Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Introducing the Flint All-Stars


For the last 15 years the only AAU team around Flint to get any kind of recognition has been Flint Affiliation. Well, it seems that there is a new team in Flint Town that has made some noise this spring AAU season.

Flint native, Shane Adams, has assembled a team in the 15-u division that has had more than there fair share of success. Unlike most AAU teams that recruit players from multiple cities, the Flint All-Stars complete team attends schools in Genessee County.

The core of this team has been together for five years now and that camaraderie is starting to pay off. The Flint All-Stars can already boast championship victories in the Showdown in Motown, an AAU super-regional, and the Flintstone Classic. The All-Stars also took 2nd in AAU States as well as 4th place in AAU States 17-under division (played up two divisions).

The Flint boys found their latest taste of success this past weekend at the Nike Memorial Shootout where they won the silver division. After a loss to The Family in pool play, the All-Stars bounced back to get wins over teams from Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and New Jersey. The All-Stars ended the holiday weekend with a 73-68 win over King's Court.

Shaun Nunn-Coffer took home the MVP honors with his performance as the team's point guard. For those of you who have not seen Shaun play, he is small is stature but lightning quick to go with great ball handling skills and court vision.

With Nunn-Coffer running the point, it was 6-3 Eric Long who cashed in with most of the scoring over the weekend. Long also gets after it on the defensive end. 6-3 Ray "Willis" Arrington was the last All-Star to bring home All-Tournament Team honors. Arrington led the team in rebounds as well as giving his team an exclamation mark to end the weekend- in the final minute of the championship game Arrington got the ball out on a fast break and three down a powerful dunk to close the door on King's Court.

Mustangs at Bob Gibbons



The Michigan Mustang 15's did not come home with any hardware from North Carolina but the trip was still successful, however the Stangs did come home wondering "what if"?

Both starting wings Brandan Kearney and Matt Poches missed most of tournament with injuries but credit has to be given to the rest of the roster because they did a heck of a job of carrying the slack.

First off I would like to take a few lines to tell my boys how proud I am of them. As a team we constantly hear rumors of how this team has too many "stars" and that teams with so many "stars" can't build any team chemistry. This team has quickly built a brother hood that is rarely found in AAU basketball. These guys believe in each other and they all sacrifice playing times and points for the goodness of the team. In just a few months these boys have banded together to build something special.

The Stangs instantly took a hit during warm-ups of their first game when they realized that Kearney would not be healthy enough to play. The team captain still managed to fire up his team and the rest of the guys responded by jumping out to a 10 point lead over Carolina Raptors Select. The Raptors fought back to cut the lead down to two at the half.

In the second half Carolina got up by as many as 14 points. Kearney couldn't watch any more from the bench and decided it was time to play, even at 50%. Kearney instantly gave his team some much needed confidence and the run was on. In just a a couple of minutes Kearney produced 8 points and 3 assist. The short minutes were painful and Kearney was forced to come back out but he had done more than enough for his team. Juwan Moody helped tie the game with a 3-pointer and Pierre Brackett's steal and bucket gave the Stangs the lead for good with 2:30 to play. The Mustangs finished the Raptors off at the line by hitting 5 of 6 in the game's final minute.

In the second game the Stangs stumbled against the Playaz. The Playaz have four players ranked nationally but that didn't scare the Stangs one bit. The two teams battled back and forth. Moody stole the spotlight with his 3-point shooting from downtown. Credit also has to be given to LaDonte "Buckets" Henton and Matt Poches for their ability to get to the basket and the free throw line against the Playaz. Percy Gibson also had a strong performance as he went toe to toe with the Playaz' 6-9, 275 pound big fella. A basket from Henton gave the Stangs a two point lead with a four minutes to go. Down the stretch Poches went hard to the basket and got fouled hard. A knee to the thigh took Poches out. The Stangs never regrouped and took their first loss of the tourney.

The winner of the final pool play game would advance to bracket play with the looser being put out. The Mustangs again found their self in a tight battle. Nashville started three players that all stood 6-5 and couldn't miss from 3-point range. With both Kearney and Poches on the shelf it was Henton and Moody who picked up the slack early, both finished with more than 20 points.

In the second half newly acquired Tommie McCune showed off his talents on both ends with some big baskets and blocks. The game stayed tied going into the game's final minute. That's when Ray Tillman took over. First Tillman made a huge defensive play when the Celtics tried to play for the game's final shot. Tillman forced his man into taking a bad off balanced jumper and Henton was there to secure the rebound. With 8 seconds left Tillman then finished off the Celtics with a pull up jumper in the lane to win the game.

In the quarter-finals the Mustangs met up with the New York Gaunchos. The Mustangs controlled the whole game but only had a five point lead at the half. In the second half the Gaunchos got hot and took over the lead. A powerful one hand slam from Henton kept the Stangs close but in the end the Gaunchos were able to hit free-throws to close the game out.

The Carolina experience was huge for this young Stang team. These kids could have easily gave up when injuries continued to pop up, but no! They challenged their character and regrouped as a team. They leaned on each other just like they have done all year. Below is a breakdown of individual performance from the Stangs down in Carolina.

Pierre Brackett- Pierre's came up big against the Raptors when the Stangs were down. In the game's final five minutes he had three offensive rebounds, six points, and three steals. He is by far the best defensive player in his class in Michigan and maybe the country!

Dan Chilcote- the 6-6 wing hit some big baskets including a 3-pointer against Nashville. When the Stangs lost a couple of players Chilcote helped out by playing a little guard.

Percy Gibson- got the better of every big man he matched-up against. He continues to show why he is the best big man in Michigan. Percy gave the Stangs a minimum of 10 points every game.

LaDonte Henton- "Buckets" averaged a double-double and finished third in the tournament in scoring with a 19.5 average. He played every position over the course of the weekend for the Stangs.

Dennis Hogan- At times Dennis found himself a little undersized but he continued to get the job done. His two free throws in the final 5 seconds secured the win against the Carolina Raptors.

Brandan Kearney- He has the nickname BK to go with the Burger King logo, but I'm going to take up a notch and rename him "The King". He showed his leadership and love for the game over the weekend by coming in for a few minutes when his team needed him the most. He kept his team fired up from the bench.

Tommie McCune- in his first weekend he instantly blended in with his "team first" mentality. Tommie made some huge blocks, along with some nice dunks. He also put the ball on the floor and made some nice passes from the post.

Juwan Moody- Moody must love the Carolina heat because he stayed on fire through out the whole tourney. He averaged five three-pointers a game while continuing to carry his regular point guard duties.

Matt Poches- Matt was his usual self- "a scoring machine", until he went down with his injury. He constantly tried to shake it off and play for his team but he was just hurting too much.
Ray Tillman- Tillman is showing why he is one of the best PG's in the state for his class. He played lock down defense and used his speed and body control to get to the basket. When he hit the game winning buzzer beater over Nashville he was cooler than the other side of the pillow.

Darren Washington- the big fella had his best performance against the Gaunchos with some big blocks. Darren went right at every big man he faced and did a solid job of rebounding in every game.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Memorial Weekend

Memorial weekend has always been a big weekend for AAU basketball with some major events going on around the country. In Michigan most of the teams flocked to Ypsilanti to play in the MI Mavericks Invitational. All Ohio Red also has their annual Memorial Showdown in Columbus, OH. The Family, the Flint All-Stars, and the older Mustang teams all headed to Buckeye Country.

But most of the Memorial Weekend talk circled around the teams that made the far trip to North Carolina for the prestigious Bob Gibbons "Tournament of Champions". The Grand Rapids Storm, REACH Legends, and Michigan Hurricanes all participated in the 17-u division with the Mustangs 15-unders being the other Michigan representative.

Gibbons' Tournament of Champions is not only one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country, since the games are played at the University of North Carolina, Duke, and NC State, but it is also one of the toughest. It is incredibly difficult to make it out of pool play and one loss can ruin those chances.

WEEKEND NOTES:
**None of the Michigan 17-u teams could get any kind of success rolling in Carolina. REACH and the Storm were able to pull of a win in pool play.

**The Storm's Ben Simons played well in Carolina even though he wasn't 100%.

** The Storm had a chance to tie their final pool game against the United Celtics (and have a chance to advance out of pool play) but a lay-up from Austin Harper bounced off.

**REACH added a much needed point guard in Maurice Jones. Pookie along with Keith Appling are dynamite and fun to watch.

**REACH also let a tight pool game slip away with some missed free throws down the stretch, the close loss to Flroida Assault stopped REACH from advancing out of pool play.
**REACH got a win over the Georgia Ballers when Appling (20), Jones (18), and Dion Sims (14) all went for double digits.

** Jonny Horford did dislocate his knee and is only expected to miss 3 weeks. He will be ready for the month of July.

** The Mustang 16's and 17's both fell in the sweet 16 in Columbus. Both teams were missing multiple starters with players like Doug Anderson, Tony Brown, Dedo Jackson, and Nick Jobe all missing the trip.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Riley to be a Hoya!

6-11 Country Day center, DaShonte Riley, has ended his recruiting by giving a commitment to Georgetown University.

Riley has received a lot of slack this AAU season for his inability to dominate near the basket. He as fallen from the top of national rankings but he still has a ton of pro potential and no better place to develop that potential than in Hoya Country, Georgetown has a very successful pass with big men. Riley also has a chance to play as a freshman because Georgetown will only have one other center on their roster and 2008 top recruit, Greg Monroe, will probably be a one and done player.

Friday, May 16, 2008

MIDDLE SCHOOL SHOWCASE CAMP

Don't forget to register for Coach Greg McMath's Middle School Showcase Camp on June 7th at Center Courts in Saginaw on June 7th. This one day camp will give you middle schoolers a great chance to get some early exposure while developing your fundamentals at the same time. Guaranteed to be a fun day!

To get a flyer for the Showcase go to:

www.nextgenerationsports.net/home/wire/2007/mssc08.pdf

Mushatt Interview

Don't forget to check out the interview with Latreze Mushatt and Coach Matt Brown talking about Mushatt's decision to sign with UMKC. You can find the interview on the Next Generation Sports home page or just use the hyperlink below:

www.nextgenerationsports.net/home/wire/2007/bbbmushattofficial.html

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Mushatt makes it official!

Rumors have swirled around for weeks on whether or not Latreze Mushatt was committed to the University of Missouri Kansas City or what his plans were for the next level. The 6-5 Arthur Hill standout put all rumors to rest as he inked a letter of intent to Coach Matt Brown and the Kangaroo program.

I had an opportunity to talk with both Mushatt and Coach Brown about his decision, and what will be expected of him while at UMKC. That full interview will be released tomorrow. I also just want to say- congratulations Trez, I know how hard you have worked and I am very proud of you! -Paully-C

Introducing Ray McCallum Jr.


When Ray McCallum excepted the head coaching job at the University of Detroit, one of the first questions asked was what was going to happen to his son- Ray Jr.

Ray McCallum Jr. is a nationally ranked point guard in the class of 2010 and you can instantly add his name to the list of Michigan's top players regardless of class. It is still unclear what high school Lil Ray will attend, although rumors lean toward U of D Jesuit. If that is the case then Jordan Morgan and U of D will be able to contend for a State Title. Whatever high school that does get this prep star will instantly become that much better. Michigan is considered a hot bed for prep athletes and McCallum gives Michigan one more name to boast! Below is McCallum's profile sheet:

Name- Ray McCallum

Nickname- Lil Ray

Height- 6-1

Position- point guard

High School- undecided

AAU Team- Indiana Elite

Grade- 10th

Age- 16

Birthdate- 6/12/91

Biggest influence in life- My Dad

Greatest Attribute- Shooting

Needs to improve- defense

Best player I have played with- Samardo Sammuels

Best player I have played against- Brandon Jennings

Favorite player- Chris Paul

Favorite musical artist- Lil Wayne

Most memorable sports experience- my first dunk

Achievements- being one of the top players in my class

Adidas May Classic Recap








Adidas May Classic Recap- brought to you by Paully-C
While most Michigan team's stayed close to home this weekend, to play in tourneys that were hosted by the R & G All-Stars and the West Michigan Lakers, the Michigan Mustangs' three teams and Common Bond's four teams, along with Flint Affiliation 16's all headed south to participate in the Adidas May Classic that was hosted by the Indiana Elite. The tourney was played at the University of Indiana and local gyms around Bloomington.

17-under
Of the eight Michigan teams that played, the Mustang 17's were the only team that made a deep run, so deep the Stangs advanced all the way to the gold championship before falling to Indiana Elite One.

Heading south to Indiana the sky wasn't so bright for Coach Watt's crew, due to proms and other school activities the Stangs were left stranded with only five players- Drew Valentine, Duke Mondy, Matt Balkema, Rico Stewart, and Jared Mysliwiec. After a late night meeting, between the complete Mustang coaching staff, a handful of players were sent up through out the tourney to give the 17's some sort of a bench. Players that saw some time with the 17's were Percy Gibson, LaDonte Henton, Juwan Howard Jr., Devin Ivy, Brandan Kearney, Sultan Mohammad, and Denzel Valentine.

The Stangs fought through pool play with a 2-0 record with wins over Chicago Express and M33M.

Sunday the Stangs continued to build strength and confidence as they won three games to set up the championship game against Indiana Elite-One at I.U.'s Assembly Hall.

Some 17-u notes:
**The Mustangs kept the championship game close and that was a victory in itself as Indiana Elite was loaded with players committed to Duke, Purdue, and two to Indiana.

**Mason Plumlee (Indiana Elite #5 above), a Duke commit, is one to keep an eye on, at 6-10 not only can he play the block but he can step out and shoot as well as handle the ball.

**Drew Valentine's toughness and leadership kept the core of this team focused with only five players playing a bulk of minutes, he also guided the young fellas and kept their confidence high.

** LaDonte Henton led the 17's in scoring for the weekend, he also had the game winning basket as time expired in the semi-final breaking an 87-87 tie- showing why he has the nickname 'Buckets".
** Duke Mondy was fantastic all weekend. He caught fire in the second round, when the Stangs trailed, by scoring 13 points by himself to give his team the lead back. He finished the game with 30 points.

**There were a few times through out Sunday, and even in the championship game, when the Stangs had five of their younger players on the floor showing how good they can be in the future.

16-Under
The 16-u Stangs played in a nationally loaded super pool where they fought but came up short with a 1-point and a 2-point loss to Spiece Indy Heat and Indiana Elite. Even though the Stangs were 0-2 in pool play they received a bid to the gold bracket for playing in the super pool. It was just one of those weekends because the Stangs lost another hard fought game in the gold division to Rameybasketball.com (St. Louis).

Common Bond's two teams couldn't muster much success either. Tyrone Hicks' team did manage to win their pool but they fell in the first round of the gold division to MBA Elite. Dedoes' team went 1-1 in pool play and lost in the first round of silver division play to Indiana-Fort Wayne.

Flint Affiliation also had a tough road as they came back home with a 0-3 record. No excuses but half of FA's team were 15-u players.

Some 16-u notes:
** The Mustangs did control leads in all three of their hard fought games.

**6-9 Alex Guanna continues to look like a high major recruit with the ability to step out and shoot the 3-ball.

**Dedo Jackson is turning into the best "TRUE" point guard in the state for the class of 2010- meaning he is a pass first PG that can set up his big men.

** CJ Olaniyan has joined the Stangs roster and he gave Coach Oden another freak to clean up the glass that can also finish with his soft touch. CJ is shorter than Guanna and Horford but he is more physical.

** Teveon Whitson averaged 25 points a game for FA- he will step in and be the next big star to come out of Saginaw High. He can stroke the ball from deep and has an excellent mid-range game.

**Tommie McCune a 2011 player also looked good playing up for FA by controlling the boards and running the floor.

15-under
The Michigan Mustangs used a 9 point win over Illinois Old School and a 12 point win over Indiana Swish to win their pool and advance to the gold division. In the gold division bracket he Stangs dug theirselves a double digit half time deficit but were able to out score the Queen City Prophets by 13 points in the third quarter to get right back into the game. But in the end the Stangs fell by 7 points giving them a 2-1 record for the weekend.

Some 15-u notes:
** Dan Chilcote started this weekend for the young Stangs and showed why he is considered a wing at 6-6. He can really shoot the deep ball.

**Juwan Moody got hot in the first half against Indiana Swish with five 3-pointers.

**Darren Washington continues to impress at 6-9. Even though he's still growing into his body he is very physical and has great timing on blocking shots.
-Paully-C

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Spiece Run-N-Slam: 17-U standout performances



(players listed in alphabetical order)

Keith Appling, REACH Legends- Keith was able to find a few "W's" this weekend while still getting his 25+ points a game. He exploded against Peoria Irish in a silver division win.

Keenan Coleman, Motor City Mavericks- colleges might have forgotten about this 6-3 combo so Keenan is simply reminding them he's still around. He is a true playmaker with abiltiy to score from deep and attack the basket and finishing with dunks.

Vonn Jones, Motor City Mavericks- Travonn did his best to lead his team from his PG position but when points were needed Travonn produced them. He had 41 against the Iowa Barnstormers in their gold division lost.

Donnovan Kirk, The Family- out of the platoon of big men The Family can boast, Kirk might be the smallest but yet the most consistent. He can step out from about 15 feet and still get the job done.

Duke Mondy, Mustangs- nothing flashy from Mondy all weekend but he produced. He consistantly gave the Stangs 15 points a game.

Derrick Nix, The Family- the big fella contuines to get into shape and continues to have his soft touch around the basket. He did struggle, in the OT loss to Illinois Bobcats, guarding smaller and quicker big men.

Korey Van Dussen, W. MI Lakers- the 6-2 combo guard is starting to make his name known. He handled the ball as well as put up big numbers in the scoring department while taking his team on a ride in the silver division.

Trey Ziegler, Mustangs- boy, oh boy... did Ernie the third look good in a Stang uni! He also played well in it! Ziegs instantly blended in and broke defenses down as he set up teammates for easy buckets.

Spiece Run-N-Slam: 17-U division



Oh so close... so close.... The state of Michigan almost had the match-ups they wanted in getting to see the Michigan teams battle it out but none of them could advance. The Mustangs fell to Mac Irvin Fire by 12 points, if they would of won they would have received a rematch against the Grand Rapids Storm. The Storm, without Ben Simons, was able to advance with a win over the Michigan Hurricanes.

In another gold game the Motor City Mavericks and The Family would have played each other in the second round but neither could pull out a win. The Family fell in OT while the Motor City Mavericks trimmed a 18 point half time deficit to 2 points but couldn't get any closer.

On the good side of things both the Mustangs and the GR Storm were knocked out by the Mac Irvin Fire (Chicago), who went on to win the gold championship. The Storm only lost to the Fire by two points, bringing up the question- Are they the best 17-u team in Michigan.

REACH Legends and the West Michigan Lakers both found success in the silver division with the Lakers advancing to the "final 4".

Spiece Run-N-Slam: 16-U standout performances


(players listed in alphabetical order)

Mohammed Conde, Common Bond- showed his ability to play the inside-outside game. He gives Common Bond a match-up problem for other teams to handle.

Alex Guanna, Mustangs- the Eaton Rapids product continues to show high major skills. He dominates the paint but runs the floor like a wing.
Ladonte Henton, Mustangs- "Buckets" was his ordinary self and that equaled out to about 17 points and 12 boards a game. He had a sick reverse baseline dunk on Saturday.

Dedo Jackson, Mustangs- looked fantastic running the floor while having the ball in his hands. He did a good job of distrributing the ball to the bigs on his team so they don't have to work to hard to score.

Jaylen Larry, Common Bond- soft touch around the basket but really knows how to use his body and run the floor. If he can find another inch or two he might be a D-1 player.

CJ Olaniyan, TEAM Basketball- averaged a double-double all weekend in points and rebounds. One of the top rebounders for Michigan's class of 2010.

Spiece Run-N-Slam: 16-U division


Just when you think you have an idea on what teams are the standouts somebody else surprises you. Last weekend at King James the Mustangs toppled The Family by 25 points on there way to the gold division championship runner-up. This week it was Common Bond who made the long run to the gold division "final 4".

The Mustangs struggled this week to find any kind of consistency. True, they were without Jon Horford (sick), Trey Ziegler (played 17's), and Maurice Jones (bounced up and down with the 17's) and yet they were still able to advance to the gold bracket with a 2-1 record. In the first round of bracket play they were bounced by their next door Adidas neighbor- Ohio Basketball Club. OBC's 6-7 Dakotah Euton, a Kentucky commit, hurt the Stangs with his 3-point shots.

The Family was able to find success against OBC as they managed to beat them in the very next round. The family was on a 5-0 roll before they faced Common Bond in the quarter-final. NGS was not able to attend the game but did hear CB's inside presence of 6-7 Mohammed Conde, 6-6 Jaylen Larry, and 6-3 Pat O'Brien were the difference.

Other Michigan teams that were able to make some noise over the weekend were the Michigan Hurricanes, the Central All-Stars, and TEAM Basketball. The Hurricanes are trying to bounce back from a down recruiting year. The Canes made a solid run in the gold division before falling to the Ohio Gators, leading the way was 6-7 Chris Beecham. While the Canes are trying to hold on to their elite status the Central-All Stars and TEAM Basketball are trying to get there. No AAU team around runs their offense to perfection like C.A.S. does under Coach Doug Brotherton and he has sharp shooter Tony Larkins to put up the points. TEAM Basketball also has to counter back against other team's talent with a perfected offense but they also had CJ Olaniyan to clean up the mess off the glass.

Spiece Run-N-Slam: 15-U division standout performances



(players listed in alphabetical order)
Pierre Bracket, Mustangs- the wing is known for his hustle and defense but he showed his offensive skills this weekend. Might be the best defender in his class and his teammates are starting to reward him for his efforts.
Carlton Brudidge, The Family- he's a tad bit older than most freshman but he knows how to use that to his advantage. He bullies his way to the basket by simply overpowering the defense but he can step back and hit the jumper just as easily.

Brandan Kearney, Mustangs- the 3-ball was really flowing this weekend. the 6-4 combo guard was pulling up from deep knocking down big shots through out the weekend. He continues to impress with his court vision that leads to great assist.
AJ Mathews, Common Bond- carried the scoring load for his team this weekend and I mean carried the load- averaged 30 points a game for the entire weekend. Got to the foul line and made teams pay for it.

Andrew Maxey- Camp Daryl- a big guard at 6-2 that can stroke the 3-ball. His long range shooting allowed Camp Daryl to win their pool and it was his shooting that kept CD close against the Stangs.

Jullian Plummer, Camp Daryl- strong and physical post play, he only stands 6-4 but plays like he's 6-8. Not much of an offensive game, yet, but he's not afraid to mix it up down low.

Matt Poches, Mustangs- this 6-3 combo guard is a scoring machine. Every game he puts up points in bunches on such a loaded team. He knows how take advantage of his defender by backing down smaller guards or driving right by the bigger ones.
Ray Tillman, Mustangs- starting to get more minutes and he knows what to do with them. He plays hard and really knows hot to push the ball and make plays in traffic. Made some big plays down the stretch in the double-OT loss against All-Ohio Red.

Amir Williams, King James- the 6-9 center did most of his damage on the defensive end with rebounds and blocking shots. He still gets his fair share of points even without many touches.

Spiece Run-N-Slam: 15-U division



Nine teams from Michigan participated in the sophomores to be division, of the group three teams advanced into the gold bracket- Common Bond, Camp Daryl, and the Michigan Mustangs, only the Stangs were able to pull off a win in the gold bracket.
Common Bond and The Stangs both entered as #2 seeds, the Stangs dropped their first pool game to the Ohio Basketball Club. All the pregame hype circled around OBC's point guard Stevie Taylor, however the Stangs' Juwan Moody and Brandan Kearney completely shut him down. The problem was the Stangs had no answer for the multiple big men OBC threw at them. The Mustangs were able to bounce back and pick up a pair of 20 point victories over Wisconsin Swing and Team NLP.

Camp Daryl won their pool (with wins over teams from Chicago, Cleveland, and Indiana) to set up a first round match-up with the Mustangs. On paper this game should have been the Stangs with ease but that was not the case. I don't know if the players from the Mustangs over looked Camp Daryl or if CD had a point to prove but CD wouldn't let the mighty Adidas team pull away. Multiple times the Stangs got up by double digits only to have Camp Daryl claw right back into the game. The Mustangs needed a big shot from Percy Gibson to finally close the door.

Sunday morning the Stangs lost a double-overtime battle against All-Ohio Red. All-Ohio pulled down 6-7 workhorse DJ Weatherspoon from their 16-u team and he gave the Mustangs all sorts of problems in the post. The two teams were neck to neck the whole way and you could tell this game had OT written all over it. The Stangs trailed early in the first OT but Kearney knocked down a 3-pointer and Matt Poches hit a pair of free-throws to tie the game. The Stangs had a shot to win it in the first OT but the basket rimmed out forcing the second OT.
Again the teams traded leads, Gibsons' "and 1" play gave the Stangs a one point lead and fouled Weatherspoon out of the contest. Ohio came down and hit consecutive baskets to take a three point lead with less than a minute to play. The Mustangs had a chance to tie the game but turned the ball over giving All-Ohio the win in front of a packed crowd.

In the silver division the Courthouse Kings were able to knock off the family in the first round by one point. The Kings don't have any big time names but they are disciplined and play extremely hard. The win gave the Grand Rapids team a spark as they fought threw the silver division before bowing out in the semi-final to Chicago Express, who went on to win the championship. The Kings now have wins over The Family and the Hurricanes so far this spring.