L15 NTT65

Season 65 National Title Tournament

The Season 65 National Title Tournament started out with mostly chalk as only 6 lower seeds advanced, including one #9. The entire Northwest bracket held form as all the higher seeds advanced. The biggest upset was #3 Columbia falling to #14 Scranton

However, the second round held many upsets as #1 Durham, #3 Detroit, #3 Aberdeen, and #2 Dayton all fell much earlier than expected. In the end it was #1 Fresno, knocking off #6 Tucson in a very exciting game. Fresno went 24-0 on the year, a remarkable achievment.

Prior to the tournament, the top ranked team was Durham, followed by Fresno, Green Bay and Phoenix.

Brackets

Northwest Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Durham	85
	16	Honolulu	56
						8	Naples	75
						1	Durham	60
	8	Naples	76
	9	Hialeah	75
											5	Tuscaloosa	81
										8	Naples	77
	5	Casper	99
	12	Chicago	80
						5	Tuscaloosa	109
						4	Casper	100
	4	Tuscaloosa	90
	13	Inglewood	71
																6	Tucson	86
															4	Tuscaloosa	85
	3	Detroit	92
	14	Concord	65
						6	Tucson	85
						3	Detroit	84
	6	Tucson	85
	11	Hot Springs	68
											6	Tucson	94
										7	Silver City	78
	7	Silver City	103
	10	Ithaca	94
						7	Silver City	78
						2	Birmingham	66
	2	Birmingham	79
	15	Biloxi	69

Southwest Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Green Bay	80
	16	Duluth	61
						1	Green Bay	90
						8	Indianapolis	76
	8	Indianapolis	75
	9	Fort Worth	58
											1	Green Bay	99
										5	Fargo	68
	5	Fargo	78
	12	Beaumont	68
						5	Fargo	89
						4	Jacksonville	67
	4	Jacksonville	75
	13	San Jose	63
																2	Nashville	91
															1	Green Bay	76
	3	Aberdeen	69
	14	Canton	54
						6	Corpus Christi	73
						3	Aberdeen	51
	6	Corpus Christi	102
	11	Sacramento	65
											2	Nashville	75
										6	Corpus Christi	73
	10	Norfolk	87
	7	Waterloo	86
						2	Nashville	92
						10	Norfolk	75
	2	Nashville	81
	15	Terre-Haute	71

Northeast Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Fresno	81
	16	Midland	57
						1	Fresno	85
						9	Cambridge	84
	9	Cambridge	99
	8	Asheville	87
											1	Fresno	88
										5	Alexandria	84
	5	Alexandria	88
	12	Glendale	69
						5	Alexandria	85
						13	Montgomery	71
	13	Montgomery	76
	4	Colorado Springs	68
																1	Fresno	78
															11	Rochester	68
	14	Scranton	88
	3	Columbia	86
						11	Rochester	90
						14	Scranton	63
	11	Rochester	85
	6	Bangor	74
											11	Rochester	75
										2	Lake Tahoe	72
	7	St. Paul	69
	10	Mobile	60
						2	Lake Tahoe	91
						7	St. Paul	79
	2	Lake Tahoe	68
	15	Plainview	54

Southeast Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Phoenix	79
	16	Annapolis	53
						1	Phoenix	96
						8	Harrisburg	85
	8	Harrisburg	95
	9	Louisville	88
											5	Del Mar	75
										1	Phoenix	70
	5	Del Mar	72
	12	Jersey City	64
						5	Del Mar	82
						13	Morgantown	80
	13	Morgantown	70
	4	Allentown	65
																3	Clemson	85
															5	Del Mar	83
	3	Clemson	100
	14	Newark	96
						3	Clemson	86
						11	Sarasota	77
	11	Sarasota	96
	6	Baltimore	88
											3	Clemson	87
										7	Pensacola	71
	7	Pensacola	89
	10	Reading	73
						7	Pensacola	92
						2	Dayton	87
	2	Dayton	81
	15	Odessa	79

Final Four

	Semi-finals				Final
	Tucson	84
	Nashville	81
					Fresno	89
					Tucson	78
	Fresno	80
	Clemson	67

Game Summaries

Northwest Region

First round

(1) Durham 85 - (16) Honolulu 56

Durham jumped out to a 17-4 lead as the overall top seed easily moved onto the second round. Billy Lee led the Devils with 23 points while Andrew Ludwig added 14 and 10 rebounds. Roy Matos shot 8-11 for 16 points while backup guard, Elmer Boan scored 13 in just 15 minutes.

(8)Naples 76 - (9) Hialeah 75

What a great matchup between two evenly matched teams. George Hoffmann gave Naples the lead for good with a deep 2-pointer with 4:21 left. Hialeah made several attempts at comebacks, but everytime they would score, Naples would score right back. Kelvin Griffin led the Peanuts with 20 points on 7-9 shooting while Brett Jerez grabbed 10 rebounds and had 3 blocks.

(5) Casper 99 - (12) Chicago 80

K Ramsey scored 17 of the Art Institutes 31 to start the game as Chicago took a big lead early. But Casper made a late 2nd half comeback to keep the game within two at the break. The second half was all Casper as Father Mackenzie and Brandon Vaccaro blew up, putting the game away. Mackenzie ended with 21 points and 7 rebounds while Vaccaro scored 33 on 14-21 shooting.

(4) Tuscaloosa 90 - (13) Inglewood 71

The Double-Down took an early lead, fought off a second half comeback, and ended up with an easy win over Inglewood. Four players scored in double digits for Tuscaloosa, led by Casey Cizikas with 22 and 5 rebounds. Cizikas shot 10-13 from the field while the entire squad went 35-63 and 7-11 from behind the arc.

(3) Detroit 92 - (14) Concord 65

Detroit carried a 14 point lead into the half and continued to pour it on in the second as they ran away with this one. Oscar Peterson went 10-16 from the field, leading all scorers with 27 while Casey Morgan added 19 and 6 assists. Nathan Flowers was excellent off the bench for the Audacity, scoring 17 points in just 17 minutes and grabbing 4 key rebounds.

(6) Tucson 85 - (11) Hot Springs 68

The Orange Krush tried to hang around, but the talent of Tucson was simply to much for them as the Tribe pulled away for an easy 17 point victory. Four players scored in double-digits for Tucson, led by Montez Edicks 21 points. Gaylord Roney added 17 while Freddy Vinson scored 15. Overall Tucson shot 7-12 from behind the arc and held Hot Springs to just 29-70 from the field.

(7) Silver City 103 - (10) Ithaca 94

What looked like a Silver City blow out early, became a very competitive game by the half. Despite taking big leads throughout the game, Ithaca continued to make runs, keeping the game within striking distance. In the end though, Silver City simply had to much offense as Mark Jernigan had a phenomenal effort scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 boards for the Pranksters. Edward Swearengin added 22 while Jesse Reyes scored 17 despite turning the ball over 8 times.

(2) Birmingham 79 - (15) Biloxi 69

Ronnie Moe and Sam Bickel combined for 48 points for the Dukes, but it wasn't enough as Birmingham got a huge effort out of their big center, as Fred Lenahan scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Ryan Cruz added 14 and 9 boards off the bench in just 18 minutes for the Jail.

Second Round

(8) Naples 75 - (1) Durham 60

It's official, there will be a new NTT Champion crowned as defending champs Durham went down at the hands of Naples tonight 75-60. The Devils started out fast and had an early lead, but Naples went on a nice run late in the first half to take the lead to the locker room. The Peanuts just poured it on in the second half, not allowing Durham to get back in the game at all. The story of the game had to be the defense of Naples. They held Durham to 32 points below their season average. No that's not a typo! The Peanuts also had a great balanced attack on offense and were led by senior SG George Hofmann who had 14 points on 7/11 shooting. Roy matos was the high man for Durham, netting 19 points.

(5) Tuscaloosa 109 - (4) Casper 100 (OT)

What an unbelievable game! These two teams slugged it out for 40 minutes, and that wasn't even enough as this game was decided in an extra frame. The ending to regulation was absolutely crazy! Casper was up 5 with only 24 seconds left. That's when Tuscaloosa's Leroy Mullins nailed a 3 to cut the deficit to two. Casper then hit 1 of two from the line to push the lead back up to three only to see Tony Pollard nail a 3-ball with only three seconds left to tie it up. Tuscaloosa then made the plays in OT to secure the win 109-100. The Double Down Duo of Cope and Pollard combined for 43 points while Casper was led by Brandon Vaccaro with 25 points on 11/18 shooting.

(6) Tucson 85 - (3) Detroit 84

Yet another great game in the NW Region! This game was pretty close throughout with Detroit holding a small lead for the vast majority of the contest...until the final minutes that is. Max French, a youngster that certainly doesn't play like a freshman, hit a jumper to tie the game at 84 with only 38 seconds left. French did show his youth just seconds later though when he fouled Tucson's Freddy Vinson with only 5 seconds remaining. Vinson got 1 of 2 from the line and that's the ball game. Raymond Salazar led the Tribe with 23 points while Max French scored 23 in a losing effort.

(7) Silver City 78 - (2) Birmingham 66

Silver City jumped out on Birmingham early and never looked back as the Pranksters cruised to a second round victory over the #2 seed. Silver City PG Edward Swearengin had himself a game, netting 25 points on 10/17 shooting as well as dropping 4 dimes and only turning it over once. Birmingham was actually led by their bPF Ryan Cruz who had 18 points and 4 boards in 23 minutes of action.

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(8) Dayton 80 - (4) Birmingham 69

Dayton dominated the boards and went 7-12 from behind the arc as they won going away against the four seeded Jail. Kenny Reed led the Kingslayers with 17 points, going 7-12 from the field and hitting all three 3-point attempts. Dayton got two big performances off the bench as well as Steve Soja Jr. and Lyle Dunn combined for 21 points in limited minutes. Ryan Cruz led Birmingham with 16, scoring 11 in the first half as the Jail attempted to stay close with the hot Dayton shooting team.

(2) Casper 87 - (3) Tucson 76

Tucson jumped out to an early lead, but the patience and experience of Casper got them back into it, going into the half with a 37-35 lead. In the second half Casper took control, building up double digit leads as Brandon Vaccaro found his stroke, as the freshmen led the way for the Hania to get back to the Elite Eight. Vaccaro ended the night with 24 points, leading all scorers while 4 other Casper players added 12 points. Gittens was one of those with 12, who also added 6 assists and two steals. Casper got to the line 26 times to Tucson's 9 times, converting 16.

Regional Final (Elite Eight)

(5) Tuscaloosa 81 - (8) Naples 77

In a game where neither team could really gain much of an advantage, it was Tuscaloosa that made some big plays in the final minute to finally secure a win. This game seemed to be a one possession game for a vast majority of the time and it really goes to show how even these two teams actually are. Stud freshman Casey Cizikas led all scorers with 24 points. He also added in 7 rebound and 3 blocks. DD point guard Rex Meadows also had a nice line: 10 points, 10 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 block and 1 steal. The Peanuts were led by George Hofmann who had 22 points. Naples didn't play as well on defense tonight as they did against Durham, and that was likely the difference in the game. Tuscaloosa shot over 50% from the field while Naples shot under 50%

(6) Tucson 94 - (7) Silver City 78

Tucson and Silver City had a nice back and forth battle for 3/4 of this game, but Tucson just had too much in the tank for Silver City to handle. Part of the issue might have been that Prankster starting SG Jesse Reyes was too injured to play and he only got 1 minute of playing time. Silver City essentially was a man down for most of this game, which explains why Tucson was able to stretch the lead out later on in the second half. The PG battle was a good one in this game as the Tribe's Montez Edick led them in scoring with 25 points (9/19 fgs). Meanwhile, Silver City was led by their PG Edward Swearengin who had 21 points (8/18) shooting.

Southwest Region

First round

(1) Green Bay 80 - (16) Duluth 61

The Dugongs stuck around for a little while, but in the end it was simply to much Stacey Gray. Gray excited the crowd with his amazing quickness and clutch shooting, going 17-30 from the field, and scoring 40 of the Cheesy Poofs 80 points. Khujo Blaque added 14 while Troy Petry dished out 10 assists for the #1 seed.

(8) Indianapolis 75 - (9) Fort Worth 58

The Trashy Awesomes played about as well as their star did, as Michael Braddock was completely shut down, going 4-14 from the field and scoring just 13 points. The Blue Skys hounded him all night long while they absolutely destroyed Fort Worth on the boards, outrebounding them 53-19. Lee Hatch grabbed 15 of those rebounds while Chris Barber added 9 rebounds and scored 15 points.

(5) Fargo 78 - (12) Beaumont 68

Fargo fought off the always tough 12 seed, taking control early in the second half and held off Beaumont. Vincent Dawson and Marc Pascua, the Wood Chippers amazing backcourt, combined for 43 points on 20-33 shooting while Ollie Johnston added 10 points and 7 rebounds.

(4) Jacksonville 75 - (13) San Jose 63

The Drop-Step may be young, but they looked very poised as they clamped down defensively, holding the Hammerheads to just 27-62 shooting and 63 points. Jessie Pasley shot outstanding for Jacksonville, going 10-15 from the field for 25 points while Albert Blalock added 12 and 8 rebounds.

(3) Aberdeen 69 - (14) Canton 54

Canton simply couldn't find a rhythm offensively as the Redmen played solid defense for 40 minutes while winning the battle of the boards as well, outrebounding Canton 31-23. Grant Wallace led all scorers with 15 points on 7-11 shooting while Robert Stines came off the bench for Aberdeen, scoring 13 in just 18 minutes.

(6) Corpus Christi 102 - (11) Sacramento 65

This was never in doubt as the Soup Rocks simply had to much talent on the floor and the State Hornets were overwhelmed. Don Qualls led the way with 27 points for Corpus Christi, while 5 others scored over 10 points, including Abraham Seawells 16 and Adam McKay's 14.

(10) Norfolk 87 - (7) Waterloo 86

Norfolk took their first lead of the game with 2:51 left as Hunter Dalton scored from deep and when Steve Alford scored on a midrange jumper, that was it for the points as nobody could score in the last 2 minutes. Dalton ended the night with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Lashon Wright led the Nimrods with 25 points on 9-15 shooting.

(2) Nashville 81 - (15) Terre-Haute 71

The Blue Blaze came out on fire, scoring 30 points in the first 10 minutes, and continued in stride the rest of the way, winning by 10 over a tough Terre-Haute squad. Craig Hodges went 10-13 from the field, scoring 23 points while Jake Yost added 21 on 7-12 shooting. While Ray Tague struggled a bit offensively, scoring just 6 points, his 13 rebounds were critical as Nashville outrebounded the Massive Trucks 36-27.

Second Round

(1) Green Bay 90 - (8) Indianapolis 76

This just in: STACEY GRAY IS A BEAST! He had one of the single best performances ever in the NTT as he dropped a double nickle on Indy. Yes, that's right, he had 55 points! Just incredible! He did it on 24/35 shooting and also managed 4 rebounds, a block and a steal. I would normally break down the game a little more than this but I think Stacey deserves all the attention after this game. Wow!

(5) Fargo 89 - (4) Jacksonville 67

Fargo had a surprisingly easy time with a very good Jacksonville team tonight, beating the Drop-Step by 22 points. Fargo was simply more efficient on offense tonight as they shot 36/59 from the field while Jacksonville only managed 27/58. The Wood Chippers got great games out of PG Vincent Dawson (25 points, 12/16 fgs) and SF Ollie Johnston (24 points). Jacksonville was led by SF Anthony Treadwell with 17 points.

(6) Corpus Christi 73 - (3) Aberdeen 51

Corpus Christi put on a defensive clinic tonight as they held Aberdeen to 51 points (27 below their season average). Nothing was falling for the Redmen and Corpus Christi took advantage. The backcourt duo of Adam McKay and Abraham Seawell combined for 46 of the Soup's 71 points. Aberdeen didn't really have an outstanding offensive performer, but big man Patrick Angell did pull down 13 boards.

(2) Nashville 92 - (10) Norfolk 75

Nashville came out swinging and Norfolk never really recovered as the Blue Blaze coasted to a 92-75 win and earned a spot in the Sweet 16. Craig Hodges led all scorers with 30 points (13/25 fgs) and big man Ray Tague also had a nice game for Nashville, netting 14 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Norfolk was led by Steve Alford who nearly had a double double with 20 points and 9 boards.

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(1) Green Bay 99 - (5) Fargo 68

Is anyone going to slow Stacey Gray down? The kid just followed up his 55-point performance on Wednesday with a 49-point effort tonight! This guy is unbelievable! He scored 49 points on 19/31 shooting and he only made one three pointer. He made a living at the line though, going 10/11. I don't think I have seen a player dominate a game quite like this Gray kid. We'll see what he has in store in the regional final on Monday.

(2) Nashville 75 - (6) Corpus Christi 73

Nashville had a 5 or 6 point lead most of the second half until turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch helped Corpus Christi make things very uncomfortable for the Blue Blaze. However, Nashville did just enough to survive and advance, and that's what this tournament is all about. The Blaze got nice performances out of a trio of starters. Craig Hodges (17 points), Jake Yost (16 points), and Ray Tague (15 points) were all huge parts of the Nashville attack tonight. Corpus Christi was led by the duo of Adam McKay and Abraham Seawell who each had 16 points. Seawell got his on 8/10 shooting.

Regional Final (Elite Eight)

(2) Nashville 91 - (1) Green Bay 76

The first half was back and forth between these two rivals as the Blue Blaze took a 3 point lead into the break. Stacey Gray led Green Bay with 16 points in the first 20 minutes while Craig Hodges equaled that with 16 of his own for Nashville. It took 6 minutes of the second half before Gray could get back on the board as Nashville built up a double-digit lead. As Gray continued to struggle to get going, Jake Yost for the Blue Blaze continued to quietly put in basket after basket as Nashville won for the first time in three atempts over the Cheesy Poofs, but it was the most important time. Hodges ended the night with 24 points while fellow star, Ray Tague added 13 and 11 rebounds. Jake Yost scored 19 and grabbed 5 boards while backup forward, Hakeem Snyder scored 11 big point in 11 minutes off the bench. Coach Cheesepuff might regret his decision to move Gray to the point as he took the ball out of his backcourt mate, Troy Petry who has been playing so good in leading the team and getting the ball to Gray in great situations. Gray ended the night shooting just 8-24, scoring 24 points on the night while Petry had just 1 assist from the 2 spot. Khujo Blaque and Frank Cleveland combined for 23 points and 4 boards as Nashville won the battle inside the paint, outrebounding the Cheesy Poofs by 12.

Northeast Region

First round

(1) Fresno 81 - (16) Midland 57

The Funk crushed Midland on the boards, outrebounding them 41-19 which told most of the story of the night in this lopsided win for Fresno. Jacob Standley grabbed 12 of those rebounds and added 12 points while Larry Patch went 9-14 from the field, leading all scorers with 18.

(9) Cambridge 99 - (8) Asheville 87

Cambridge went 24-30 from the line, while the Lorelei hit just 7-9 as Asheville was plagued with foul problems the entire game. The Foo Dogs had a great gameplan and stuck with it, as Lee Gonzalez was the MVP scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Backup point guard, Paris Claypoole scored 17 in just 15 minutes, going 10-10 from the charity stripe.

(5) Alexandria 88 - (12) Glendale 69

The Flyers shot very well from the floor, going 16-18 from the line and shooting 34-59 from the field as they took out a tough Glendale squad. Five players scored in double figures, led by Keith Steinmetz's 19 points. Sterling Vandenberg added 17 on 7-8 shooting while backup forward, Buford Wade scored 13 in just 20 minutes.

(13) Montgomery 76 - (4) Colorado Springs 68

Fouls were the difference in this one as the Crouching Hogs got to the line 28 times, converting 21 of them to just 9 attempts for the 4 seeded Top Guns. Ray Livingston shot 7-10 from the field, and 7-8 from the line for Montgomery, scoring 21 points while Aubrey Sallee added 20 points and 5 rebounds. Mathew Melcher was big inside for the Crouching Hogs, grabbing 15 boards.

(14) Scranton 88 - (3) Columbia 86

Jose Ellis hit a huge 3 pointer with 2 seconds left for Columbia, putting the game into overtime. In the extra period it was back and forth until Ellis lost a ball to Ernest Adams of Scranton with 16 seconds left, giving Clyde Schuler enough time to hit his game winner with just 4 seconds left in the extra period, pulling off the nights biggest upset. Bryan Nakamura led the Scrappers with 24 points while Roderick Douglas added 19 and 7 rebounds.

(11) Rochester 85 - (6) Bangor 74

As was the theme of the Northeast bracket, Rochester pulled off yet another upset, dominating most of the game and winning the rubber match between these two squads. Carey Prater led the Rhinos with 25 points while Roland Luis added 15 points and 6 rebounds. Bangor committed 22 fouls to just 10 for Rochester as the Rhinos went 26-31 from the charity stripe to just 4-7 for the Black Bears.

(7) St. Paul 69 - (10) Mobile 60

The Saints outscored Mobile by 13 in the second half, erasing a four point deficit at the half as they avoided the minor upset. Reuben Massey scored 17 to lead the way for St. Paul while Barry Depp added 8 and 10 rebounds. Mobile shot just 1-8 from beyond the arc as St. Paul played intense defense from beginning to end.

(2) Lake Tahoe 68 - (15) Plainview 54

After watching some high seeds lose in their region, the White Russians came out very motivated and played amazing defense, holding the Paint Pioneers to 21 points below their season average. John Wagner led the way for Lake Tahoe, dominating inside with 17 points and 13 rebounds while fellow inside man, Michael Priest added 13 and 7 boards.

Second Round

(1) Fresno 85 - (9) Cambridge 84

The Funk survived a major scare tonight against the 9 seed Cambridge as they eeked out a win 85-84. There were no late game heroics in this one as no one scored after the 2:01 mark in the second half. The last two minutes just saw a lot of turnovers and missed shots. Regardless, Fresno found a way to win and they're in the Sweet 16. The Funk had a nice balanced offensive attack, but the high scorer was Larry Patch with 19 points. Cambridge got a huge game out of big man Lee Gonzalez who had 20 points and 12 boards as well as 2 blocks and 3 steals.

(5) Alexandria 85 - (13) Montgomery 71

Montgomery's cinderella story came to an end as the 13 seed was eliminated by Alexandria tonight by a score of 85-71. The Flyers just had too much offensive firepower as 5 scored in double figures, including Keith Steinmetz who had 21 points and 5 rebounds. Montgomery was led by Ray Livingston who had 19 points on 7/11 shooting.

(11) Rochester 90 - (14) Scranton 63

In a matchup of two higher seeds, it was the 11 seed Rochester that dominated the 14 seed Scranton en route to a 90-63 win and a berth in the Sweet 16. Rochester dominated almost every statistical category, and as a team they didn't turn the ball over one. Now that's efficiency! The Rhinos also had great offensive balance with 5 in double figures. PG Roland Luis probably had the best game, 17 points on 7/9 shooting, 4 assists, and no turnovers. Scranton was led by Bryan Nakamura who had 25 points.

(2) Lake Tahoe 91 - (7) St. Paul 79

The White Russians jumped on St. Paul early and never really looked back as they cruised to a 91-79 second round victory. This game was actually statistically pretty even, except for the three point shooting. St. Paul was 0/2 while Lake Tahoe was 10/28. Ball game. John Wagner led the White Russians with 27 points, 7 boards, and 3 blocks while while the Saints had a more balanced attack. Bernard Arguello was the high man though with 13 points on 6/9 shooting.

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(1) Fresno 88 - (5) Alexandria 84

The #1 seed that loves to live dangerously only to find a way to win it in the end was at it again tonight. The Funk had a 13-point lead with less than 8 minutes to go but then went scoreless for a long stretch that let Alexandria back in it. However, Fresno made some key freethrows in the final seconds and grabbed yet another thrilling win to move on to the Elite Eight. Big man Jacob Standley had a man-sized game tonight, scoring 23 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Larry Patch chipped in 19 as well. Alexandria was led by Keith Steinmetz and Ken Cleary, who had 20 points and 17 points, respectively.

(11) Rochester 75 - (2) Lake Tahoe 72

• In my best Gus Johnson voice* "The slipper still fits!!!!!!!!!!" The 11 seed Rochester Rhinos keep moving on in the NTT with a thrilling victory over the 2 seed Lake Tahoe. They took the lead into halftime and actually had a comfortable lead with less than 10 minutes to go...only to give it all back with less than 4 minutes to go. However, the Rhinos made big plays in the final four minutes and hit their free throws to get the win and move on. Rochester had a great game out of their PG Roland Luis, who had 26 points on 10/13 shooting. Carey Prater and Mark Orr each chipped in 15, with Orr hitting the big free throws in the final seconds. John Wagner notched a double double for Lake Tahoe, 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Regional Final (Elite Eight)

(1) Fresno 78 - (11) Rochester 68

While the Rhinos led most of the half it was the #1 seeded Funk who took a one point lead into the half. The second half was close the entire way until with less than a minute left, Larry Patch hit two big baskets in a row to give Fresno a 7 point lead. The Funk extended that to 10, which ended up being the difference in the end. The Funk dominated the boards, outrebounding Rochester by a margin of 13, as they actually got big performances out of their backup frontcourt of Neil Hamilton and Steven Peacock who combined for 14 rebounds off the bench. Andrew Crumble led Fresno with 16 points on 7-10 shooting while Patch and Wally Jones each scored 14. Carey Prater led the Rhinos with 16 while Joseph Patterson added 14 and 7 rebounds. Patterson's defensive job on Fresno's Jacob Standley was impressive, but the Funk found other players to step up and end Rochester's cinderella run.

Southeast Region

First round

(1) Phoenix 79 - (16) Annapolis 53

In convincing fashion, and a dominating defensive effort, Phoenix easily disposed of the 16 seeded Clones, outrebounding them 34-19. Joseph Carl led the Eunuchs with 21 points and 8 rebounds while Theodore Henley and George Pulliam combined for 23 points off the bench.

(8) Harrisburg 95 - (9) Louisville 88

The Krushers outlasted the Steamboats in an offensive showdown, pulling away with a late spurt in the second half. Corpse Moore led Harrisburg with 24 points and 7 rebounds while Warren Irwin and Fred Sanchez both scored 18. Irwins defense on Louisville's, Johnnie Gregory, was key, holding the sharpshooter to just 5-20 from the field. Fred Leigh had a big game for the Steamboats, scoring 31, hitting 5 three pointers.

(5) Del Mar 72 - (12) Jersey City 64

Jersey City led for awhile, but in the end it was to much Paul Pirtle and company as the Acey Deucy escaped with the win. Pirtle led Del Mar with 21 points while Leo Travis added 12 and backup forward, Kevin Chartier scored 12 of his own in limited minutes.

(13) Morgantown 70 - (4) Allentown 65

Coach Ajhoward is back after his Kings pulled off a stunner, holding the 4 seed to 0-7 from beyond the arc and committing just 6 turnovers. It was a tough defensive effort by both squads, but in the end it was Morgantown's team effort that advances. Brian Griffin scored 14 and grabbed 7 rebounds for the Kings while Ronald Levin added 14 and 4 steals off the bench.

(3) Clemson 100 - (14) Newark 96

Clemson gave it everything it had to hold off possibly the hottest team in the nation in overtime. Phillip Pearce scored the final 7 points for the Gunners as they held off a furious rally again late in the extra period. Mark Sunderland led Clemson with 25 points and 7 rebounds while Bernard Ray scored 14 and grabbed 8 boards. Pearce finished the night with 17 points, 9 assists and 5 steals in an amazing effort.

(11) Sarasota 96 - (6) Baltimore 88

The Pythons scored early and often and held off a late Baltimore rally in pulling off the upset. Phil Dodd led the way for Sarasota, scoring 32 points while going 7-7 from the free throw line. Nick Pennington added 17 while JW Lee scored 16 and grabbed 10 rebounds. Baltimore committed 28 fouls to just 10 for the Pythons, as Sarasota hit 37-41 free throws, wow!

(7) Pensacola 89 - (10) Reading 73

Pensacola used an early 21-6 run to establish a solid lead and never gave it up as they eliminated the last of the Conference 1 teams. Conference 1 brought 4 teams into the Southeast Region, and lost all four in the first round. Donald Sherman led the Gulf Bandits with 33 points on 12-15 shooting while Eugene Randall added 14. Pensacola went 20-25 from the charity stripe while the Jammers attempted just 4.

(2) Dayton 81 - (15) Odessa 79

The #2 seed just couldn't shake Odessa, until a late run finally allowed them to pull away from the stubborn 15 seed. Odessa did attempt a comeback, hitting two big 3 pointers in the last 20 seconds, but it wasn't enough as the Kingslayers move on. Kenny Reed and Luke Davidson both scored 16 to lead Dayton while Kenneth Ames ripped down 11 rebounds and had 2 blocks.

Second Round

(1) Phoenix 96 - (8) Harrisburg 85

Harrisburg took a 3 point lead to the locker room, but the second half belonged to Phoenix. The Eunuchs showed their championship potential as they erased the deficit early in the second half and then put a nice run together to put Harrisburg away. Phoenix was led by Joseph Carl who had 33 points. Darren Hinman also chipped in 20. Harrisburg was led by their SG Warren Irwin who had 29 points on 13/23 shooting.

(5) Del Mar 82 - (13) Morgantown 80

This one was a back and forth battle the entire night, but in the end Del Mar made the plays down the stretch to get the win and advance on to the next round. The Acey Deucy got practically nothing out of their bench (one played scored 8 points, the rest combined for nothing), but their starters more than made up for what the bench didn't do. PG Paul Pirtle continued his great junior campaign with a 30-point night. Big man Phillip Lewis chipped in 18 points and 8 boards as well. Morgantown was led by SG Don Taylor who had 24 points. The bench also played well too, combining for 33 points.

(3) Clemson 86 - (11) Sarasota 77

Clemson went on a nice run late in the first half to open up a double digit lead and then put it on cruise for the second half has they beat Sarasota by 9 tonight. The Gunners had 4 starters in double figures, led by Mark Sunderland with 18 points (although he didn't shoot it all that well). Damon Moreno and Kurt Weisburg chipped in 15 a piece as well. Sarasota was led by the duo of Nick Pennington and Phil Dodd who combined for 42 points.

(7) Pensacola 92 - (2) Dayton 87

We dug ourselves a huge hole in this game right off the bat and we were even down 17 points with just over 4 minutes left in the first half. We were able to put a couple nice runs together though and somehow managed to snag the lead in the second half and hold on for the W. We were led by SG Donald Sherman (again) who scored 19 points on 7/12 shooting. Our bench also came to play as 3 scored in double figures and the bench as a whole combined for nearly half of our points. Kenny Reed led the Kingslayers with 27 points on 11/19 shooting. Luke Davidson chipped in 20 points as well.

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(5) Del Mar 75 - (1) Phoenix 70

Del Mar earned a very good win tonight over perennial NTT Title contender Phoenix, 75-70. Every time the Eunuchs got close in the second half of this game, Del Mar always had an answer. Speaking of "answers", Acey Duecy PG Paul Pirtle had an Iverson-like game, netting 31 points on 10/17 fgs and going 11/14 from the line. Philip Lewis also had a nice game with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Phoenix was led by bSF Theodore Henley who had 18 points. Even more important in this box score, leading Eunuch scorer Joseph Carl got 16 points, but it took him 19 shots to get there. Great defensive effort by Del Mar in this game.

(3) Clemson 87 - (7) Pensacola 71

What an aggravating game for us! We held a double digit lead for a good chunk of this game and I was thinking we were headed on to the Elite Eight. Not so fast my friend. Clemson went on an absolute tear the final 10-15 minutes of this game and we couldn't do anything right. Tip of the cap to Clemson for getting the win, but man this one stings for us. Mark Sunderland will be in my nightmares for a while, that's for sure. The Clemson SG had 34 points on 13/18 shooting, including 7/9 from long range. Bernard Ray also had a double double with 12 points and 10 boards. We were led by Donald Sherman again, who had 18 points, but he only went 8/18 from the field..

Regional Final (Elite Eight)

(3) Clemson 85 - (5) Del Mar 83

Despite Clemson's, Mark Sunderland's amazing performance in the first half, scoring 21 points, it was Del Mar who took a two point lead into the break. The Gunners came out firing on all cylinders, but the Acey Deucy kept it close the whole way through getting key plays by Philip Lewis and Leroy Heikkinen. In the second half, Clemson built up solid leads, only to see Del Mar continue to come back. When Heikkinen scored his 26th point with 3:06 left, the Acey Deucy cut the Gunners lead to just 2 points. However, those were the last points either team would score as Clemson pulled a clutch win moving onto the Final Four. Sunderland ended the night with 31 points, going 6-12 from downtown while Bernard Ray was key inside, scoring 11 and adding 8 rebounds. Kurt Weisberg added 12 for Clemson as overall the Gunners shot 25 times from beyond the arc, connecting with 9 of them. Lewis ended up scoring 27 on 11-16 shooting for Del Mar while Heikkinen added 26 on 10-14 shooting. Paul Pirtle was shut down for his standards, scoring just 16 points and his 7 turnovers really stung.

FINAL FOUR

(6) Tucson 84 - (2) Nashville 81

It seemed like hours, not seconds as everyone was on their feet watching J Lacey's 3 point attempt with 3 seconds left to tie the game was in the air. When it fell short, the Tribe faithful were the ones celebrating as Tucson escaped with a win on Wednesday night and moved on to the NTT title game. Raymond Salazar was held to just 4 points in the first half, and Tucson needed every one of his 17 second half points to fight off Craig Hodges and Company. Freddy Vinson scored 15 for Tucson while Montez Edick added 13. Herbert Burt pulled down 10 rebounds as surprisingly Nashville won the battle of the boards. Hodges ended his storied career with 26 points while fellow senior, Ray Tague had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Both kids played their hearts out and came up just short in their senior campaign. My heart goes out to those two as watching them leave the court together was a sight to behold.

(1) Fresno 80 - (3) Clemson 67

Mark Sunderland didn't score until the 7:46 mark of the first half and finished the night with just 9 points on 4-12 shooting as Fresno's, Larry Patch and Geno Hackney shut him down completely. Overall the Funk held Clemson to 19-61 shooting from the field in a dominant defensive performance that was simply amazing to watch. Wally Jones led the Funk with 21 points on 7-11 shooting while Hackney came off the bench with 14 big points in 16 minutes. Three other Fresno players scored in double digits as the Funk shot 32-55 from the field. Jacob Standley was in foul trouble most of the game, but backup center, Steven Peacock played tremendous inside, leading the Funk in rebounds with 7. Clemson went 6-19 from beyond the arc, most of the time they were forcing them up due to the tremendous defensive pressure from the Funk. Kurt Weisberg led the Gunners with 17 points, scoring 10 of them from the line out of 14 attemps while Bernard Ray added 12 and 7 rebounds.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Fresno 86 - (5) Tucson 78

Oh what a magical season for coach Tankdogca and his Fresno program. The Funk finished the season with an unblemished, 24-0 record, which simply isn't easy to do anymore with so many great programs and fantastic coaches.

The inside duo of Wally Jones and Jacob Standley helped dominate the paint, while Larry Patch and Andrew Crumble lit up the scoreboard as Fresno knocked off a very good Tucson squad, 89-78. Tucson led most of the game, but in the end Fresno wore down the deep Tribe squad and finally took control late.

The 6'7 Crumble may have only been a freshmen, but his 20 point, 4 assist, 4 rebound performance was one that the Funk faithful will remember as he went 8-13 from the field, leading all scorers. Patch added 18 on 7-11 shooting while Jones and Standley combined for 16 of the Funk's 36 rebounds.

It was all Tucson in the first half as they used a 16-0 run, as five different Tucson players scored, to build a lead up to 16 points, and it looked like this game may get out of hand as Fresno had no answer. They never gave up though, chipping away at the Tribe's lead, going into the break down by 8.

After finally taking their first lead in the second half with 3:57 to go, Patch went to work, scoring 6 consecutive points as Fresno went on a game winning 12-0 run, putting the game out of reach for good with just minutes left. The Funk were resilient all game long, keeping the game from getting away from them with bigtime rebounds and staying out of foul trouble.

Gaylord Roney led the Tribe with 16 points, but his 2 rebounds were a bit disappointing as he simply couldn't keep Standley off the boards. Raymond Salazar added 15 on 7-12 shooting while Travis Green and Olin McLain combined for 24 points off the bench.

So as Season 65 comes to a close, it was another amazing season and this time it's the Fresno Funk who stand tall at the end, cutting down the nets and leaving people to wonder if they are one of the best team's ever, as they did go undefeated in a day and age where there is simply so many top teams.