7th Grade Blue

YBA 49, The Olympic Club 26
The Dawgs got off to a strong start in our Saturday morning Reno debut. We seized an early lead against a tall team from San Francisco. Our ball pressure and defensive aggressiveness generated several easy buckets and set the tone for the first half. Our opponents played much better in the second half, but we held tough and maintained our strong defense in allowing only 26 points, which was the fewest points allowed in a game in our bracket. Mitchell Holt, Michael Beachley, and Vinnie Safin defended the interior well against the rangy Olympic Club team and never allowed them to get rolling on offense. Vinnie led a balanced attack with 10 points and 7 rebounds, followed by Nicholas Clough with 9 and Mike with 8. Max O'Rourke distributed 5 assists.

YBA 40, Yellow Jackets 50
The boys battled both the other team and frigid shooting in this early Sunday game. The first half was very even, with the Dawgs trailing 22-21 going into the break. The team did a great job of limiting the Jackets’ fast break opportunities and points in the paint but gave up a few too many open 3s. The game remained close for much of the second half, but our continued cold shooting and a string of 6 consecutive turnovers allowed the opponent to open a 10 point lead. We fought back and cut the deficit to 5 with less than a minute to play, but the Jackets’ excellent shooting from the line sealed our fate. It was a tough loss to swallow, but the team learned a lesson about the need to stay patient on offense. Vinnie again produced on offense by netting 13 points, and he also collected 10 boards.

YBA 60, Spokane Rebels 58
Despite the disappointing loss earlier in the day, YBA came out strong against the eventual first-place team in our pool. Neither side could gain an advantage early, but with Vinnie scoring from the baseline the Dawgs went on a run to close the first half with an 11 point lead. Unfortunately, we lost the ever-aggressive Vinnie to a shoulder injury late in the half. The well-coached squad from Washington turned up their defensive intensity in the second half to close the gap, and they eventually took a narrow lead. The teams exchanged baskets for a while, but Grady Collins drained a difficult 3 followed by a breakaway layup to give our boys a 56-50 lead with less than a minute to play. The Rebels answered with a bucket inside to cut the deficit to 4. We had to win by at least 8 to qualify for the championship bracket, so the Dawgs got back to work on offense but missed a couple of short shots. Spokane scored at the buzzer to tie the game at 56 and send it into overtime. With the score tied at 58 and 10 seconds to play in OT, Nick calmly swished both ends of a 1-and-1 opportunity to bring home the victory! Mike had a strong game with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Nick contributed 13 points. Jackson Sterling grabbed 6 steals.

YBA 62, Rainier Select Basketball 49
Although YBA went 2-1 in pool play and beat the pool winner, our point differential put us in 3rd place. The Dawgs got off to a lethargic start in this Monday morning match up and trailed 6-0 against our counterpart from the other pool, a hungry RSB team from Seattle. Coach Shaw made some substitutions looking for the right combination, which he found midway through the half. Grady turned up the heat on the RSB guards to spark the team, garnering several steals and contesting other passes that Gavin Smith or Scott Zabrowski swiped. The three wings combined for several quick offensive opportunities that resulted in layups or open jumpers. Behind those efforts, YBA took a double-digit lead into halftime. RSB fought on in the second half but could never again establish an offensive rhythm against the Dawg defense, thanks in no small part to Mitch's 5 blocks. We continued to move the ball well on offense (except for a couple of short stretches) and earned a convincing victory. Gavin played an outstanding game throughout, totaling 16 points, 4 assists, and 5 steals. Grady also had a complete game with 11 points, 5 steals, and only 1 turnover plus relentless ball pressure on defense.

Summary
The blue team finished the weekend with a 3-1 record in a strong Division 1 bracket and played solid basketball throughout the tourney. We beat the team that represented our pool in the championship game. The coaches thought those were good accomplishments, especially since the boys have been together for less than two months. The team is already defending at a pretty high level, and our offensive execution is improving. We will get better in both areas as the players learn the sets and get used to each other. Coach Shaw said the boys did a good job in playing to their strengths. He was happy that we competed hard in all of the games.

The coaches decided not to name a single player of the tournament, since all of the boys had strong contributions at different times. Vinnie inspired with his effort and mental toughness, gathering rebounds and loose balls alike and finishing strong inside. Nick and Grady each consistently attacked the basket and did a good job of pressuring the opposing guards into mistakes. Mike was aggressive on offense and worked hard to help on defense by blocking shots. Gavin had some strong stretches on offense and played a great all-around game in the final. Mitch fought back from a difficult Yellow Jackets game to intimidate our opponents by blocking and altering shots, and he also made some strong post moves. Jackson played his usual steady game, using his length to advantage on defense and showing flashes of aggressiveness on offense. After missing the first game due to family obligations, Scott got up to game speed quickly and played a big part in the decisive run in the final game with his defense and passing. Max O’Rourke displayed his typical energy and got everyone involved on offense while filling in well for Scott in the first game.