Premier Summer Championships: Rose City Rebels vs SFD Elite (17U)
The Premier Summer Championships in Salem, Oregon concluded with a round of championship games at 3:30 pm earlier today. The Rose City Rebels and SFD Elite met in the 17U C Bracket Championship.
Result: Rose City Rebels won, 66-56
SFD Elite came to play early on. They opened the game with a 19-4 lead on the Rebels, and were scoring at will on the interior and from three-point range. SFD continued to lead by double digits, but after the score reached 26-13 in favor of SFD, the Rebels decided to ramp up the defense. Within a matter of minutes, the Rebels had forced multiple turnovers and taken the lead, 29-28. SFD was not phased though, answering back with 3 made three-pointers in a few possession stretch. SFD lead 41-35 at halftime.
After the half, the Rebels adopted a “layups only” rule, passing up contested jumpers and taking advantage of the lack of a shot clock to prod the defense in search of an open look under the basket. The slowing of the tempo and the use of their athleticism in the paint wore down SFD, and the Rebels were able to open up and hold an 11 point lead for most of the second half.
Key Players:
SFD Elite was led by Ethan Smith and Brad Lackey, both of Union High School. Smith, known for his shooting ability, finished with 10 points. Lackey used his quick attacks and shifty handles to get to the paint repeatedly. He finished with 14 points, and helped SFD’s offense flow in the first half with his penetration.
Rose City Rebels were led by Alex Schumacher of Skyview High School. He started slow, but ramped up his aggressiveness when the Rebels found themselves down double-digits in the first half. He finished with 20 points, including 3 three-pointers. He also played strong defense against SFD’s leading scorers. Nate Rawlings-Kibonge, the 6’6 soon-to-be sophomore big man from Jefferson High School, completely controlled the paint for the final three quarters of the game. He finished with 19 points, including 3 or 4 dunks, and 5+ blocks in the game. Aaron Deloney, the reigning Oregon State Champion point guard from Grant High School, finished with 14 points and found every gap in SFD’s defense that he possibly could. His speedy drives often ended in an and-1 for himself or a drop-off for one of the bigs.