trailed by anywhere between 6 and 12 for most of the game, and when they got to within striking distance, the Cagers would make another run. This Showtime team has some serious talent, beginning with 2019 Sioux City West point guard Cliff McCray. Add in fellow Wolverines DeSean Foy and Darius Moore, plus Sioux City North 2019 Robert Mosey, and there’s a team that’s very fun to watch. Talent is rampant in Sioux City right now.
1:25 (17U First Round): Iowa Barnstormers 77 vs Iowa Intensity 46
There was a little bit extra intrigue surrounding this game because former Iowa Intensity standout Garrett Sturtz is now a Barnstormer, and this was the first time they’ve played since the switch was made. Sturtz was granted the start in this game, and it was kind of weird seeing him play against his former squad. We’ve seen him dominate competition as a Intensity representative so many times before. The ‘Stormers were at full strength in this one, with AJ Green, Joe Wieskamp, Ed Chang and Joey Hauser all healthy and playing. But still, this Intensity team, even without its best (former) player, Sturtz, held tough. The ‘Stormers lead never ballooned to more than 12 in the first half, and Intensity went into the break trailing 40-29. The second half was a completely different story. Elijah Hazekamp came alive, as did the Chang and Hauser, and well, really all the ‘Stormers — and the rout was on. When the dust settled, we had a mercy rule ending at the two minute mark. These ‘Stromers have to be considered among a short list of favorites to take home the 17U crown tomorrow.
2:30 (17U First Round): Team Iowa Blue vs Kingdom Hoops Red
In what was definitely the most entertaining game of the day up to this point, Hunter Strait, Spencer Touro and their Team Iowa squad was able to escape with a narrow win over an fiery and gritty Kingdom Hoops unit and advance to the Sweet 16 of this tournament for the second straight year. Team Iowa raced out to a big lead early, and for most of the first half it seemed as though the Kingdom Hoops squad my be outmatched. But a late push at the end of the first half cut the very large deficit to just 13. And that momentum continued into the second half for Kingdom Hoops. It was Jahion McCaleb who was the main catalyst for a wild Kingdom Hoops comeback, he canned four 3s in a stretch during the second half. The latter of which gave his team a three point lead, its first lead of the game. But Team Iowa got their stuff together after that. Strait and Touro were clutch down the stretch, getting buckets and knocking down all their free-throws to scorer their team’s much-needed final 10 points. Touro led all scorers with 23 in this one, he was great. Strait added 16. McCaleb led Kingdom Hoops with 15 points on five 3s.
4:40 (16U Sweet 16): Iowa Barnstormers 73 vs KC Spurs Grey 23
The 16U Barnstormers continue to steamroll their competition, and after going undefeated in super pool play, they’ve now shellacked their first two bracket play opponents. This one was a rout from the get go, and top-ranked 2019 Patrick McCaffery was again sensational, notching 17 points in the blowout win. Noah Carter flushed home another impressive slam, he was doing that all day. The 6’4 Dubuque Senior forward finished with 10 points. Derek Krogmann was fantastic in the paint, he scored a team-high 21 in the win. The ‘Stormers will continue their onslaught tomorrow in the Elite 8 against MOKAN Select, 9:05 am.
5:45 (16U Sweet 16): MOKAN Elite vs Kingdom Hoops Elite
Another fantastic game, the guys from Iowa may have been underdogs in this one, but certainly never backed down. Fearless was Valley 2019 Trayvon Williams, he was attacking the hoop early and often, even skying for an alley-oop flush. His Valley teammate Agueck Deng kept Kingdom Hoops alive in the second half, hitting 3-ball after 3-ball and notching 15 points in the second half alone. His fourth and final 3 of the game actually put Kingdom Hoops on top, 50-49. But the lead was short-lived, and in the end, the size and skill of the Kansas City-based unit was too much. Tyreke Locure had a rough game shooting the ball, but still finished with five points in the win. He and his MOKAN squad will play tomorrow morning at 9:05 am in the Elite 8, vs ET21 Buckeyes.