There was no time for Easter egg hunts in Orlando, as the Coastal Crew Rebels 17U squad was busy lighting up the scoreboard and slam-dunking opponents to make it the Easter Classic Tournament finals last weekend.
After taking it to the Central Florida Hawks by 35-points in the tournament opener, the games got tougher and the scores got closer.
Game 2 pitted the Rebels against the Breeze but with Jordan McRae and Jimmy Bacon averaging 19.8 points per game and 14.4 respectively, it was the Rebels who breezed their way to a 76-51 victory.
The team was averaging 67.4 points per game as the Rebels took South Fulton by 11-points in game 3, before getting in a one point battle and victory over Palm Coast Starters in game 4 (58-57).
The Rebels faced the Showtime Black in the finals but lost at the buzzer by four (55-59).
“The tournament overall was great,” Rebels coach Ernie Walthour said. “The kids had a great time in Orlando, and they all performed great. It was a team concept. I know Jordan and Jimmy had good games but we had some very good plays from Justin Boyd, Ricky Rivera, and it was a complete team concept that got us to the finals.”
The fact that the Rebels made it to the finals automatically qualified them for the AAU National Championship Tournament later in the season.
“The Nationals will be held in Atlanta this year from July 26- Aug. 1,” Walthour said. “There will over 5,000 college scouts from all over the country, which is one of the reason we wanted to qualify as soon as we did.”
The Rebels travel to Clemson for another tournament in May.
“We are getting things ready and I really need to thank David Linderman, Mike Brown, Ben Scott and the coaching staff for the great job they did in Florida,” Walthour said. “Our 16U team made it to the elite eight and we are real proud of them. They were one win away from the final four and qualifying and overall it was a great time and experience for everyone involved.”
Team averaged 67.4 ppg
Game scores
Coastal Crew Rebels 80, Central Florida Hawks 45
CCR 76, Breeze Basketball 51
CCR 67, South Fulton 56
CCR 58, Palm Coast Starters 57
Finals
CCR 55, Showtime Black 59
Scoring (and local schools)
Terrence Alston 2.8 ppg First Presbyterian
Justin Boyd 7.2 ppg Long County
Ricky Rivera 6.4 ppg Long
Derek Nesbitt 1.3 ppg Bradwell
Eli Guest 4.8 ppg Long
20 Tony Colston 4.2 ppg Bradwell
21 Chakiris Moss 1.8 ppg Richmond Hill
23 Jordan McRae 19.8 ppg Liberty County
24 Jimmy Bacon 14.4 ppg Long
32 Emmanuel Fuller 2.2 ppg Liberty County
35 Jonathon Blair 2.8 ppg Bradwell
After taking it to the Central Florida Hawks by 35-points in the tournament opener, the games got tougher and the scores got closer.
Game 2 pitted the Rebels against the Breeze but with Jordan McRae and Jimmy Bacon averaging 19.8 points per game and 14.4 respectively, it was the Rebels who breezed their way to a 76-51 victory.
The team was averaging 67.4 points per game as the Rebels took South Fulton by 11-points in game 3, before getting in a one point battle and victory over Palm Coast Starters in game 4 (58-57).
The Rebels faced the Showtime Black in the finals but lost at the buzzer by four (55-59).
“The tournament overall was great,” Rebels coach Ernie Walthour said. “The kids had a great time in Orlando, and they all performed great. It was a team concept. I know Jordan and Jimmy had good games but we had some very good plays from Justin Boyd, Ricky Rivera, and it was a complete team concept that got us to the finals.”
The fact that the Rebels made it to the finals automatically qualified them for the AAU National Championship Tournament later in the season.
“The Nationals will be held in Atlanta this year from July 26- Aug. 1,” Walthour said. “There will over 5,000 college scouts from all over the country, which is one of the reason we wanted to qualify as soon as we did.”
The Rebels travel to Clemson for another tournament in May.
“We are getting things ready and I really need to thank David Linderman, Mike Brown, Ben Scott and the coaching staff for the great job they did in Florida,” Walthour said. “Our 16U team made it to the elite eight and we are real proud of them. They were one win away from the final four and qualifying and overall it was a great time and experience for everyone involved.”
Team averaged 67.4 ppg
Game scores
Coastal Crew Rebels 80, Central Florida Hawks 45
CCR 76, Breeze Basketball 51
CCR 67, South Fulton 56
CCR 58, Palm Coast Starters 57
Finals
CCR 55, Showtime Black 59
Scoring (and local schools)
Terrence Alston 2.8 ppg First Presbyterian
Justin Boyd 7.2 ppg Long County
Ricky Rivera 6.4 ppg Long
Derek Nesbitt 1.3 ppg Bradwell
Eli Guest 4.8 ppg Long
20 Tony Colston 4.2 ppg Bradwell
21 Chakiris Moss 1.8 ppg Richmond Hill
23 Jordan McRae 19.8 ppg Liberty County
24 Jimmy Bacon 14.4 ppg Long
32 Emmanuel Fuller 2.2 ppg Liberty County
35 Jonathon Blair 2.8 ppg Bradwell