Blog

2022 NPSAA Championship 

Phoenix, AZ - March 4 & 5

6 games. 5 teams. 1 champion. 

Game 1: (2) Dream City Christian - 97 vs (5) Skyline Orange - 87

Dream City came out the gates with a ton of movement, off the ball or making the extra pass for very good ball movement. They move as a unit on defense with very high energy and lots of communication, allowing them to break into transition quickly. Skyline displayed early what their defense is capable of, laying their bodies on the line for charges or diving to the ground being the first ones to the ball. Skyline was sending Dream City to the line often which allowed them to slowly establish a solid lead. FT’s came with the combination of dominating the boards on both sides as well as opportunities Dream City were creating through the lane. Skyline were able to bring the game back down to single digits through sharpshooter, #1 Anthony Wilcox, and #4 Noah Rasdell, who was facilitating for all his teammates, especially the bigs. 47-42 for Dream City going into the half. 

Skyline came out much better in the second half, high energy and great shot selection, combined with disciplined defense allowed them to capitalize on Dream City’s slow start. Dream City needed a solution, and they needed it fast after Skyline took the lead midway through the 2nd half. #0 Kole Scott started to heat up on all fronts. Dream City Christian played the offense through him and Skyline had no answer for it. This game was full of energy and intensity, constantly going back and forth. Skyline’s breakdown defensively late ultimately caused them to lose any chances of coming back and beating the 2 seed. With Skyline fans getting loud, #0 Kole Scott let them know what it was with an emphatic windmill in the dying seconds of the game. Dream City win 97-87. 

Top Performers:

#0 Kole Scott, Dream City Christian - 31 points

#1 Anthony Wilcox, Skyline Orange, 31 points

Players To Watch:

#4 Noah Rasdall, Skyline Orange

Game 2: (3) Hillcrest Native - 84 vs (4) P.H.A.S.E. 1 Post Grad - 42

Hillcrest did not come to mess around. Started in a trap defensively which caused a lot of problems for P.H.A.S.E. 1’s offense. Hillcrest moved the ball well early, dominating the offensive boards creating 2nd chance opportunities. #12 Brady Ramon was heating up, finding his shots early. P.H.A.S.E. 1 eventually moved to trap defense themselves, to try and delete Hillcrest Native’s rhythm. Late in the first half they did much better crashing the boards but turnovers ultimately let them concede easy baskets, Hillcrest Native led 38-25 going into half time. 

P.H.A.S.E. 1 lost any momentum they had late in the 1st half. Very disorganized and inefficient in the first 10 mins of the 2nd half. Hillcrest on the other hand came out and did everything right: high energy, defense to offense via steals that led to easy transition points or simply being patient on offense knowing time is on their side. Nothing P.H.A.S.E. 1 threw their way was able to knock them off their game. Hillcrest controlled the 2nd half all the way through, picking up the 84-42 win. 

Top Performers:

#1 Malachi Bradley, Hillcrest Native - 27 points

#3 Devonteh Reid, P.H.A.S.E. 1 Post Grad - 27 points

Players To Watch: 

#12 Brady Ramon, Hillcrest Native

Game 3: (5) Skyline Orange - 84 vs P.H.A.S.E. 1 Post Grad - 69

With both teams facing elimination if they lose, everything is at stake. Skyline G, #1 Anthony Wilcox understood the assignment early, getting everything done on both sides. Through his leadership and scoring Skyline were able to establish an early rhythm offensively, enabling easy transition buckets, tons of rebounds, and high 3-point percentage. P.H.A.S.E. 1’s, #6 Malcolm London did his thing trying to keep P.H.A.S.E. 1 right there by finding teammates early. Again, P.H.A.S.E. 1 struggled otherwise on both ends, but late in the first half they were able to keep the lead under 10 by picking up some slack on defense. Skyline led 38-29.

The 2nd half was a completely different story. Even though P.H.A.S.E. 1 was able to disrupt Skyline’s offense early with their half court trap, Skyline had an answer for that. Skyline flipped a switch and took their lead up to 20, taking advantage of the offensive wall P.H.A.S.E. 1 hit which ultimately took the energy out of their defense. Late in the game there was effort defensively but not enough. Skyline eliminated P.H.A.S.E. 1 from the 2022 NPSAA Championships with a score of 84-69. 

Top Performers:

#1 Anthony Wilcox, Skyline Orange - 30 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal

#4 Jared Babatunde, P.H.A.S.E. 1 Post Grad, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals

Players To Watch:

#6 Malcolm London, P.H.A.S.E. 1 Post Grad - 7 points. 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals

#3 Michael O’Neal, Skyline Orange - 20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assists, 2 steals

Game 4: (1) Bella Vista Post Grad - 99 vs (3) Hillcrest Native - 87

A potential finals matchup. Both teams came to play. Bella Vista came out with high energy, patience on offense and intensity. Potentially too much intensity as Hillcrest Native was able to force turnovers and take an early lead 5 mins into the 1st half. Hillcrest Native’s #1 Malachi Bradley was finding his spots and his teammates early, allowing for a nice flow offensively with the help of #4 TJ Tigler. Bella Vista’s #3 Jason Kimbrough continuously answered back with his own buckets and assists to open teammates outside the arc. Bella Vista also started to take over the boards not allowing Hillcrest Native any wiggle room. Their shots from 3 were falling through #8 JD Bradford & #22 Jackson Leyba. Both teams in foul trouble late in the half allowed the game to stay close. 47-44 for Bella Vista at half. 

Everything to play for in the second half, including a direct bye straight to the finals. Bella Vista came out, continuing to dominate the boards, sharing the ball in transition. They found a good early rhythm. Hillcrest on the other hand knew what had to be done, trapping Bella Vista forcing turnovers that turned into transition points and also doing a much better job as a team rebounding. Through this, letting it fly from behind the arc, as well as great ball movement and cutting, they were able to establish their presence. As the 2nd half progressed, both teams showed their hunger to win, diving for loose balls, laying bodies on the line. No one wanted to lose. Ultimately, # 3 Jason Kimbrough could not be stopped. He started heating up late, getting whatever he wanted. Even though Hillcrest tried to stay in it, they did not have what it took to overcome a late 12 point lead. Bella Vista win 99-87. 

Top Performers:

#3 Jason Kimbrough, Bella Vista - 15 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals

#1 Malachi Bradley, Hillcrest Native - 24 points, 4 rebounds

Players To Watch:

#8 JD Bradford, Bella Vista - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals

#22 Jackson Leyba, Bella Vista - 8 points, 1 assist, 1 rebounds

#4 TJ Tigler, Hillcrest Native - 10 points, 1 assist, 1 steal

Game 5: (3) Hillcrest Native - 85 vs (5) Skyline Orange - 66

NPSAA Championship semifinals. Skyline takes on a Hillcrest Native team that has just lost to Bella Vista. Hillcrest decided to sit their starters in anticipation of playing in the finals. Skyline is off to a good start early, making extra passes, looking for good shots. Unfortunately they couldn’t get the shots to fall. Hillcrest on the other hand was struggling to get anything going in the absence of their starters. Hillcrest had to put a few starters in after all to make sure the game was not too close for comfort. It is clear how much of a difference just a few starters made. Hillcrest started to find their rhythm, players were cutting up the zone, finding open teammates with extra passes, making shots, finding their bigs for easy buckets down the stretch. #12 Brady Ramon & #33 Joe Davis established a nice 2-man game late. This allowed them to pull away slowly. Hillcrest Native led 37-17 at half. 

Skyline came out great in the second half. #1 Anthony Wilcox, #3 Michael O’Neal, & #4 Noah Rasdall all taking part in the action were able to bring the lead down to 9. Unfortunately for Skyline, it did not look like that phased Hillcrest whatsoever. They did not allow the lead to go below 9 points. Stayed dominant on the boards, shut Skyline down on defence and turned it into quick and easy transition points. Skyline had no answer for Hillcrest and defeat was written all over their faces. Hillcrest won 85-66 and will play Bella Vista in a rematch, this time for everything. 

Top Performers:

#10 Ta Williams, Hillcrest Native - 18 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks

#Anthony Wilcox, Skyline Orange - 16 points, 1 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Players To Watch: 

#12 Brady Ramon, Hillcrest Native - 6 points, 2 assists, 1 steal 

#33 Joe Davis, Hillcrest Native - 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks

#3 Michael O’Neal, Skyline Orange - 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

#4 Noah Rasdall, Skyline Orange - 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals

Game 6 (FINALS): (1) Bella Vista Post Grad - 86 vs (3) Hillcrest Native - 81 

The much anticipated rematch. What a game to look forward to. Once again both teams came to play, knowing a trophy and bragging rights is at stake. Hillcrest Native is off a back to back, had a slow start offensively but were able to get to the line early, keeping them in the game. Bella Vista started the game moving the ball lots early, and using the rest they got to their advantage, hustling for boards turning it into 2nd chance points. Once again #3 Jason Kimbrough was heating up finding teammates and opportunities for himself. Hillcrest’s defense was very good for most of the first half otherwise and actually gave them the lead late in the first half. Bella Vista quickly changed that with their own defense to offense and took their first lead very late. After a bunch of threes from both teams, Bella Vista led 44-42 at half. 

2nd half was full of excitement. Bella Vista came out on a 7-2 run. Hillcrest replied, turning defense into offense, finding high percentage shots. #10 Demetrius Johnson II really became a force in the 2nd half. Definitely looked like an MVP candidate. Hillcrest could not stop him, and Bella Vista was just running all the offense through him. Hillcrest created 2nd chance opportunities by crashing the boards to try and chip away at their lead. With 7 seconds left, Hillcrest hit a huge three to bring the game within 2 points but ultimately had to foul. Bella Vista did not miss from the line and extended the lead to 5. Bella Vista won 86-81 and are NPSAA Champions. 

Top Performers: 

#10 Demetrius Johnson II, Bella Vista - 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block

#1 Malachi Bradley, Hillcrest Native - 20 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Player To Watch:

#3 Jason Kimbrough, Bella Vista - 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 

#3 Preston Olney, Hillcrest Native - 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

RE: Invitation to Men’s Professional Basketball Exposure Camp in Jamaica 

The Caribbean is the next largest untapped market for professional basketball! Elite 1 Recruiting and Evaluations with the support of the Jamaica Basketball Association are inviting you to participate in the inaugural men’s professional development basketball exposure camp which will be hosted in Jamaica. 

Participants will have access to world-class trainers, compete in front of FIBA and NBA agents, and get exposure on our global recruiting, evaluation, and combine data platform boarded onto the Elite 1 Recruiting platform. 

It will take place on May 1-7 at GC Foster College in Spanish Town, Jamaica, and will include two (2) days of training and four (4) competition days, with all games and workouts recorded and shared online. 

Participation in the camp attracts a fee of $75 USD per person. This cost will cover double occupancy accommodations on campus at the University of West Indies, George Alleyne Hall, breakfast each day, ground transportation, and game costs.

Please confirm your interest in participating by April 1, 2022, by registering on our website www.elite1recruitingservices.com or by calling us directly at (480) 235-9954. 

This will be a tremendous opportunity for exposure and competition! 

Looking forward to hearing from you, 

Respectfully, 

Wayne Dawkins

C.E.O. Elite1 Recruiting Services 

1(480)-235-9954

wdawkins@phase1global.com

www.phase1youthassociation.com