L15 NTT62

Season 62 National Invitational Tournament

Season 62's NTT was rittled with upsets. From Montpelier's amazing run from the play-in game to the Elite Eight, to Salt Lake's miracle run, winning it all from the 13th spot. Even the mighty Phoenix Eunuchs were knocked out in the first round, talk about upsets!

The Finals brought us 6th seeded Del Mar vs. 13th seeded Salt Lake City. It marked each schools first title game appearance.

Prior to the tournament, the top ranked team was Columbus followed by Birmingham, Ann Arbor and Tallahassee.

Brackets

Northwest Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Columbus	84
	16	Paducah
						9	Abilene	68
						1	Columbus	61
	9	Abilene	93
	8	Syracuse	92
											9	Abilene	80
										4	Chicago	74
	12	Bangor	95
	5	Hot Springs	72
						4	Chicago	74
						12	Bangor	62
	4	Chicago	91
	13	Panama City	85
																3	Pontiac	78
															9	Abilene	68
	3	Pontiac	83
	14	San Jose	56
						3	Pontiac	92
						11	Jersey City	83
	11	Jersey City	93
	6	Alexandria	85
											3	Pontiac	79
										2	Casper	69
	10	Fort Wayne	66
	7	Lake Tahoe	61
						2	Casper	91
						7	Fort Wayne	70
	2	Casper	74
	15	Knoxville	71

Southwest Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Birmingham	70
	16	Asheville	38
						1	Birmingham	55
						8	Arlington	54
	8	Arlington	85
	9	Wilmington	67
											5	Dayton	60
										1	Birmingham	55
	5	Dayton	61
	12	Cincinnati	51
						5	Dayton	74
						13	Philadelphia	73
	13	Philadelphia	74
	4	Aberdeen	52
																6	Del Mar	96
															5	Dayton	84
	3	Clemson	49
	14	Blacksburg	42
						6	Del Mar	67
						3	Clemson	57
	6	Del Mar	106
	11	Boca Raton	91
											6	Del Mar	77
										2	Detroit	75
	10	Camden	72
	7	Reading	57
						2	Detroit	78
						10	Camden	65
	2	Detroit	79
	15	Huntington Beach	65

Northeast Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Ann Arbor	76
	16	Utica	59
						1	Ann Arbor	73
						8	Boston	59
	8	Boston	84
	9	Atlantic City	71
											13	Salt Lake City	75
										1	Ann Arbor	71
	5	Morgantown	81
	12	Carlsbad	79
						13	Salt Lake City	67
						5	Morgantown	64
	13	Salt Lake City	93
	4	Canton	85
																13	Salt Lake City	78
															15	Laramie	65
	3	Concord	90
	11	Sacramento	65
						3	Concord	70
						6	Olympia	51
	6	Olympia	79
	11	Sacramento	65
											15	Laramie	83
										4	Concord	72
	7	Fargo	83
	10	College Station	78
						15	Laramie	92
						7	Fargo	82
	15	Laramie	74
	2	Jacksonville	64

Southeast Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	16	Montpelier	97
	1	Tallahassee	89
						16	Montpelier	94
						9	Denver	91
	9	Denver	83
	8	Honolulu	72
											16	Montpelier	84
										5	Fresno	82
	5	Fresno	76
	12	Amarillo	61
						5	Fresno	82
						13	Nasvhille	68
	13	Nashville	81
	4	Norfolk	80
																14	Tulsa	87
															16	Montpelier	85
	14	Tulsa	56
	3	Phoenix	54
						14	Tulsa	74
						11	Plainview	64
	11	Plainview	95
	6	Mobile	93
											14	Tulsa	98
										10	Durham	75
	10	Durham	85
	7	Pierre	75
						10	Durham	80
						15	Cambridge	78
	15	Cambridge	87
	2	Pensacola	84

Final Four

	Semi-finals				Final
	Del Mar	74
	Pontiac	57
					Salt Lake City	76
					Del Mar	73
	Salt Lake City	84
	Tulsa	76

Game Summaries

Northwest Region

First Round

(1) Columbus 84 - (16) Paducah

The Ironmen were clearly outclassed as Columbus pulled away early in the first half and never let Paducah get close. Leon Ahmed was huge inside for the Scarlet & Gray, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds while Roberto Forsythe added 18 points and 7 boards. Tommy Collazo scored 20 for Paducah in the loss.

(9) Abilene 93 - (8) Syracuse 92

Syracuse's, Arturo Hopper's big 3 in regulation with 2 seconds left put the game into overtime but it was Abilene who escaped with the 1 point win. The Squall's entire starting lineup scored in double-digits while it was the tandem of David Ford and Scott Batts who combined for 45 points. Elijah Krause nearly had a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Hopper led the Snipers with 26 points while Clayton Curry Jr. added 22 points before fouling out.

(12) Bangor 95 - (5) Hot Springs 72

Bangor looked much more prepared as the curse of the 5 seed continues as this one was never even close. The Black Bears got a huge performance out of backup guard, Shane Grass, who hit 10-13 shots for 25 points while starting forward, Sean Fuller added 19 points. J.J. Carr's defensive performance on all-world guard, Kenneth Gallagher, was huge, holding the star to just 7 shots in limited time as Gallagher couldn't stay out of foul trouble. It was another disappointing end to Hot Springs season as for the 2nd straight year they went out in the first round.

(4) Chicago 91 - (13) Panama City 85

This was a very fun game to watch as a ton of talent was displayed. With the likes of Andrew Stafford, Nathan Browning, Frank Lundy and Jess Bickett it was destined to be a great game. It wasn't until late when the Art Institute finally pulled away from the stubborn Surfin' Siafu. Stafford and Browning, Chicago's talented backcourt, combined for 49 points and 9 rebounds while Dominic Zehner played strong inside, scoring 14 and grabbing 9 boards for the Art Institute. Frank Lundy scored 27 in his last collegiate game (that counts) in the loss.

(3) Pontiac 83 - (14) San Jose 56

I clearly underestimated the OttawaRebellion as I thought San Jose might pull off the upset. It wasn't even close as Pontiac dismantled the Hammerheads dominating them in nearly every phase of the game. Pontiac's, Ricky Crawford, led all scorers with 26 points while big man, Enrique Templeton added 25. Neil Puryear ripped down 14 boards for the OttawaRebellion. Senior, Rodney Trinidad, ended his great career with a 8-14 shooting performance for 21 points.

(11) Jersey City 93 - (6) Alexandria 85

The score was closer than it looked as these two strong programs fought back and forth for 40 minutes. In the end it was the three points shooting (9-16) as well as the overall talent of Jersey City pulling away as 5 different players scored in double figures. Alex Paulley led the way for the Jesters, scoring 26 points while Rene Foster added 19. Eddie Davenport led the Flyers with 19 in a losing effort.

(10) Fort Wayne 66 - (7) Lake Tahoe 61

In a low scoring defensive affair, it was the Wombats of Fort Wayne who moves on to the second round. Parker Chittenden led the Wombats with 16 points while Ed Skidmore played solid up front with a 12 point, 9 rebound effort. The White Russians center, Bryan Cox, led the way for his team with a 12 point, 10 rebound, 4 block effort.

(2) Casper 74 - (15) Knoxville

Coach Warak was worried about this matchup, despite being a #2 seed, and he was right as the Skatelites gave it everything they could, but in the end Harlan Maxwell's 3 point attempt bounced off the backboard and Casper escaped with a 'W'. Sean Connery posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards while Quincy Day added 17 points for the Hania. Knoxville backup forward, Jerry Henrickson, was huge in the upset bid, scoring 23 points on 9-10 shooting, including 4-4 from downtown.

Second Round

(9) Abilene 68 - (1) Columbus

It didn't take long to have the night's first upset as Abilene played tenacious defense and got it done just enough on the offensive end to down the Scarlet & Gray. Columbus went 2-18 from behind the arc, which was key in their loss. The Squall's David Ford and Harrison Williams both had 14 points to lead Abilene in scoring while Roberto Forsythe and Leon Ahmed both had 12 for Columbus. Abilene's, Elijah Krause had a big night, scoring 9 points, grabbing 8 boards and dishing out 4 assists.

(4) Chicago 74 - (12) Bangor 62

Fouls were the difference in this one as the Art Institute got to the line 30 times and converted 23 while Bangor hit just 4-6. Chicago's Andrew Stafford had a game high 18 points while Nathan Browning added 17. The battle of the boards was won by Chicago as well as they outrebounded Bangor 33-27. Dominic Zehner hit 3-5 three pointers as the Art Institute hit 7-19 overall. The Black Bears star forward, Sanford Wick was held to just 4-12 shooting for 9 points while Jack Jackson shot well, hitting 6-8 for 12 points.

(3) Pontiac 92 - (11) Jersey City 83

The OttawaRebellion used a late second half run to go into halftime with an 11 point lead and Jersey City could never recover as the duo of Ricky Crawford (38 points) and Enrique Templeton (23 points, 10 rebounds) simply could not be slowed down. Crawford hit 15-27 shots, including 4-5 from downtown and improved from his 25 points first round performance. Jersey City got a big performance from Alex Paulley who hit 10-17 shots for 24 points, but it wasn't enough to pull off the upset.

(2) Casper 91 - (7) Fort Wayne 70

After a close victory in round one, coach Warak pumped his team up and the results were obvious as the Hania blew out the Wombats in convincing fashion. Casper dominated the boards, went 20-20 from the free throw line and received huge performances from forward Quincy Day (23 points, 4 rebounds) and Alex Gittens (18 points, 4 assists). Demond Ballantyne scored 19 points for Fort Wayne while Parker Chittended scored 15 points to go along with 6 assists as they exit the NTT in the second round.

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(9) Abilene 80 - (4) Chicago 74

The Squall used a late first half run to build a double-digit lead and held off a Chicago comeback as Abilene marches on. They used a patient offense, working the ball inside and taking smart shots while also capitilzing at the free throw line, going 19-22. Scott Batts led the Squall with 23 points and 6 rebounds while Harrison Williams had a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 boards. Francisco Vick was big off the bench grabbing 5 rebounds and scoring 8 points in just 11 minutes. Chicago's talented backcourt of Andrew Stafford and Nathan Browning combined for 43 points in the loss.

(3) Pontiac 79 - (2) Casper 69

What a job Ezra Taylor did on Casper's top scorer, Quincy Day, shutting him down to just 12 points on 4-10 shooting. Pontiac's 6'5 freshmen forward scored 15 to go along with Ricky Crawford's 21 as the OttawaRebellion moves on to the second week of NTT play. Pontiac dominated the glass, outrebounding Casper 36-23 as Enrique Templeton clearly outplayed the Hania's Sean Connery. Casper's Alex Gittens scored 19 points on 8-16 shooting, but their starting frontcourt scored 0 points in the loss.

Regional Final (Elite Eight)

(3) Pontiac 78 - (9) Abilene

It was back and forth the first half until Pontiac used a run early in the second half to establish a lead and contain it until the end.

6'9 senior, Neil Puryear, was simply amazing as the big forward scored 13 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out 6 assists and had 3 blocks. Puryear was there everytime the OttawaRebellion needed a big play. Enrique Templeton lead all scorers with 16 points to go along with 5 boards while Ezra Taylor scored 16 and added 7 rebounds in the win.

Abilene's fantastic run ended with 3 players scoring in double digits, Jeffrey Gray, Scott Batts and Elijah krause all scored 12 points while Harrison Williams added 8 and 11 rebounds.

Southwest Region

First Round

(1) Birmingham 70 - (16)Asheville 38

The Lorelei faithful were excited after taking a 2-0 lead but that was it for Asheville as Birmingham turned on the afterburners and won by 42. James Lalonde and Stephen Mcquay both scored 40 points while Lalonde added 9 rebounds in the blowout as nobody from the Lorelei even scored in double-digits.

(8) Arlington 85 - (9) Wilmington 67

The Eagles took an early lead and never looked back as James Fredrickson led all scorers with 25 points. Wilmington fired away but went 1-10 from beyond the arc as Arlington played stiff defense from the perimeter. The Eagles backup forward added 17 points while starting guard, Will Murray scored 15 points on 5-7 shooting. The Hurricanes got a solid effort out of Troy Richter, as he scored 16 points and grabbed 6 boards.

(5) Dayton 61 - (12) Cincinnati 51

It was the fourth meeting between these conference rivals, and for the 3rd time it was Dayton walking away with a victory. Dayton played suffocating defense, limiting the Dreads to just 16-58 shooting while their backcourt tandem of Phil Newcomb and Ed Walser combined for 34 points. Dayton dominated the paint as well, outrebounding Cincy 44-27.

(13) Philadelphia 74 - (4) Aberdeen 52

In the first big upset of the night it was Philadelphia knocking off the 4 seed Redmen. Raymond Steed and Phillip Mellor each scored 21 points while Ariel Grace grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with 9 points as the Experiment pulled away late in the second half. Harold Delano, the Redmen's star forward was held to just 10 points on 4-12 shooting but did grab 10 rebounds.

(3) Clemson 49 - (14) Blacksburg

Clemson took a 29 point lead into the half and cruised from there as they showed the country they are a major contender this year. Freshmen star, Mark Sunderland, scored 18 points for the Gunners while Walter Bowen added 10 points, but it was Clemson's tenacious defense that slowed Blacksburg down, despite's Quirt Coleman 19 points.

(6) Del Mar 106 - (11) Boca Raton 91

What a scoring display these two high powered teams put on but the Wheezing Senior just couldn't keep up with the talented Acey Deucy. Raymond Manning led the way for Del Mar, scoring 24 points while Eric Roe added 23 and William Ross came off the bench for 17. Del Mar actually received 41 points off the bench while Boca Raton got 43 off of theirs, an amazing stat as 10 players scored in double-digits combined!

(10) Camden 72 - (7) Reading 57

It was a tie game with just 10 minutes left until Camden took over and turned this close game into a route. Joseph Bouknight scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for the Comets as they dominated the glass and frustrated Reading into 20 fouls, proceeding to go 16-22 from the Charity stripe. The Jammers frontcourt of Gabriel Gunn and Maurice Treece combined for 24 points, but the two barely outdueled Bouknight alone as he was just to big inside.

(2) Detroit 79 - (15) Huntington Beach 65

Huntington Beach hung with the much more talented Audacity, making a game of it but just didn't have enough firepower to keep up with Wilbert Farber and company. Farber scored 20 points and added 9 rebounds while Carl Burger added 17 points and 4 assists. Bob Kelso nearly had his own double-double, grabbing 8 rebounds along with 12 points as the Audacity dominated the glass, outrebounding the Cows by 17. Huntington's Sean Peer led his team with 20 points on 8-15 shooting.

Second Round

(1) Birmingham 55 - (8) Arlington 54

It was a tight game back and forth as the top seeded Birmingham Jail could not shake a determined Arlington Squad. With 30 seconds left, James Lalonde hit a huge 3 pointer to put the Jail up by 1 and when the Eagles James Fredrickson missed a desperation 3, Birmingham got a huge 2nd round victory. Stephen Mcquay led Birmingham with 12 points while Lalonde added 11 points. Fredrickson led Arlington with 24 points but received little help offensively.

(5) Dayton 74 - (13) Philadelphia 73

Who would have thought when Tiger Woods hit his bonus shot after getting fouled on a dunk with a little over 3 minutes left, it would be the difference in the game as neither team could score the rest of the way. Both teams looked very strong offensively too, but they stiffened up during the last few minutes as Dayton escaped the upset bid by the Expirement. Phil Newcomb led the Kingslayers with 22 points while Woods added 16 on 7-13 shooting. Philly dominated the glass, but committed 20 turnovers which hurt bigtime. Ariel Grace dominated inside for the Expirement, scoring 15 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking 3 shots.

(6) Del Mar 67 - (3) Clemson 57

In a hard fought contest, it was Del Mar who played better 'D', shutting down Clemson's 3 points attack, holding them to just 4-20 from behind the arc. Eric Roe scored 25 points for the Acey Deucy while forward Bryce Baylor added 14 and 7 rebounds. Clemson's star freshmen, Mark Sunderland, was held to just 10 points while forward Walter Bowen scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.

(2) Detroit 78 - (10) Camden 65

After watching other top seeds struggle, including their rival and top seed Columbus fall earlier in the night, the Audacity came out red hot and never let up for 40 minutes. Wilbert Farber was the star for the Audacity, scoring 26 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and blocking 3 shots while Cole Alley and Carl Burger combined for 29 more. Detroit dominated the glass, outrebounding the Comets by 8 and hit 13-16 free throw attempts. Camden's Antoine Burroughs scored 14 points in the loss while his co-captain, Joseph Bouknight could never get anything going and was held to just 8 points and 7 boards.

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(5) Dayton 60 - (1) Birmingham 55

What a defensive performance put on by Dayton on Friday night as they slowed down Birmingham, holding them to just 1-10 from outside the arc and just 55 points. Senior guard, Ed Walser led the Kingslayers in scoring, going 7-13 from the field for 14 points and added 5 rebounds. Tiger Woods pout in 13 points while Steven Patel grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 7 points. Brent Ferguson led Birmingham with 12 points as nobody for the Jail could really get anything going with the tenacious defense of Dayton.

(6) Del Mar 77 - (2) Detroit 75

It was pandamonium at the end of the Southwest nightcap as Bryce Baylor scored his 22nd and most important point, a miracle shot as time expired to pull off the upset over Detroit. Carl Burger's midrange shot with 8 seconds to go tied it up, but when Baylor grabbed the rebound he took a crazy one hand hook that hit nothing but net. Raymond Manning was nearly unstoppable, going 10-16 from the field for 25 points while Eric Roe added 15 for the Acey Deucy. Wilbert Farber led Detroit with 21 points and 5 boards, while Carl Burger ended the night with 15, but went 0-5 from behind the arc.

Regional Final (Elite Eight)

(6) Del Mar 96 - (5) Dayton 84

Raymond Manning. While Del Mar are strong from top to bottom it was the play of the 6'6 junior that was simply to much for Dayton to handle.

Manning hit 15-23 shots for 35 points in just 26 minutes for the Acey Deucy and was simply outstanding every second he was on the floor. Bryce Baylor added 16 points and 7 rebounds while Eric Roe added 12. Roe also played solid defense on Dayton's star, Tiger Woods, holding Woods to just 11 points.

Phil Newcomb led the Kingslayer with 19 points but their 11 turnovers combined was just to much as they couldn't stop Del Mar from scoring as it was. Dayton did get 10 points each from Dallas Green and Pierre Diaz off the bench, but it wasn't enough as their Final Four bid was ended prematurely.