It remains a great midseason boys basketball show that continues to draw interest. On Monday night, Kenny Smith gave Flyin’ a shout-out while hosting the hit show Inside the NBA on TNT with Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley. It didn’t hurt that Smith was here two nights to watch his son play for IMG Academy (Fla.)
“I don’t know how much bigger we can make it,” Flyin’ creator Eric Horstman said Monday night following the conclusioin of the 42-team, 23-game, four-day event. “We’ve often thought of (expanding) but I don’t want to get too crazy where I can’t control it at the high level that it is. I don’t want to have it at a second facility. I think that starts to water things down. I don’t know what else we can do.”
Horstman said all 42 teams that went Flyin’ this Martin Luther King holiday weekend asked about returning next year.
All-Flyin' team: Josh Jackson (Prolific Prep, Calif.); Miles Bridges (Huntington Prep, W.Va.); Nick Ward (Gahanna Lincoln); Seth Towns (Northland); Alterique Gilbert (Miller Grove, Ga.); and Trevon Duval (Advanced Prep, Texas).
Lima Senior 83, Thurgood Marshall 66: Xavier Simpson scored 20 points and Marquavious Wilson added 19 as Senior (10-0), ranked No. 2 in the state in D-I, rolled in Monday's finale.
Thurgood senior guard Darnell Hoskins converted all 12 free throws, hit three 3s and tallied 31 points. Kadeem Jones added 13 points.
Advanced Prep (Texas) 78, Pickerington Central 72: Trevon Duval hit three 3-pointers and scored 29 points to key AP's 30-point fourth quarter. Arizona, Kansas, Louisville and Maryland are among the many schools to make offers to the 6-foot-4 guard. Billy Preston added 14 points and nine rebounds.
Ibi Watson also hit three 3s and led Central with 26 points. Jalen Tate added 20 points.
Dublin Jerome 57, Middletown 53: Leading scorer Mason Baich scored 15 points and Jerome withstood the Middies' fourth-quarter comeback.
Kobie Johnson tallied 32 points for the Middies (6-7). He hit 10 of 14 shots from the floor, four of six 3-pointers and eight of nine free throws.
“I told the guys I don’t believe in moral victories or anything like that, but if we give this type of effort and execution from here on out, we’re going to be in good shape,” Middies coach Mark Baker said.
Mountain Mission (Va.) 58, Springboro 49: Maciej Bender tallied 19 points in leading Mission, a church-sponsored high school anchored in the mountainous region of Grundy, Va.
Usually sure-shooting Springboro was betrayed at the free-throw line, converting just 13 of 27 attempts. Justin Rigg and Drew Holweger each had 10 points for the Panthers, who held a one-point lead after three quarters. Springboro (10-3) had a six-game win streak snapped.
Mountain Mission has been in existence since 1921, but it’s basketball program is relatively new.
“We exist to help kids in need,” said coach Pawel Mrozik, a native of Poland who came to the U.S. about 10 years ago and initially worked with former Valparaiso coach Homer Drew. “We have kids from all over the world. We travel a lot. It’s hard to find games up in the mountains.”
Miller Grove (Ga.) 75, Centerville 59: UConn recruit Alterique Gilbert unloaded 31 points to fuel Grove, a multiple Georgia big-school state champion from 2009-14. Raylon Richardson added 14 points and Naquante hardy had three 3's and 13 points for the Wolverines.
Sam Lash led the Elks with 12 points and Keegan Saben grabbed nine rebounds. Centerville (8-5) starting center Kyle Fedewa remains sidelined with a dislocated shoulder. “Obviously, that changes us a lot,” Elks coach Brook Cupps said.
“Right now we’re just trying to see we are in terms of where we can be. This isn’t football; we’re getting into the playoffs. You might as well play the best teams you can and try to improve and see where you’re at in the end.”
22Ft Academy (S.C.) 67, Hilliard Bradley 52: Eli Wright scored 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting and Jordan Bowden added 17 points in leading 22Ft, a prep school that has its roots in Europe and is anchored at Greenville, S.C. Sedee Keita, a 6-10 center who signed with South Carolina, had 12 rebounds and four blocks. Braden Norris hit four 3-pointers and led Bradley with 18 points.
Marian Catholic (Ill.) 63, Piqua 50: Austin Ritchie hit four 3-pointers and scored 21 points to lead the Spartans. Colton Backman, the GWOC's No. 2 scorer, led Piqua (8-6) with 13 points and four steals. Nate Monnin added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
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