Whitney Young captured its first Beach Ball Classic Championship with a 58-37 victory over Bishop O’Connell.
A thrilling first half came to a screeching halt with 4:25 to play when Whitney Young (Chicago, IL; 10-1) point guard Ausar Madison held the ball at midcourt and the clock continued to wind down. With the crowd showing its displeasure, Miles Reynolds drove to the basket and was whistled for a charge with 1.6 seconds remaining on the clock, bringing the loudest cheer from a crowd that almost fell asleep.
While the opening 16 minutes was action packed, Whitney Young led from the opening tip and built a 14-4 lead on Jahlil Okafor’s dunk with 10:41 on the clock. Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, VA; 12-0) used a 9-4 run to close the gap to 18-13 with 6:16 to play and that is where the score would stand at the half after the stall game played by the Dolphins.
There was no stalling to open the second half as Whitney Young came out of the locker room and used a 10-2 run to open a 28-15 advantage with 13:29 to play. The Dolphins went on to lead by as many as 22 points in pulling away for the victory.
Whitney Young was led by Paul White’s 14 points and seven rebounds. Miles Reynolds added 13 points for the Dolphins.
Junior Etou paced Bishop O’Connell with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Most Valuable Player: Paul White, Whitney Young (IL)
Most Outstanding Player: Luke Kennard, Franklin (OH)
All-Tournament Team:
Reggie Cameron, Hudson Catholic (NJ)
Charles Matthews, St. Rita (IL)
Austin Malone-Mitchell, Rufus King (WI)
Dalton Nixon, Orem (UT)
Dominique Taylor, Spring Valley
Daniel Giddens, Wheeler (GA)
Jahlil Okafor, Whiteny Young (IL)
Leroy Butts, Bishop O’Connell (VA)
Romelo Trimble, Bishop O’Connell (VA)
Rashad Muhammed, Bishop Gorman (NV)
Individual Sportsmanship Award: Jalen Lindsey, Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN)
Individual Hustle Award: Trent Gilbert, Scott County (KY)
Danny Defensive Award: L.J. Peak, Whitney-Young (IL)
Team Hustle Award: Scott County (KY)
Team Sportsmanship Award: Orem (UT)
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