The Waterloo Wildhawks (17U) AAU team had a sour ending to what started as a good weekend of basketball at the annual "Bluegrass Classic" AAU tournament in Louisville, Kentucky.
The 'Hawks started strong by handling Kentucky Elite 64-55, backed by a strong 23-point effort from 6'7" swingman Jacob Ranton. Vedran Dmitrovic added 11 while Javon Masters and Chris Thompson, who is only in grade 10, contributed 9 (keep an eye out for him going forward; he played up for the Senior GPSS Panthers this past season and posted a (league) season-high of 24 points in one game!).
Waterloo would also win their second game, a tight 42-41 win over a SW Illinois Jets Blue team that includes a University of Illinois (NCAA D-1) commit. Vedran Dmitrovic would score the winning point on a free-throw with :01 on the clock after being intentionally fouled. Dmitrovic also led the scoring totals on the evening with a 13 point effort, while Ranton and Adam Voll had 6 each.
Unfortunately, the 'Hawks could not get on track offensively in their final outing against MN Select White, and dropped a 45-30 decision in their pool play finale. This advanced Waterloo through to the "Silver Bracket" (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper Levels) for the elimination playdowns.
And what an, er, interesting game their opener would turn out to be against the Central Kentucky Storm.
The 'Hawks took an 11-9 lead early, but foul trouble put some of their key players on the bench while also resulting in free opportunities at the line for the Storm.
Many foul calls did not go the way of the Wildhawks in this one (including guard Josh Johnson being mugged on a half-court buzzer-beater attempt with no call) and, in part, allowed the "home squad" to take a 50-35 lead with 5:00 left in the game.
Coach Scott Reynolds implored his squad to adopt an "in your face" press, which quickly started to turn things around. Waterloo went on a 10-0 run capped by an "and one" converted by another grade 10 on the 'Hawks roster, Mike Blumel.
With the score 52-48, a deep three by Javon Masters cut the score to 52-51, and just over 1:00 left in the game. However, the scoreclock operator (ironically, a Storm assistant coach) changed the score to 53-50, which was not supported by the Wildhawk parents, including one who was tracking the score during the second half.
Many people will know my penchant for checking scoreboards and trying my best to (politely) advise when a mistake has been made --- nothing against those around the CWOSSA region who take on this task, as obviously their volunteering is greatly appreciated! However, it can certainly make a difference in a close game --- as the Wildhawks found out the hard way on Saturday.
Waterloo scored a bucket with 0:19 left that made the score 53-52 Central KY (in actuality, 53-52 Waterloo). The 'Hawks would go on to lose the game on the scoreboard by that score, meaning they had lost the game while actually scoring more points than their opponent during the game. Furthermore, being an elimination game, it also marked the end of their tournament.
Despite the bitter pill to swallow, the tournament did have their share of bright spots, including the strong performances by F Jacob Ranton, the solid execution by the backcourt trio of Josh Johnson (starting in place of Juwan Miller, who had Team Ontario obligations), Vedran Dmitrovic and Javon Masters, as well as the strong efforts in key situations by the grade tens on the roster, Chris Thompson and Mike Blumel.
TCT Go 2-2 in PA
Meanwhile, further east, the Tri-County Trojans "16U" squad went 2-2 at the Hoop Group Summer Jam Fest in Pennsylvania.
The Trojans picked up wins against "Global Squad" (in bronze bracket play) and "Underrated", while dropping games to the 6th Man Warriors out of Maryland and Metroball DC.
