ROXBURY, Mass. – The Powerade Hardtop Challenge, formerly known as the “Sprite Tournament”, was held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center this weekend. It’s part of an annual national tour run by Powerade with the help of people in the basketball community in each city.
The event featured competition in four boys and two girls age groups. While there were some teams that made the trip from out of town, including a couple from Pennsylvania and several from New York, the event had a decidedly Boston feel, especially when it came to the championships. This year, a handful of games were played on Friday night of the weekend, after having games only on Saturday and Sunday in the past. In part, that was to accommodate having two girls age groups that were added this year.
The girls championships saw the same two programs match up in both games. It started with the 15-Under final, where the hometown Boston Showstoppers ran away with a 71-28 decision over Da Fam from Connecticut. The 14-Under final was a close call, but the Showstoppers took that one home as well, 44-41.
The start of the 13-Under boys championship game was delayed because one of the teams, the Boston Spartans, had not paid their entry fee to the tournament by this point. This is unfortunately not the first time the program has been stingy about paying an entry fee, as they have still yet to pay the entry fee for their 15-Under team that competed in our Hoopville Spring Finale in June.
Once they paid and the game could finally start, the Spartans were facing a recent nemesis in Expressions Elite. It was a relatively tight game throughout, and Expressions Elite had a seven-point lead in the final minutes. But the Spartans would score the last eight points, including a floater in the lane with five seconds left, to pull out a 44-43 win. The Spartans’ 14-Under entry made it to the title game as well, but the Boston Tigers came away with a 41-33 win in that game.
In the 16-Under final, Expressions Elite had the lead for much of the game, including a double-digit advantage early in the second half. The Roxbury Boys & Girls Club rallied to get within 39-36, but Expressions Elite ran off eight unanswered points after that and were never threatened the rest of the way en route to a 60-45 win.
The last game of the weekend saw the Roxbury Titans and Play to Win take the court. Both teams had a lot of BABC connections, with the Titans having mostly current players and Play to Win having several former BABC players. Play to Win was in control in the first half, but the second half was all Roxbury as they took over the game largely behind the play of Georges Niang (6’7″ Sr. PF, Methuen (MA) Tilton School) and Wayne Selden (6’3″ So. SG, Roxbury (MA) Tilton School) en route to a 73-60 win. Niang was ineffective in the first half but led the way with 19 points, while Selden added 17.
Some additional notes and observations:
Georges Niang is very much committed to Iowa State. Niang said there are still coaches calling to recruit him despite his commitment to Iowa State, but despite that and any rumors that he has or will de-commit, he is steadfast that he will be headed to Ames. On the court, the senior forward had two excellent games to help his team to the 19-Under championship.
Maurice Taylor (6’5″ Jr. SF, Cambridge (MA) Beaver Country Day School) had an excellent weekend thanks largely to one thing: how he played the game. There’s never been any question that he has the tools to be a solid Division I prospect: he has good wing size, has the skills and isn’t lacking athleticism. But too often, he hasn’t made himself a factor because he hasn’t played aggressively enough. This weekend, that wasn’t a problem at all, and the difference in the quality of his play was striking.
Trey Jones, who just completed his high school career at Reading (MA) High School and will attend Dean College soon, has always had the gift of quickness. He hasn’t always used it, and thus he hasn’t tapped into all his potential. But he showed some of what he can do when he uses it and tries to help teammates score, as he did that in one of his team’s wins on Saturday. If he can keep that up, it won’t be long before he’s having a big impact at his new school.
Ryan Woumn is now healthy and looking forward to finally playing in college. The former Lynn English star had to redshirt this past season at East Tennessee State, but is playing again and helped his team take home the 19-Under title.
Jeff Amazan, who played with a number of other former BABC players with Play to Win in the 19-Under group, will be heading south to attend the TAAG Academy in Tampa. The 6’3″ guard has the talent to be a Division I player, but never found a stable home during his high school years and had a difficult time with his coaches. This will be his last chance to use his talent to get a free education at the next level.
Markus Neale (6’1″ So. PG-SG, West Roxbury (MA) High) had a nice weekend, and almost got his team into the semifinals on Saturday as he led a furious rally that came up just short.
Akosa Madugbunam (6’3″ Sr. SG, Hyde Park (MA) Winchendon School) appears to be playing with more confidence all the time. While he’s long established his shooting ability, he’s slashing to the hoop more often and more effectively than before.
All For One gave Play to Win all it could handle on Saturday before succumbing in a tough loss. Aiding them was Rene Castro (6’1″ Jr. PG-SG, Milton (MA) Worcester Academy) returning for a reunion of sorts with the program he played with a few years ago. He combined with Kenny Reed (5’10” Sr. PG-SG, Reading (MA) High) to give them a solid backcourt.
A promising player we got a look at here is Nigel Grant (6’6″ Jr. SF, Rutland (VT) St. Joseph Academy). An athletic and active wing, he may not be done growing yet, but he has some tools and with his physical gifts is a prospect to keep an eye on.
