CIA Bounce 15U Last Ones Left in AAU Supershowcase, Cody John and Kimbal Mackenzie Come Clutch in OT
“It’s all heart, it’s all about how bad you guys want it. That’s what these moments come down to”. These were the words of Coach Pratapas after a down to the wire 61-60 overtime win against the Florida Tar Heels which put CIA Bounce 15U into the quarter-finals of the gold bracket. This was the team’s first real test because they were well matched with speed and athleticism.
CIA Bounce got off to it’s usual quick run, capitalizing off of missed shots by the Tar Heels and lobbing out to the outlet for quick points. Cody John, Paul Galas and Montaque Caesar Gill played a vital role in securing extra possessions for their time by boxing out and getting up high for boards. Their effort was quickly matched and by the time the first quarter had ended there was already six lead changes.
In the second quarter CIA Bounce, A. K. A Team Takeover Canada, found itself in the biggest deficit it had been in all tournament which was six. This wasn’t anything to get rattled about, but this team hadn’t been down six to any team all tournament; in their earlier game they had taken a 27 point win.
The big difference maker in this game was Gill. He had fouled out of the previous game and was upset about that at the time, however came in with a very focused and aggressive mind set. His mid range jump shot and ability to create for himself was on display this time around. The energy of this rising star was passed around to his teammates as he threw down a two hand jam from the baseline in the third frame.
Turnovers were an issue in this game for the Canadians and this kept the Tar Heels in the game. Not to say that the hometown team wasn’t good; they were actually solid and played disciplined throughout, however the game would have been different had the miscommunication been cut down.
CJ came up big in OT tying up the game at 57 with a strong take that was contested at the rim. A three ball from both teams would tie the game again at 60. On the final possession of the game Kimbal Mackenzie caught the inbound pass and took it coast to coast and was fouled to stop the east layup. Mackenzie would hit 1/2 and this would be enough to seal the game as the Tar Heels missed a very deep three in the final seconds.
This teams of Canucks will play another tough home grown team which is Florida Fly Wade. NPH got a chance to see this Florida team when we were in Pittsburgh for Jam Fest and they were a quick team of ball handlers that will challenge Bounce on their road to the Championship, tip off is at 12:30pm at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
