**Note: All-Stars / Notable Camp Performers Will Follow In A Separate Post. This post does feature notable performers from today's games**
After two solid days, the expectations were certainly raised going into the final day of this year's Tri-City Junior Top 40 Camp.
Most players had elevated their game and compete level between days one and two, and, as the third day got underway, it was clear that the competitive spirit reached new heights.
"I was very proud of the effort, energy and competitiveness," noted Camp Director Imad Qahwash, "everyone was getting after it and leaving it all out on the floor."
Perhaps this was most evident as the morning station sessions wound down. After a continuous one-on-one drill, one camper from each team was selected to represent their team -- with the winning team being exempt from doing a "cupcake" (essentially a suicide combined with pushups). Brock Newton, Stefan Djukic, Trent Johnson and Kyle Fazekas were the representatives; it was a thrilling competition in which Newton eventually prevailed:
Moving on to the day's games after lunch, there was a lot to be determined -- both in terms of the final standings between the teams, and the camp's prestigious MVP and All-Star awards. Here's a look at the games:
Team Murray (Black) vs. Team Wiggins (Red)
Things started in this one the same way that they finished for Team Wiggins on Saturday -- with Aman Saleh (GRCI) making a big impact on the offensive end. He was off and running early, with a couple of early baskets, including this one:
On the other side, Ozay Davis (SMHS) was tuned in from behind the arc, hitting a couple of deep three-pointers that helped Team Murray maintain contact early on.
After a bit of back-and-forth, Team Wiggins' "Big Three" of Tomisin Banjoko (WCI), Saleh, and Kyle Fazekas (Windsor St. Anne) went to work in extending their lead. A three-ball by Fazekas pushed the lead up to 8:
The lead actually stretched to double-digits, before Jaxon Butler-Davis made an impression. He had a nice put-back lay-up on an offensive rebound, and followed it up with this three-pointer:
Saleh had 14 points in a high-scoring first half that ended with Wiggins up 39-36.
The second half started with more of the same.
Saleh and Banjoko did much of the early damage, with Saleh hitting a couple of buckets and then finding Banjoko for an open three-pointer, which stretched the lead out to 13 points, at 60-47.
Cue the comeback.
Team Murray's Evan Roth and Butler-Davis knocked home back-to-back three pointers, and the threes kept raining from there.
In fact, Roth knocked home three in a row from behind the arc, while Butler-Davis also knocked home a couple more, resulting in a 69-64 Murray lead with 5:00 to go:
It was back-and-forth from there, with both teams scoring clutch baskets down the stretch. When it was a two-point game with under 2 minutes to go, Murray's Brock Newton came through with a huge offensive rebound and put-back to give them a 4 point cushion:
Team Wiggins, though, made one last push. Down 3 points with under :30 to go, they had a couple of cracks at tying three-pointers, including one in the waning seconds by Kyle Fazekas that just went off the back rim -- allowing Team Murray to hold on for the come-from-behind 74-71 win in a thriller.
Team Harden (Grey) vs. Team Lillard (Blue)
Both these squads had the screws tightened on defense early in this one, as it took a handful of possessions before Marcus Barnes opened the scoring for Team Lillard, finding himself open from beyond the arc:
Barnes' back-court mate, fellow grade 9 from Brantford CI, Richard Spencer-Raymond, also continued his strong play over from Saturday. He was doing a great job of taking care of the "little things" -- from stepping in to attempt to take a charge, to diving after a loose ball going out of bounds.
Team Harden, though, was able to withstand the strong early play of those two with some strong play of their own. Most notably, Grade 9 F Milos Nenadic, who had a couple of nice baskets on consecutive possessions:
Djukic did get his revenge on the other end, scoring 6 consecutive points at one point for Team Lillard, to keep them within range.
Before the half was out, Julian Fordyce went on a nice push for Harden, knocking down a three-pointer before following that up with a nice step-through for a lay-up, and a 34-25 Team Harden lead at halftime.
Lillard came out of the break strong, with Tyshawn Brown converting an "and one" as part of a 5-0 run out of halftime to quickly cut the lead down to 4 points.
However, Harden was in "bend, but don't break" mode as they were able to consistently maintain a several-basket cushion. CWDHS' Aiden Davy finished this putback, which pushed the lead up to double-figures:
Trent Johnson (SBCSS) followed that up with an "and-one" for a 51-39 lead with 1:30 to go, and it looked like this one would be over.
Not so fast.
Like a lightning bolt, Team Lillard struck for 7 quick points in about 45 seconds (Barnes being in the middle of a couple of those baskets); that spurt trimmed the deficit to 5.
In the end, though, Harden was able to tack on a couple more from the line, and win it, 54-48.
Mark's "Top 5": Day 3
The below are 6 (I couldn't decide on just 5, sorry!) guys that stuck out to me either during drills, games, or both on day 3. Note that I'll be doing a separate post on the camp all-stars, and other notable players tomorrow.
Jaxon Butler-Davis (SBCSS / Team Murray): One half of Team Murray's dynamic duo that started the comeback in their game against Team Wiggins, Butler-Davis was able to do it on the inside and from beyond the arc. At 6'4", with his skillset, he should be able to make a seamless transition to Senior Basketball for the Saints next season.
Evan Roth (GRCI / Team Murray): Roth caught fire in the second half, knocking home three straight attempted three-pointers to fuel Team Murray. That being said, he wasn't forcing the action, letting the game come to him and making heady decisions during the comeback run.
Aman Saleh (GRCI / Team Wiggins): Certified Bucket Getter. 14 in the first-half, and (although official tallies weren't kept), easily probably finished in the mid-20s for Team Wiggins. Drives, jumpers, acrobatic shots (like above) -- you name it, he did it.
Brock Newton (CWDHS / Team Murray): Have to give Newton a shout-out not only for his consistent strong performances during the games, but also for winning the "1-on-1" battle and saving his team the "cupcake punishment".
Shiloh Worthy (RCSS / Team Murray): Really impressed me during 1-on-1 drills, using his length to block opponent shots at will, while also getting to the rim. A 6'4" grade 9, certainly has tremendous upside and potential.
Tomisin Banjoko (WCI / Team Wiggins): The other half of Wiggins' 'dynamic duo' with Aman Saleh, Banjoko had things working on the offensive end while also being a big-time pest on defense, racking up several deflections and steals.
Stay tuned for a separate post featuring the overall camp All-Stars, MVPs, and a few other notable performers that are worthy of a shout-out!
With 14 CWOSSA teams in attendance (out of 16 total) this weekend at WCI and Bluevale for the Jacob Ranton Memorial Basketball -- there's a good chance that this tournament will help to sort out who the teams to watch out for as "AA" and "AAA" CWOSSA contenders might be.
