Flyin’ to the Hoop: 18th annual basketball showcase draws rave reviews

“It didn’t stop anybody,” Horstman said. “We were 4,500-plus strong here on Friday night just to watch four national teams play.”

»RELATED: Monday’s high school roundup

Horstman said plans for the 19th edition will begin in a week, and he’s happy to know that if he needs to block national teams together again it won’t hurt ticket sales. The crowds ebbed and flowed throughout the weekend, but the usual 4,500 to 5,000 per day came and watched.

“The fans continue to say they love this weekend, something to look forward to after all the holidays are over,” Horstman said. “It’s kind of a family reunion for some of the fans and friends that have been sitting together for years.”

The teams gave the event good reviews again.

“All three Arizona teams (Hillcrest, AZ Compass, Dream City Christian) were here for the first time and they have been over the moon talking about this,” Horstman said. “And Grayson out of Georgia has been hearing all the hype from Pace Academy and Milton. They came up to me and said you just let us know and we’ll come up here any year you want us to. That’s kind of nice to hear. Means we’re doing something right.”

All-tournament team: Six players were selected led by Malaki Branham of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary for a 44-point, 11-rebound performance against Trotwood-Madison.

Joining Branham were Andy Barba of ISA Andrews Osborne with 19 points and eight rebounds; Jalen Green of Prolific Prep with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists; Jalin Billingsley of Cleveland Heights Lutheran East with 20 points and five rebounds; Isaiah Wilson of First Love Christian with 22 points and Devontae Blanton of Lakewood St. Edward with games of 18 and 15 points.

Best for last: Fairmont sophomore Malachi Parker drove the length of the floor and scored in traffic with 15 seconds left to lift the Firebirds to a 48-46 victory over Cincinnati Hughes in Monday's final game. Hughes missed a 3-point attempt in the final seconds.

Parker scored 16 points and sophomore Keon Wright added 15 for the young Firebirds (6-8).

In other games Monday, Division IV Ottoville led by as many as 17 and held off an Anna comeback to win 61-57 behind 19 points from Joseph Miller. Isaiah Masteller came off the bench for four 3-pointers and 16 points to lead Division III Anna (8-3).

Thurgood Marshall trailed by 13 at halftime, rallied in the fourth quarter but fell short 76-70 to Cincinnati Taft in a Division II matchup. Anthony McComb scored 19 points and Mekhi Elmore had 17 to lead Marshall.

Crowd favorite: When Spire Academy emptied its bench late in its 78-42 victory over Springfield, Jayden Stanley quickly became a fan favorite. Stanley is the son of assistant coach Michael Stanley. A medical condition caused Jayden to put on a lot of weight the past two years. He is a senior at Spire and joined the post-grad team as a way to lose weight. Head coach Gravelle Craig said Jayden has lost some weight already and will need another three to four months to lose it all.

Stanley attempted five shots in the final four minutes. When he pulled up on the right wing and swished a beyond-NBA range 3-pointer the crowd erupted. He scored again when he got an offensive rebound and made a reverse layup. At one point another Spire player shot and the crowd booed. They wanted Jayden to get all the shots.

Scholarship winner: Chaminade Julienne senior guard Sean Menker was awarded the event's $1,000 scholarship sponsored by River Valley Credit Union. Menker carries a GPA of 3.95.