Hoops we did it again: championship game standouts
Following a last-second, one-point loss to begin the Hoops we did it again tournament, Team Inspire re-calibrated and won three consecutive games to claim the boys varsity championship in Phoenix on June 3.
Third-seeded Inspire defeated the previously-undefeated Team Wygant Elite 69-60 in the final, dominating in rebounds and points in the paint against a much smaller team missing many of its forwards and centers.
Here are five standout players from Sunday’s final game:
Team Wygant Elite:
- Jordan Morris
The sharp-shooting guard got off to a strong start to the game, hitting five straight three-pointers in the first half for 15 points, rushing TWE out to an early lead. Though he did not score in the second half, he was the team’s top scorer.
- Jaylin Fleming
Fleming was the only player on TWE that was consistently able to battle his way into prime position near the basket against Inspire, drawing fouls and finishing at the basket. When the defense began to double-team him in the paint, he kicked out several quality passes to his teammates for open shots in the corners.
Inspire:
- Michael Anderson
Anderson was the catalyst to a 20-8 scoring run to end the first half, getting out in transition off of his team’s defensive rebounds and finishing in the paint. He also provided Sunday’s top play. Down 23-25, Anderson took the ball coast-to-coast for a thunderous left-handed baseline dunk to tie the game at 25-25. Inspire would not trail the rest of the game.
- Rashad Smith
Smith, much like he did in his performance on the tournament’s first day, was an anchor on the defensive end, blocking several shots at the rim and contesting even more. He also shot well from long-range, knocking down a couple of key three-pointers to put the game away in the second half.
- Frank Garcia
Inspire controlled the pace all game, scoring transition points all night long, led by the pair of Garcia and Anderson. Garcia utilized his size against smaller guards to box out for several offensive rebounds, which he either put back for easy points or passed out to teammates.