Battle at the Lakes: Sunday Recaps
15u Elite 8: All Iowa Attack 73 vs Iowa Barnstormers 70
In what was a wildly entertaining game between two chief intrastate rivals, it was the guys from Attack, particular Cole Glasgow and Corey Phillips that made more plays (that’s why they made the cover!). Attack raced out to an early lead in this one, and the ‘Stormers, who were led by Carson Toebe’s 17 points, did well to get back in it quickly in the first half. By halftime it was 38-36 Attack. The second half was tight throughout, no team led by more than five. Routinely, one guy would hit a huge bucket, then someone from the other team would answer. The fans were passionate, the coaches were, too, and the players left it all on the floor. It was one of the better games I’ve seen this spring, no doubt. Glasgow, a Dallas Center-Grmies freshman, led Attack with 21 points, Ames’ Phillips added 15.
15u Final 4: Wisconsin Crusaders 55 vs All Iowa Attack 54
This was a wild one. All Iowa Attack was white-hot early and raced out to a 27-13 led, that’s when things went sour for the Iowa guys. Wisconsin countered Attack’s hot start with a massive 16-0 run, taking a 29-27 lead in the process. Attack was able to regain composure, and headed into the break up 33-29. The second half saw the smaller Attack lead slip away and the Crusaders lead ballooned to as much as 10, 47-37, at one point. Again, a big lead in this game was erased, and with less than a minute left the Stormers had the game tied. Down the stretch, though, it was the Wisconsin guys that made the plays. Cole Glasgow buried a last second 3 to bring the game within one, but it wasn’t that dramatic of an ending.
Brayden Dailey
16u Final 4: Wisconsin Playground Club 70 vs All Iowa Attack 39
This was a matter of one team being too big, too skilled and simply too good for the other. It was a nice run for the All Iowa Attack guys, a team that features two of Iowa’s top-5 2021 prospects (Marcus Morgan and Karson Sharar), but it came to an abrupt end in this one. The guys from Wisconsin were huge, and severely out-sized the Iowa group. Their wings were skilled and athletic, Brayden Dailey of Cuba City was dynamic, scoring a game-high 16 points in the win. This is the same Playground Warriors unit that beat arguably Iowa’s best 16u team, Martin Bros, by 16 points in the Elite 8 earlier this morning, that’s saying a lot. Iowa was led by Sharar’s 16 points, Ballard’s Connor Drew chipped in with 10. Playground Club will face off against Team Factory Gold in the 16u final.
Chucky Hepburn
16u Final: Team Factory 67 vs Wisconsin Playground Club 50
The guys from Wisconsin finally met their match when they came up against this Omaha, Nebraska-based juggernaut. In particular it was Chucky Hepburn, a Bellevue West point guard, who was too much for the guys from Wisconsin to handle. Hepbun scored a game-high 21 points in the win, none were more dazzling than the electric baseline slam plus a foul he put down in the first half. He put in another dunk plus foul in the second half for good measure. Team Factory 16u has now won the last two Prep Hoops tourneys they’ve played in, the other was the #HardWorkSZNKickoff in Omaha last month, this squad can go. In addition to Hepburn’s brilliance, his high school teammate from Bellevue West, Frankie Fidler was terrific; the 6’6 wing put in 14 points in the blowout win. Do not sleep on these boys from Nebraska.
Blaise Porter
14u Final: Iowa Barnstormers 59 vs SD Attack 31
We don’t normally cover anything younger than 15u, but the opportunity presented itself, and there was an Iowa team in a title game, so we went for it. After watching this one unfold, we can confidently say that the future of Iowa high school hoops is indeed bright. The Barnstormers obliterated the competition in this one, it was never in question from the opening tip. A slew of guys impressed, including leading scorer big-man Kade Benjamin, he put in 14 points in the win. Others who impressed were slick and heady point guard Brayson Laube, he’s a sniper from deep, too, Blaise Porter can get up and go and has some serious skill, Dallas Bear is a tall lanky forward with some range and some sneaky good vision. It was an utterly impressive performance from the young ‘Stormers unit.