8th Grade Black-Reno Jam-On-It Memorial Day Tournament 2011

Congratulations to the 8th grade Dawgs Black team, 2011 RENO CHAMPIONS!!!


In summary, this weekend's outcome reflected a true team effort. We wouldn't have earned the championship without contributions from each and every player. Their toughness, commitment to defense, and willingness to share the ball won the day. The team stayed true to the YBA slogan (Defense Always Wins Games) by allowing only 42.5 points per game, which was the lowest figure in the bracket by almost 6 ppg. The Foothill coach graciously complimented us on our defense after we beat them in the final game, which made Coach Shaw very happy!

YBA 65, Humboldt Wild 42

After waiting until late Saturday afternoon for this critical "play in game", the Dawgs came out hungry! The team employed a variety of defenses with intense ball pressure that prevented the Wild from ever getting comfortable on their end of the court. YBA's offense was also up to the task, with excellent ball movement creating one open shot after another. The team recorded 24 assists; five players notched at least 4 helpers. Bryce delivered several assists in quick succession on a series of penetrating moves to the basket.

YBA 56, PA Midnight 41

Our team started slowly in this late night game, with the players appearing more ready to watch than defend the sharp-shooting Palo Alto squad. The offense was good enough to hold a 34-27 halftime lead. Coach Shaw addressed the issue in no uncertain terms during the break, and the Dawgs responded with much better effort and allowed only 14 points the rest of the way. Grady dished out 5 assists to facilitate the offense.

YBA 65, Manteca Wildcats 36

The aggressive Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the Sunday semi-final game, with the Dawgs on their heels against Manteca's trapping defense and all-out offensive rebounding. YBA fixed the defensive problems first by playing intense man-to-man "D" and keeping the Wildcats' bigger frontcourt players off the boards. Colin, Nicholas, and Bryce did a great job neutralizing their super-athletic, 6' 4" center. Jared got the offense started with two key early baskets that kicked off a 27-3 run which covered the final 13 minutes of the half. The Dawgs continued their high level of play for the final 29 point margin. Nicholas and Manveer were the primary distributors with 7 assists between them.

YBA 56, Foothill Stars 51

It was clear from the beginning that the championship game was going to be a hard-fought contest. Bret had to leave the game after going down hard on the 2nd play of the game, but he recovered to convert several steals into baskets for his team. Jade, after missing the first 3 games due to family obligations, also bounced back from a hard foul with his all-out effort and great movement without the ball.

Grady led the offense early with a rapid-fire burst of 8 points, and Amran helped to stretch the lead to double digits with a 3 and several free throws. Colin was a force inside, stopping many point-blank opportunities (both by defending his own man and by helping on drives to the basket) and playing a strong offensive game of his own. Bryce, Nicholas, Amran, and Bret combined to hold the Stars' hot-shooting #35 to 0 points over the last 25 minutes. The team consistently broke Foothill's press and made very few turnovers; Grady repeatedly got into the lane for either a good shot or a pass to an open teammate. Nicholas had a great left-handed finish after a baseline drive, and he and Jared hit key free throws late in the game to help preserve the lead. Manveer and Ryan defended, grabbed rebounds, took open shots, and played hard.

Coach Shaw's keys to the game were Bret and Jade playing through pain, the guards taking care of the ball, and all of the players trusting each other on the floor. It was a great victory!