#HARDWORKSZN KICKOFF: Sunday Recaps
8:00 (16u Semifinal): Minnesota Heat 69 vs H.I.T. 56
This one was all Minnesota, from start to finish, it was never in question. The final score isn’t an indicator of the sheer dominance by the Minnesota guys. It was Albany (MN) sharpshooter Nolan Reuter who was carrying the load in the first half, he canned three 3s and scored 12 points before the break. Then it was Waseca big-man Andrew Morgan who was dominant in the second half. Morgan, a 6’8 center, scored 13 of his 21 points in the latter half, and was having his way around the rim against the smaller competition. Despite the big loss, H.I.T was not without its share of standout performers. Nequa Valley’s Max Rivera canned four 3s and scored a team-high 19 points, while 6’5 wing Odin Lium impressed while netting 17 of his own.
Matthew Mors
9:05 (17u Championship): SD Attack 51 vs Team Factory 48
The guys from South Dakota (and a couple Iowa guys) were ready for the talented Nebraska group, and aside from a couple very brief leads by Team Factory, this was South Dakota’s game the whole way. Matthew Mors put in a strong and-one with less than a minute to play, and that put his Attack squad in the driver’s seat, 51-43. A couple late buckets by Nebraska guys Jarred Mattley and Max Murrell would make things somewhat interesting in the final seconds, but ultimately this finish wasn’t as tight as the score would indicate. Murrell, a 6’9 stretch-four with a sweet stroke from deep, again led Team Factory in scoring (he did in the semifinal, too), he scored 13. For South Dakota, it was superstar forward Mors who led the way, he scored 15; MOC Floyd Valley’s Alex Van Kalsbeek was terrific, the Iowa big-man scored 14 in the win.
Chucky Hepburn
10:10 (16u Championship): Team Factory 68 vs Minnesota Heat 63
When you have a super star on your team like Team Factory does with Chucky Hepburn, titles are a little easier to come by. The Minnesota squad had battled all the way back from a double-digit second half deficit and taken a one-point lead late in the game, that’s when Hepburn took control. The 6′ guard scored 10 straight Team Factory points, he knew exactly when to take control. When the dust had settled, Hepburn had a tallied a game-high 23 points, 15 in the second half alone, he was the best guard in the gym today. Hepburn was helped out by Burke High guard Greg Brown, the 6’5 sharpshooter scored 14 points and put in three 3s in the win. The Minnesota group was impressive in the comeback, they dug themselves a big hole early, but were poised still and workmanlike with their comeback. In the end, though, Hepburn was too hard to handle. It was smooth big-man Andrew Morgan who again led the Heat in scoring, he put in 15 points. Morgan’s Waseca teammate Ryan Dufault scored 14 in the loss.