L15 NTT60

Season 60 National Title Tournament

Season's 60 National Title Tournament was one of the few where higher seeds survived and advanced. The Final Four brought us one #1 seed and 3 #2 seeds. Runs by Utica and Charlotte to the Sweet 16 were the only real Cinderella stories. Most of the noise was from the eventual champions, Hot Springs, as their new freshmen, Kenneth Gallagher quickly became a star! Prior to the tournament, the top ranked team was Columbus followed by San Jose, Rochester and Salt Lake City.

Brackets

Northwest Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Columbus	67
	16	Huntington Beach	63
						1	Columbus	82
						8	Concord	72
	8	Concord	90
	9	Tallahassee	71
											5	Odessa	91
										1	Columbus	62
	5	Odessa	95
	12	Fresno	85
						5	Odessa	83
						13	Morgantown	70
	13	Morgantown	74
	4	Philadelphia	63
																2	Hot Springs	96
															5	Odessa	86
	3	Phoenix	95
	14	Reading	46
						6	Detroit	79
						3	Phoenix	72
	6	Detroit	81
	11	Little Rock	71
											2	Hot Srpings	89
										6	Detroit	87
	10	Kansas City	77
	7	Montgomery	75
						2	Hot Springs	98
						10	Kansas City	62
	2	Hot Springs	74
	15	Tuscaloosa	68

Southwest Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	San Jose	75
	16	Carlsbad	65
						1	San Jose	91
						8	Sacramento	86
	8	Sacramento	93
	9	Durham	80
											1	San Jose	83
										4	Mobile	72
	12	Long Beach	96
	5	Olympia	88
						4	Mobile	88
						12	Long Beach	83
	4	Mobile	78
	13	Las Vegas	76
																1	San Jose	101
															2	Laramie	94
	14	Madison	83
	3	Tulsa	71
						11	Ocala	80
						14	Madison	64
	11	Ocala	75
	6	Clemson	72
											2	Laramie	82
										11	Ocala	74
	7	Fargo	72
	10	Knoxville	58
						2	Laramie	83
						7	Fargo	62
	2	Laramie	93
	15	St. Paul	53

Northeast Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Rochester	75
	16	Canton	61
						9	Baltimore	87
						1	Rochester	77
	9	Baltimore	74
	8	Colorado Springs	48
											9	Baltimore	76
										13	Charlotte	60
	5	Cambridge	63
	12	Panama City	60
						13	Charlotte	67
						5	Cambridge	66
	13	Charlotte	73
	4	Asheville	60
																2	Aberdeen	91
															9	Baltimore	79
	3	Norfolk	69
	14	Blacksburg	51
						3	Norfolk	92
						6	Boston	78
	6	Boston	75
	11	Fort Wayne	71
											2	Aberdeen	90
										3	Norfolk	71
	7	Abilene	79
	10	Ann Arbor	77
						2	Aberdeen	88
						7	Abilene	85
	2	Aberdeen	67
	15	Lansing	60

Southeast Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Salt Lake City	89
	16	Lake Tahoe	70
						1	Salt Lake City	89
						8	Dayton	76
	8	Dayton	90
	9	Grand Rapids	49
											4	Jacksonville	94
										1	Salt Lake City	84
	5	Nashville	72
	12	Shreveport	66
						4	Jacksonville	75
						5	Nashville	57
	4	Jacksonville	75
	13	Jersey City	65
																2	Albuquerque	83
															4	Jacksonville	73
	3	Arlington	76
	14	Scranton	75
						11	Utica	85
						3	Arlington	84
	11	Utica	63
	6	Erie	61
											2	Albuquerque	90
										11	Utica	65
	7	Augusta	77
	10	Green Bay	65
						2	Albuquerque	81
						7	Augusta	68
	2	Albuquerque	78
	15	Syracuse	62

Final Four

	Semi-finals				Final
	Hot Springs	101
	San Jose	68
					Hot Springs	81
					Albuquerque	69
	Albuquerque	76
	Aberdeen	56

Game Summaries

Northwest Region

First Round

(1)Columbus 67 - (16)Huntington Beach 63

Columbus fans sure had to be nervous, as the Scarlet & Gray barely overcame #16 Huntington Beach. The Beach Cows led most of the game but behind the sharpshooting by Phillip Garza kept them in the game. Garza ended the game with 19 points and 3 steals.

(8)Concord 90 - (9)Tallahassee 71

Wow did Concord ever look ready to play. The Minutemen jumped on Tallahassee early and never looked back as they destroyed the Heat, 90-71. Andy Torres looked simply unstoppable inside the paint, grabbing 11 boards to go along with 19 points.

(5)Odessa 95 - (12)Fresno 85

The game went back and forth between these two strong squads before the 5th seeded D'Noodlers took control behind Jay Harzheim's 17 point, 12 rebound performance. Robert Barnes and Elijah Johnson both had big time performances as well as both seemed to step up whenever Fresno attempted to make a run.

(13)Morgantown 74 - (4)Philadelphia 63

The Experiment had no answer for the Kings backcourt as Bart Seeger and Mark Fisher combined for 46 points. Seeger was on a mission as he hit 10-15 shots and went 4-6 from behind the line for 30 points. Philadelphia's, Richard Livingston, scored 27 in the loss as Morgantown took control early and never gave up the lead.

(3)Phoenix 95 - (14)Reading 46

The Eunuchs jumped out to a 17-2 lead and it was pretty much over at that point as Reading could never get their offense going. Five Phoenix players scored in double digits, led by Byron Habensteins 21 points on 8-12 shooting. Backup forward, Stephen Robinson scored 15 points off the bench.

(6)Detroit 81 - (11)Little Rock 71

Detroit took the lead early and fought off every comeback attempt by the Dirty Bandits. The Audacity dominated the glass and got a huge performance out of forward, Cole Alley (23 points, 8 rebounds). Bob Kelso was strong inside with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

(10)Kansas City 77 - (7)Montgomery 75

The Crouching Hogs led the whole game until Kansas City made a big late run. Chi Walden's then hit a shot with 47 seconds left to take the lead and added a free throw for the winning margin. Shooting guard, Ryan Phillips shot 10-13 for the Sasquatch, and added 3-3 from behind the arc for 23 points.

(2)Hot Springs 74 - (15)Tuscaloosa 68

The Double Down made a valiant attempt late in the second half, but the Orange Krush just had to much for them. Marquez Sparkman stole the show with his 24 points, 7 assist, 4 steal performance as 4 players scored in double-digits for Hot Springs. Freshmen, Kenneth Gallagher added 16 points and 5 rebounds.

Second Round

(1)Columbus 82 - (8)Concord 72

It was a tie game at the half as Concord's stars Marshall Donyell and Andy Torres flexed their muscles. However in the 2nd half Columbus took over as Leon Ahmed was on fire hitting basket after basket. Ahmed ended the game with 25 points while Phillip Garza added 17 for the Scarlet & Gray. While Concord dominated the glass, it was at the charity stripe where Columbus won the game, making 16-20 while the Minutemen converted only 5 of 7 attempts.

(5)Odessa 83 - (13)Morgantown 70

While it was an amazing performance by Bart Seeger it just wasn't enough as Odessa put together a total team effort and kept the game from ever getting within the Kings reach. Five players scored in double digits for the D'Noodlers, led by Elijah Johnson with a 14 points, 9 rebound performance. Odessa dominated the glass and shot 59% from the field. Winning easily while not relying on stars Henry Clark and Jay Harzheim makes Odessa look like a scary matchup next round for Columbus.

(6)Detroit 79 - (3)Phoenix 72

What a game we were treated to in the 3rd game of the night as Detroit and Phoenix put on a phenomenal show. It was back and forth all game until Cole Alley hit a huge 3 pointer with 2 minutes left to go up by 3, then 4 free throws later was the difference in a bigtime basketball game. Center, Bob Kelso, forced his will inside the paint, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 boards while guard, Mark Alvarez scored 18 points to lead the Audacity in scoring. Christopher Henson scored 21 points on 10-19 shooting for Phoenix in the loss, but was 0-5 from behind the arc.

(2)Hot Springs 98 - (10)Kansas City 62

Hot Springs jumped on the Sasquatch early and often, scoring 61 points by the end of the first half. They never let up as they embarrassed Kansas City with an amazing display of athleticism including high flying dunks and alley oops. Swingman, Carl Kraker, led 5 players in double-digit scoring with 20 points while forward, Nestor Foust, had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Detroit played swarming defense against Phoenix in game one, but will they have enough to slow down the Orange Krush?

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(5)Odessa 91 - (1)Columbus 62

Columbus is known for it's defensive play, but they could do nothing to slow down the talented D'Noodlers on Friday night. Odessa ran up and down the court at will on the overmatched Scarlet & Gray, scoring at will, led by all-world center, Jay Harzheim. Harzheim hit 6-7 shots and 8-10 free throws for 21 points and added 6 rebounds. Henry Clark added 16 points while backup forward, D.C. Jefferson scored 14 off the bench. Odessa dominated the paint as everyone chipped in, holding a 31-19 advantage on the boards. Leon Ahmed did score 19 points for Columbus, but their talented guard, Phillip Garza, was held to just 8 points on 3-9 shooting.

(2)Hot Springs 89 - (6)Detroit 87

Wow, what a game out in the nightcap of the Top Left Bracket. It was a back and forth game with Detroit taking a slim lead into the half. Then with 16 seconds to go and leading by 1 point, Detroit's Dale Hug made a terrible mistake in fouling Carl Kraker on a 3 point attempt. Kraker converted all 3 and after Cole Alley missed a long shot from just under the key with 2 seconds left, it was the Orange Krush who moves on. The inside-outside combination of Mark Alvarez and Cole Alley for Detroit was amazing as they combined for 51 points, but it wasn't to be as Hot Springs countered it with Kraker's 19 points and Kenneth Gallagher's 20, all in the 2nd half.

Regional Final (Elite Eight)

(2)Hot Springs 96 - (5)Odessa 86 It was a big matchup between two very talented teams, which stayed even most of the game until Hot Springs went on a spurt early in the 2nd half and kept the lead the rest of the way. The Orange Krush's 6'7 senior, Carl Kraker led all scorers with 22 on 8-12 shooting while freshmen phenom, Kenneth Gallagher went 8-8 from the charity stripe, scoring 16 points and adding 3 assists. Jay Harzheim had yet another top notch game, scoring 19 and grabbing 7 boards while Henry Clark was held to just 10 points for the D'Noodlers.

FINAL FOUR

Down to the Final Four. Every season coaches put in a ton of time with their players, just hoping they can get them to understand how teamwork, hard work and dedication to their programs just might get them to this point. Although getting to the Final Four in itself is a huge accomplishment, once their, every young man on the floor wants to push one more step and get to the ultimate goal, the NTT title game. Let's review how Wednesdays night matchups went.

(2)Hot Springs 101 - (1)San Jose 68

In the night's first game, Hot Springs immediately jumped all over San Jose, building up a 24-4 lead in the first 7 minutes. The combination of Carl Kraker and Marquez Sparkman scored 16 of those 24 points, exploding down the court and hitting shot after shot. Finally when the halftime buzzer sounded, the Orange Krush were clearly in control with a 53-31 lead. The second half wasn't any different as Hot Springs were just to much for the Hammerheads. The play of Kraker, Sparkman and Kenneth Gallagher was to tough for San Jose to handle as the 3 combined for 63 points on 26-42 shooting. The Orange Krush committed only 6 turnovers while the Hammerheads had 19, five by Jordan Keith. David Stroh was the lone bright spot for San Jose, scoring 23 points, while Keith shot 2-9 in clearly his worst game of the season.

(2)Albuquerque 76 - (2)Aberdeen 56

The nightcap was a much different story early as the game went back and forth as A Easterday for the Marvelettes and the Redmen's, S Francois exchanged buckets repeatedly. Early in the second half, Albuquerque went on a 15-2 run, blowing the game wide open and going into the half with a big 46-28 lead. Francois ended the half with just 7 points after a quick start. In the second half, everytime Aberdeen got close to cutting the lead to single digits, Albuquerque stepped up and hit key shots, keeping the game out of reach. John Gunderson was nearly perfect, hitting 8-11 shots and going 5-5 from the free throw line, leading the Marvelettes with 22 points. Bobby McCurdy scored 16 while Alvin Easterday and Luke Crane both added 13. Francois ended the night with a disappointing 15 point, 10 rebound performance. Aberdeen definitely needed more out of their superstar, but Albuquerque constantly kept double teams on the Redmens star player.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

When coach Krush signed McDonald's All-American, Kenneth Gallagher, he knew he might have something special. With Marquez Sparkman and Carl Kraker returning for their senior year, he had all the pieces in place to make a run for his first NTT title.

That's exactly what happened as Gallagher led all scorers with 23 points, hitting 10-15 shots from the field, while Kraker added 16 points as Hot Springs took out Albuquerque, 81-69.

Nestor Foust had a great game up front, grabbing 11 rebounds and scoring 11 points while Jeremy Wright held his own, grabbing 8 boards and blocking 3 shots.

Hot Springs started out behind the sharpshooting of Kraker and Foust, but George Moffett kept Albuquerque in it by hitting 2 three pointers in the first 6 minutes, while hitting another bucket for 8 points. It was back and forth until the Marvelettes finally took their first lead with 4:56 left in the half behind a deep field goal by Luke Crane. Then a 13-2 run to close out the half gave the Orange Krush a 44-34 lead at the half.

Albuquerque came out pushing in the second half, behind Moffett and Alvin Easterday, cutting the lead to 3 with 10 minutes to go. But that would be as close as it gets as another run by Hot Springs put it away.

Moffett ended with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Alvin Easterday scored 13 and added 7 rebounds in the loss.

Unfortunately their will be no rubbermatch between these two powerhouses as the Orange Krush won when it counted the most. They got their sweet revenge and watched as Sparkman, then Kraker took the ladder first to cut down the nets for the season 60 NTT championship.

Congratulations to coach Krush and the Hot Springs Orange Krush!!!