The second day of the 2014 NY2LA Sports Holiday Hoopfest was exciting and action-packed with a number of hard fought games and competitive basketball being played by all teams. Some players really stepped above and beyond the competition and showcased their talent in big ways on the hardwood. Gage Malensek, Nobal Days, Jack Plumb, Davion Washington and others all had huge games throughout Championship Sunday. Here’s a look at several of the top performances from day 2 of the Holiday Hoopfest...
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2014 HOLIDAY HOOPFEST - DAY 1 RECAP
2014 HOLIDAY HOOPFEST - DAY 2 RECAP
TOP PERFORMERS
BRANDIS BOWEN - 2020 - SF - WI UNITED
Bowen once again displayed his skills and proved to be one of the top scorers around. In the 12U Championship game, Bowen drove hard and scored going to the basket, but also drained 3 three-point shots and mixed in some nice moves with the ball from the wing to get himself some good looks from the mid-range area. He concluded the tournament with 19 points and a title.
IAN BROWN - 2019 - F - IOWA BARNSTORMERS
Brown got his team off to the right start on Sunday, as he opened the day scoring 20 points and helping his team advance. The young post player caught the ball well inside and finished it inside going at the basket strong with good touch off the glass. He also rebounded hard and got some extra opportunities that he capitalized on.
TYGER CAMPBELL - 2019 - PG - IOWA BARNSTORMERS
Campbell continued to impress on Day 2 showing even more control and confidence on the court. In the 13U semifinal matchup, the talented 7th-grader kept his team in the game going to halftime by driving to the hoop and making plays off the bounce, shelling out a couple nice passes off penetration and even stepped outside for a good looking three point shot. Despite the loss, Campbell finished with 16 points.
NOBAL DAYS - 2019 - C - BUTLER ELITE
Against the Barnstormers, Days had perhaps his best performance of the tournament. Leading his team to a championship berth, the 6-8 prospect showed good movement off the block and mid-post by catching and turning for nice little hook shots and finishing at the rim off offensive rebounds. Days also had an impressive slam in transition for Butler Elite and ended the semifinal game with 16 points.
MARCUS EDWARDS - 2019 - PG - KINGDOM HOOPS
Edwards played hard all game long in an early game Sunday. The young point guard controlled tempo and ran past defenders with his quickness and good handles. Edwards was able to score a couple lay-ups and also knocked down a couple shots, leading his team in scoring.
ADRIAN GRIFFIN - 2022 - G - FULL PACKAGE
Griffin was excellent for his team throughout the tournament but really stepped up his play in the championship game with Full Package. At 5-7, Griffin has great size for his age combined with guard skills which made him a difficult matchup for the opponent. Griffin hit some shots and scored in the paint as well off penetration, which helped give his team the edge and helped lead Full Package to the title.
KOBE JOHNSON - 2021 - G - PLAYGROUND WARRIORS
Johnson got the ball rolling early in the day for the Warriors with some excellent play. The younger Johnson made plays with the ball in his hands and had some nice drives to the basket, scored in transition and also hit some shots from around the floor. He finished up their first game with an impressive 27-point output.
TREY LABEAUX - 2018 - SF - IOWA BARNSTORMERS
LaBeaux continued his hot play on the second day by showcasing even more of his abilities, slashing more from the wing with the ball in his hands and proving he can knock down pull-up jumpers. His rebounding efforts were excellent again and he uses his athleticism well on the attack to go over defenders and finish plays. He had 16 points in an early round game and then finished up the tournament with 13-point effort with a championship.
JACOB LOTZ - 2018 - F - KESSEL HEAT
Lotz yet again was at his best scoring the basketball to lead his Kessel team to the semi-finals before they were upended. In a quarterfinal game, Lotz had 14 points with some nice drives to the basket, rebounded the basketball well and a nice looking high-low read for the pass inside which all lead to a comeback win. In the semi-final, Lotz was dominant around the basket scoring 22 points but the team fell just short of making it to the finals.
GAGE MALENSEK - 2019 - PG - RAY ALLEN SELECT
Malensek put on quite the show for Ray Allen Select in the 13U Championship game against Butler Elite. The young guard was much stronger with the ball in the final game and showed off his ability to stroke the ball from the perimeter, scorching the nets from outside 5 times. He also made some plays driving to the hoop and scored a couple lay-ups as well. Malensek went off for 24 points and helped RAS bring home the Holiday Hoopfest Championship.
JACK PLUMB - 2018 - F - GREEN BAY STORM
Despite a sore ankle from an injury on Day 1, Jack Plumb showed yet again why he is one of the best 8th-grade players in the state. The 6-5 forward showed versatility in the post, where he was able to face up and score, or use turns to knock in short hook shots. Most impressive was his finish where despite falling just short against NESYB, Plumb came down two possessions in a row and absolutely buries two deep, clutch three-pointers to give his team a chance at the end. He finished with 20 points in the game.
KENNY STRAWBRIDGE - 2018 - SG - WILDCATS
Strawbridge made some great plays for the Wildcats on Sunday to keep his team in the tournament. Strawbridge showed he can handle the ball well and make plays from different positions in the offense. Defensively, he was active and then turned to get out on the break quickly. The talented 8th-grader also knocked down some tough shots and completed the early game with 17 points.
DATRIL THOMPSON - 2018 - PG - NESYB
Thompson went to work for NESYB in a semi-final win that drove his team to a championship game berth. Thompson drove strong to the hoop several times for scores, played tough on-the-ball defense, and then drained some good shots away from the hoop throughout the game. He finished with 18 points for his team.
DAVION WASHINGTON - 2018 - SG - NESYB
Washington put together another great day for NESYB in a couple of their games, including a valiant effort in the championship game against the Barnstormers. Washington showed again his scoring prowess, knocking down big shots early in the day to score 17 points, but really put on a show in the championship loss. Washington drilled 5 treys to cap off his tournament and knocked down a couple other shots en route to 22 impressive points.
STOCK BOOSTERS
MONTAVIUS HENRY - 2019 - PF - PLAYGROUND ELITE-TIPTON
Henry scored 13 points in an early day win for PGE. Using a mix of athleticism, strength and skills, the young 5-11 forward scored on the break and also played strong off the glass getting rebounds and put backs, or just getting it in the mid-post and scoring.
AJ MAKINEN - 2019 - G - RAY ALLEN SELECT
The young guard had a great day for RAS during their championship run Sunday. Makinen dropped 16 points in the semi-final game which included 4 triples. In the championship contest, Makinen drilled some more tough shots and finished off a couple plays in transition where he ended up with 14 points and taking home a title.
MARQUISE MILTON - 2019 - G - BUTLER ELITE
Milton made some big plays Sunday with the ball in his hands. Slicing into the lane off dribble penetration, Milton found spots to knock down short jumpers and got to the rim at other times for lay-ups. He had 15 points in a game early Sunday and played well again in the championship with 11 points.
JAVEON TOLLIVER - 2020 - G - WI UNITED
Tolliver played really well in the 12U Championship game as he showcased his ability to take defenders off the dribble and break down a defense in order to score and get teammates open looks as well. Tolliver finished with 15 points and helped WI United take home a Hoopfest championship.
JOE WIESKAMP - 2018 - SF - IOWA BARNSTORMERS
In the Barnstormers’ semi-final win, Wieskamp highlighted the game with his strong and versatile play. Wieskamp was able to knock down shots from the perimeter, hitting the a couple three’s from the corner, and also took the ball to the hole strong a couple times. Wieskamp rebounded well, ran the floor nicely and finished around the basket. The 5-11 prospect finished that game with 16 points and was a key cog to the Barnstormers championship run.