ROCK Spring Classic: Saturday Recaps
8:00 (15u): Wisconsin Playmakers-Shaw 50 vs Iowa Mavs-Elgin 46
Thew Mavs were up nearly the entirety of the game, but in the final few minutes it simply slipped away. It was Playmakers guard Mekhi Shaw who hit a cold-blooded 3 with under a minute left to give his team its first lead since very early in the first half. It would end up being the game-winning bucket, the Mavs ran out of steam and couldn’t get anything to drop late. Despite the loss, this looks like a Mavs unit that could win a lot of games this spring and summer. Craigeory Mills is a big and agile post who can do a lot of nice things for this group, he led them with 10 points in the loss. Zach Erwin is a tall and versatile wing. Sharpshooter Ryan Dolphin showcased some nice handles and pretty jumper.
Gabe Burkle
9:00 (15u): Martin Bros 64 vs Bay Area Cyclones (WI) 50
This one was a tale of two halves. At halftime, Martin Bros found itself down 27-20, but the second half was utter dominance by the Iowa squad. Two guys in particular, Cedar Rapids Prairie big-man Gabe Burkle and Okoboji wing Lucas Lorenzen showed that they’re two of the best players in Iowa’s 2022 class. Burkle was unstoppable in the paint and controlled the glass, he scored a game-high 20 points. Lorenzen was versatile and steady with the ball, he scored 16. Martin Bros came away with the blowout win despite making just one 3-point shot in this one.
Jamari Smith
10:00 (16u): Dubuque Intensity 74 vs Wisconsin Swing-Brown 67
We didn’t know exactly what to expect out of this Dubuque bunch. It’s a program we had never seen before and after they got down big early, we thought it could be a blowout loss. Then the boys from Dubuque turned on the jets and erupted for a whopping 34-7 extended run in the first half. They were in control by halftime, up 36-17, and maintained control in the second half. A flurry of last minute 3s made the final score closer than the game actually was. A pair of Hempstead sophomores were impressive for Intensity; Deonte Howard scored a team-high 19 points and Jamari Smith scored 15 with a slew of assists and rebounds to boot.
Austin Hilmer
12:00 (15u): Iowa Barnstormers Black 69 vs Wisconsin Swing-Bartoshevich 52
The Gold Barnstormers are in Indianapolis at an adidas Gauntlet tournament, the Black squad showed today that they’re here to make some noise. Austin Hilmer was the best player on the floor in this one, the younger brother of Iowa high school hoops legend Jake Hilmer scored 14 points and added a slew of assists in the blowout win. Iowa City High wing Jamari Newson was impressive and led the ‘Stormers with 14 points. It should be noted, the Wisconsin squad had guy, Michael Ross from Port Washington (WI), snap for 23 points in the second half alone.
Jadin Johnson
1:00 (16u): Martin Bros 61 vs Young Legends (WI) 40
This was our first look at a Martin Bros squad that on paper looks like it could be the best 16u squad not only in the state, but among the elites in the Midwest. After a slow start against the supremely quick but much smaller Milwaukee squad, the boys from Iowa got rolling. Martin Bros used three consecutive triples, two from Keaton Kutcher and one of the Jaylon Moses, to take its first lead of the game late in the first half, and cruised from there. Chase Courbat and Michael Duax each threw down some nasty slams. Cooper DeJean was utterly impressive as well. Duax and Council Bluffs Lincoln guard Jadin Johnson led the way with 12 points each, DeJean added 10.
2:00 (15u): Wisconsin Playground Warriors 69 vs Martin Bros 40
This was just a case of a good team playing an elite team. This Martin Bros squad is going to win a lot of games this season, but the Playground Warriors guys were simply on another level. It’s a squad that features several future Division I hoops players, including athletic 6’4 wing Jeff Brazziel and quick, skilled 5’6 point guard Micah Causey, the two of them combined for 32 points in the blowout win. Martin Bros were led by New Hampton’s Drake Wemark who put in 10 points, Prairie big-man Gabe Burkle scored nine.
AJ Wilkins
5:00 (16u): Iowa Intensity 52 vs World Hoops Elite 30
As it does quite often when we watch Iowa Intensity games, it was raining 3s in this one. So much so, that the opponent was buried before this could even really get started. Cole Watts and AJ Wilkins were on fire from the get-go, and before the guys from Wisconsin knew it, they were down 19-3. In all, Intensity connected on 11 3s, four of them came from Grinnell’s Wilkins, all in the first half. Formerly of the Iowa Barnstormers (and maybe still with them at times), Hempstead guard Cam Davis has been a nice addition for this Intensity squad, he scored seven and played some stout D. Wilkins led all scorers in this one with 14, fellow Grinnell sophomore Cole McGriff added 10.
Jamari Smith
6:00 (16u): Iowa Barnstormers Black vs Wisconsin Premier
After a sluggish first half, the Iowa Barnstormers came out guns blazing in the second and would end up with an impressive come-from-behind 15-point win. It was a guy we saw earlier today on a different team, Jamari Smith, who was again the most impressive player in this one. The 6’4 shooting guard got red-hot in the second half, canning four 3-balls in a relatively short span of time and scoring 14 second half points to help spur the ‘Stormers to a monster second half run and a big win over the Wisconsin unit. Smith, a Hempstead sophomore, led all scorers with 19 points. Illinois-based Barnstormer Coltin Quagliano (Kewanee Wethersfield) was really good, too, he scored 14 points.
7:00 (16u): Iowa Mavs-Villagrana 75 vs Wisconsin Sharks 55
The guys from Iowa simply ran into a better team in this one, although it probably should have been a lost closer than the score would indicate. Cedar Rapids Prairie guard Caden Stoffer had been the best player for the Mavs, but went out midway through the second half — when the game was still somewhat close — with an apparent ankle issue. From that point on, the guys from Wisconsin dominated. Stoffer had 12 points before he left the game, Iowa City High guard Antrell Foster scored a team-high 15 points, including three 3s. The Wisconsin team was led by skilled 6’3 guard Max Kunnert, the Brookfield Academy sophomore scored a game-high 25 points.