NY2LA UA Summer Jam: Pool Play

The NY2LA Under Armour Summer Jam concluded pool play Friday evening setting up seeding for the playoffs beginning Saturday morning. With the abundance of talent in the Milwaukee suburbs it was quite convenient to set-up a seat in between courts 2 and 3 at Homestead High School to view the top players and teams in the 17U pools.

Houston Defenders vs. TP Elite:

Not surprisingly, the Harrison twins garnered the most attention and they did not disappoint bringing their team back, the Houston Defenders from a seven point deficit in the final minutes. Coming out of a timeout with 2:40 to go and down 49-42, the Harrison twins took it upon themselves to bring their team back against TP Elite. Every possession the twins drove the ball strong to the basket for shots in the point, easy assists, or foul shots. Soon enough, Houston took the lead after Andrew Harrison drove to the basket which resulted in an easy assist and a 50-49 lead. Anderw eventually iced the game at the free throw line and came away with a 53-49 victory.

Harrison Twins - Kelly Kline/Under Armour

This game came alive and the crowd woke up in the 2^nd half, when Marquette commit, Deonte Burton threw down a powerful reverse dunk in traffic. Houston pushed the ball down the court as TP Elite celebrated and performed a nicely executed alley-oop giving the crowd another round of “ooooh’s” and “awee’s.” After a TP Elite miss, Andrew Harrison came right down the court and calmly drained a pull-up three. This game featured back and forth action and while Deonte Burton did not back down, it was obvious the Harrison twins were on another level. 

Illinois Wolves vs. DC Assault:

DC Assault got off to a slow start and the Wolves jumped on them early and never looked back. Two minutes into the game, Illinois was up 12-2 behind two three pointers from future big 10 rivals, Kendall Stephens and Nate Taphorn. Taphorn didn’t cool off and shooting guard Jared Brownridge joined the party with 24 points. The Wolves had a 39-27 halftime lead and extended this before the game was called with two minutes left. 

Net Gain vs. Philly Pride:

Net Gain pulled out a 71-70 overtime victory behind the scoring ability of 2014 five star prospect Rashad Vaughn and recent Wisconsin commit Riley Derring. Vaughn showed off why he is one of the top wing prospects in the 2014 class mixing in deadly jump shots with aggressive drives to the basket all game long. 

Other Notes:

Wisconsin Swing and the Wisconsin Playmakers dispatched talented foes Urban DFW and Southern Kings, respectively, with their deadly outside shooting. Nick Fuller and Bronson Koenig led the way for the Swing, while Matt Thomas led the way for the Playmakers. 

Isaiah Hicks and Garner Road faced off against the Atlanta Celtics in an afternoon battle, but Hicks was quickly regulated to the bench after two quick fouls. Garner Road was able to hang with-in striking distance, but Kansas commit Brannen Greene dashed their hopes with a three pointer with two minutes left to give the Celtics a 59-52 lead.

The 16U Louisville Magic squad will look to win their second tournament in two weeks this weekend, however the 16U Team Loaded might have something to say.