Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the broiling piedmont. The Great One is here to recap the final day of the Phenom Summer Havoc event at Nation Ford HS in Fort Mill. It was an incredible 4 days complete with big comebacks, clutch shots, buzzer beater, etc. The Sad One will now recap the games, name his final day Serious 6, and make mention of some extra effort players. To the recaps….
Carolina Cavs survived the Rock Nation Impact 53-51. Tory Kelly helped hold off a stubborn Impact team with 20 points and Karlos McCullough added 9 points, tough defense and key rebounds to aid the Cavs. Jaheel Porter notched 12 points for the Impact and was a big reason they didn’t go quietly.
NC Spartans West downed the Lowcountry Storm 73-62 behind Elan Muniz and his 9 3 pointers. “The Mad Bomber” totaled 33 points for the game and teammates Josh Brower and Austin Longworth chipped in 15 each for the winners. Demari Joyner kept the Storm in it with his 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Rock Nation Impact 16U turned away the Soda City Spartans 60-50. Breon Steele put up 21 points to lead the way and Shahied Ladson contributed 14 for the Impact. The Spartans were led by the improving Trey McCant and his 22 points and 10 boards.
Upward Stars Per Dee came from behind to defeat the Carolina Knicks 16U 57-49. Ayden Hickman led the charge with 15 points and Bryce McIntosh added 14 to help the Stars secure the win. Ryan Viruso posted a stellar effort collecting 21 points and 4 steals for the Knicks.
NC Spartans 16U downed the Rock Nation Impact 60-49. Nicolas Watkins and Nathan Fuller each posted 12 points each leading a balanced effort for the Spartans. Breon Steele paced the Impact with 18 points.
In the game of the day, the 17U Sharpshooters edged Team Hickory 68-66 in OT. Zaire Lucky poured in 27 points, including a couple of deep 3 pointers, in an inspired effort to pull out the win. Stephaun McIlwaine aso added 14 points for the winners. Justin Kuthan led Hickory with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Palmetto Elite Unsigned downed PSB Winston Yellow 17U 60-54 in another thriller. Hampton Summerhill led the Elite with 18 points and Deleon Nelson chipped in 13 to help hold off PSB. Arrington Jones had 17 in a courageous effort for PSB that fell short.
Carolina Cavs 15U rolled over the Charlotte Nets 74-59. The Cavs built a 26 point lead behind the play of Tory Kelly and Karlos McCullough. Kylan Allen’s 19 points led a furious Nets comeback, cutting the lead to 7 but the Nets ran out of gas. McCullough led the Cavs with 14 and Kelly and Xavier Moultrie each had 12 for the victors.
The Great One will release his Serious 6 for the final day of the Phenom Summer Havoc:
Breon Steele – Rock Nation Impact
Zaire Lucky – Sharpshooters
Tory Kelly – Carolina Cavs
Hampton Summerhill – Palmetto Elite Unsigned
Elan Muniz – NC Spartans West
Ryan Viruso – Carolina Knicks
The Sadster will now give applause to a couple of players who gave inspiring performances on the final day. Justin Kuthan kept Team Hickory in contention down the stretch in their OT loss to the Sharpshooters with his play in the paint. Another notable performance was the play of Demari “The Dancing Bear” Joyner from the Lowcountry Storm. He has a physical presence that resembles a defensive tackle but his surprisingly good footwork and fluid moves around the basket are a pleasure to observe. Thus the complimentary nickname.
There you have it folks. The 2019 Phenom Summer Havoc is now a part of history, and a good one at that. The Great One will return soon with more summer observations. Stay tuned!!!!!
SAD SAM – HS HOOPS GENIUS
Follow The Great One on Twitter @sadsamhoops