In a rematch of the final preliminary round game which saw the Horizon win in a blowout on Wednesday, the Horizon once again used solid defensive effort to get the job done and end the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.
Guard Bobby Gray was named man-of-the-match for his 26 points, four assists and four steals.
“This means everything. It’s the first one out here, so, it’s very big and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Gray who was also named International MVP of the tournament.
“Happy that I was with a group of guys that bought in together and we won it,” he said.
The MVP award felt extra special, according to Gray.
“It means a lot man. I stopped playing basketball for a minute then I got back into it because I figured out I was coming out here. I know how much hard work I put in and now it’s all showing,” he said.
Gray’s teammate Nicholai Brown was named local MVP.
For the Storm, guard Joel Bailey led them in scoring with 23 points while also dishing out eight assists.
He put the loss down to an inability to take care of the basketball.
“Just turning over the ball the last couple minutes of the game. That cost us. We should’ve been more careful with the ball,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Elite 1 Rivers beat Elite 1 Waves 88-83 to secure third place.
Guard Patrick Robinson scored 20 points to help the Rivers exact revenge on the Waves who beat them in their final preliminary round outing on Wednesday.
Gemaal Davis led the Waves with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
The day started with the Elite 1 Horizon recording a blowout 110-64 victory over Elite 1 Rivers thanks to a man-of-the-match performance from guard Bobby Gray, who dominated with 23 points and eight assists.
The game was close after the first quarter with the Horizon holding a 20-19 lead before they stretched the lead to 18 at the half, leading 49-31. Things got uglier after three quarters with the Horizon swelling the lead to 25, leading 84-49, before completing a dominant victory.
The second game saw Elite 1 Storm complete a 79-64 victory over Elite 1 Waves.
In a much closer encounter, the two teams battled throughout the first three quarters and were only separated by two points by the time the fourth quarter came around, with the Storm holding a 53-51 lead.
That fourth quarter, however, saw the Storm play very smart basketball to come away with the victory.
Guard Joel Bailey was voted man-of-the-match thanks to his 17 points, five rebounds and three steals. Teammate Drelan Tripplett also chipped in with 18 points and six assists.
The action continues Sunday when Elite 1 Horizon battle Elite 1 Waves in the first game and Elite 1 Storm face Elite 1 Rivers in the second.
In the first game, the Waves got past the Elite 1 Rivers by a score of 91-75 to close the preliminary round with a 1-2 record and confirm a winless preliminary round for their opponents.
Forward Xander Bowers was named man-of-the-match after leading the way for the Waves with 21 points, four steals, three assists and three blocks. Gemaal Davis also contributed 20 points for the winners.
“Just playing at our pace,” was Bowers’ response when asked what the key to victory was for his team.
“Our coach has been preaching playing at our pace, staying patient and taking care of the ball,” he added.
When asked about his own performance, he felt he could’ve been even better.
“I thought I did okay. I could’ve been a little more aggressive in the second and third quarters. I feel like I started off well and I ended well.”
The same two teams will square off in the third-place playoff on Saturday and Bowers says more of the same should result in a win for the Waves.
“We have the confidence and we know we can beat them now. The key is going to be playing at our pace and being able to take care of the ball and get good shots,” he said.
The second game of the day was a preview of Saturday’s championship game between the unbeaten Horizon and Elite 1 Storm.
What was expected to be a tight encounter proved to be anything but as the Horizon produced a suffocating defensive display to send a message to the Storm ahead of Saturday with a comprehensive 106-84 victory.
Forward Anton Ivey was man-of-the-match with 23 points and eight rebounds while guard Bobby Gray also chipped in with 19 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.
Ivey credited his team’s defense as the catalyst for this statement-making win.
“Our gameplan was defense and we picked it up in the second half,” he said.
He then made no secret of the plan going into Saturday’s finale.
“Same gameplan, defense. We have to do the same things but execute better in the first half,” Ivey said.
The Horizon finished the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record while this loss means the Storm finish 2-1.
In the first game of the day, Elite 1 Horizon tackled Elite 1 Waves in an exciting encounter. Contrary to the Horizons’ first game on Saturday where they secured a dominant victory over the Rivers, they went into the half against the Waves facing a 34-40 deficit.
The third quarter proved pivotal, however, as they outscored the Waves 20-9 to go into the final period with a 54-49 lead, a lead they held until the end, securing a 76-61 victory. Rasheed Maynard was man-of-the-match with 16 points, three assists and five steals.
The second game of the day between the Storm and the Rivers was exciting to say the least, with only four points separating the teams in the end.
The Storm got off to a strong start in the opening quarter, closing with a 31-24 lead before having an even more dominant second quarter to lead 63-44 at halftime.
Something clicked in the second half for the Rivers, however, and they outscored their opponents 29-23 in the third quarter to set up an intriguing final 12 minutes.
The Rivers also won those final 12 minutes 32-23 but, unfortunately for them, the lead the Storm built in the first half proved too much in the end, the final score being 109-105.
Drelan Tripplett was the man-of-the-match after scoring 23 points on an efficient 7-8 from the field with two assists and four rebounds.
Day three takes place on Wednesday with the Rivers and Waves opening the show trying to get in the win column while the undefeated Storm and Horizon will square off in the second game.
