Hard Work Final: Saturday Game Recaps

17u: Iowa Mavericks-Cleveland 61 vs Chicago Lockdown 48

The Iowa Mavericks came into this tourney as the No. 9 seed, and after sneaking by BBA Force, 58-52 in round one, they were able to get a convincing win over Chicago Lockdown. Davenport North guard Jamal Litt was exceptional in the win, he was hitting from deep and doing his normal acrobatic scoring at the rim, helping him to a team-high 16 points. Linn-Mar guard John Steffen is always good, he scored 13 for the Mavs. 

17u: All In-Williams 56 vs Team Iowa 50

Team Iowa was the Cinderella story coming into the second round of this tourney, the No. 50-seeded squad knocked off the 15-seed MBA in round one, 90-80. In round two, it appeared they were poised for another upset after getting out to a big lead against the Illinois squad. But things turned sour quick. The guys from All In went on a massive run in the first half and turned the game upside down, their early deficit turned into a big lead quick, and they went into the break up 36-23. Team Iowa got hot late in the second half though, and at one point took a 44-42 lead after a 13-0 run. But the shots just weren't consistently falling for the Iowa guys, and the talent of All In ultimately prevailed. For All In, it was Isaiah Tolbert that led the way with 15 points, he hit some clutch free-throws down the stretch. For Team Iowa it was Cedar Rapids Xavier guard Davis Wagner that led the way with 14 points. 

17u: All In-Figueora 70 vs Mavs-Schlabaugh 52

The guys from Iowa were fresh off a heartbreaking overtime loss in round one of the tourney. The Illinois squad came into this game with a mission and they were firing on all cylinders from start to the finish of this one; particularly Dominic Martinelli, a 6'4 wing who scored an incredibly efficient 22 points at the rim. The Iowa guys showed a lot of fight and never let up, but it just wasn't their game; Brock Medinger had an eye-opening performance, he scored a team-high 14 points. 

17u: Michigan Tranzition 59 vs MBA 46

This was a highly entertaining game, not just because the fans from Michigan were electric, but their passion shone through to the players, and I'm convinced it urged them to this nice win over the talented Minnesota squad. The best part of this game -- and the whole day -- was when an errant Tranzition 3-ball at the buzzer went into the hands of rangy 6'4 forward Jaylen Daugherty who cleverly picked it out of mid-air and threw it down just before the buzzer sounds. The Michigan crowd went nuts, rightfully so, and that set the tone for the second half when the crowd was impassioned and the guys responded, resulting in the impressive 13-point win. It was a balanced offensive attack from Tranzition; Daiquan Coach led the way with 11 points, Daugherty and Sterling Scott each added 10. For the Minnesota unit, it was 6'5 Hopkins big man Drew Weber that impressed, he put in a game high 18 points.  

17u: Minnesota Matrix 41 vs Iowa Mavs-Cleveland 41

The No. 9-seed Iowa Mavs-Cleveland were on paper a slight underdog in this one, against the eight-seed from Minnesota; and the game was as tight as the numbers would suggest. No team gained a big lead at any time, and it was an intense and entertaining game throughout. It was clear that both teams were playing to avoid what could be their last ever grassroots game together. The Mavs played a stellar first half, and led by two at the break. In the second half, though, the sheer talent of the Matrix crew shined; point guard Will Cordes and big man Jacob Jennissen were too much. Jennison, a bouncy 7-footer, holds offers from Colorado State, Northern Iowa, Drake and Milwaukee, he had two monster slams and finished with 11 points. Cordes had a game-high 13. For Iowa, it was Cedar Rapids Jefferson guard Ozzie Meiborg that led with 13 points.