Midwest Live! (Omaha): Saturday Recaps
17U: 12:20 — KC Spurs Black 83 vs Showtime Hoopers 51
After notching nearly 100 points in their opening round game on Friday night, Showtime Hoopers was unable to get things going Saturday afternoon against a big and talented KC Spurs squad. Showtime Hoopers’ best player Cliff McCray struggled in this one, and played seldom in the first half after getting into foul trouble. Conner Groves led the way for the Northwest Iowa-based squad, he scored 12. Dalen Ridgnal from Rockhurst in Kansas City was the best scorer for the Spurs and he only played the first half. The athletic 6’6 forward’s 15 points led all scorers.
17U: 1:25 — Indy Heat Red 59 vs Iowa Cornsharks Select 36
This game was tight in the first half, and the ‘Sharks were within three at the break, 23-20. But the bigger and more athletic Indy Heat Red squad utterly dominated the second half, winning it 36-16. It was Blackhawk Christian (IN) guard Frank Robinson who was on fire in the second half for the Indiana unit; he nearly outscored the entire Iowa squad in the second half, going for 15 points. Former Cornsharks standouts Trey Hinote and Will Turner were playing with Kingdom Hoops Elite on the adjacent court.
16U: 2:30 — Lincoln Supreme 65 vs Kingdom Hoops Elite 53
A cohesive and well-oiled machine in the first-half, Kingdom Hoops led the much bigger Nebraska squad 29-20 at the break. But things turned sour in the second half for Kingdom Hoops, and unforced turnovers coupled with missed shots led to a dramatic turnaround in this 16U quarterfinal. Justin Bubak is ranked as a top-15 player in Nebraska’s 2020 class, he scored a game-high 22 points, 17 in the second half. Gilbert’s Matt Ockey led the way for Kingdom Hoops while scoring 17 points. A Nebraska guy playing with Kingdom Hoops, Jarred Mattley, was the best player for the Iowa squad in the loss. He also notched 17 points; 15 in the second half.
16U: 3:35 — Missouri Flight 65 vs Team Iowa White 54
This Team Iowa White squad has an energetic coach and it translates to their play on the floor. Jake Beckmann is their leader, and the Xavier point guard was good in this one while setting the pace and being an all-around play-maker. After Team Iowa led by one at the half, Missouri was able to use size and shooting to pull away late in the second. It was an impressive outing from Willard (MO) 6’5 forward Daniel Abreyu. He scored a team-high 18 points and ended the game with a clean 180 jam.
17U: 4:40 — Twin City Pirates 76 vs Iowa Prep Red 57
This Iowa Prep unit is solid, and will win a good amount of games this spring and summer. Especially with the Pleasant Valley duo of Carter Duwa and Hunter Snyder joining the team. But the Minnesota unit was too skilled, too strong and too athletic in Omaha tonight. It’s possible the Pirates were mis-seeded, they looked like a team that should have been playing in the quarterfinals rather than the consolation bracket. Regardless, Iowa Prep is well-coached and has plenty of talent, they’ll be one to watch this offseason.
17U: 5:45 — Kingdom Hoops-Mosley 70 vs NDaGym 64
This was easily the best game of the day, and probably one of the more entertaining AAU games I’ve ever seen. Kingdom Hoops led by 10 early, 21-11, but then Erik Slack from Kansas City got red-hot, canning 3-ball after 3-ball to give his squad a 29-23 advantage. Then, Kingdom Hoops ended the first half on a 9-0 run — highlighted by a monster Nathan Johnson flush — and went into the break with a 32-29 advantage. The first part of the second half belonged to the Kansas City-based squad, but then the talented Kingdom Hoops unit would erupt and eventually take control by the near end of the game. Some late 3-balls from NDaGym put one last scare into Kingdom Hoops, but the guys from Iowa would prevail in the end, and move on to the semifinal round which will be played Sunday morning. Waukee senior Nathan Johnson — who will play at Hargrave Military Academy next season — led the way with 18 points for Kingdom Hoops. Valley’s Trayvon Williams added 13.
17U: 6:50 — Kingdom Hoops-Stinson 63 vs KC Spurs Grey 59
Hoover’s Adam Jackson was on fire from start to finish, and he carried a second Kingdom Hoops unit into the 17U semifinals. Jackson scored 13 first half points and 15 second half points, and was doing it in a variety of ways. He was complimented well by Roosevelt guard Marcus Edwards, who scored 11 points of his own, including to very clutch free-thews with just seconds left on the clock, pushing Kingdom’s lead from two to four. Ankeny’s smooth and skilled guard Payton Fay was good, too. He put in nine points in the win. Former Iowa State standout Curtis Stinson is the coach of this team, they’ll play Minnesota Heat-Macdonald tomorrow morning at 10:10.