This past weekend, the Buckeye Prep Invitational Tournament played host to four 2032 teams including the Buckeye Prep Hoopsters, Team Charging, Michigan Titans and the Ohio Hoopsters-Monarchs.  After pool play, Buckeye Prep was sitting on a 3-0 overall record, with wins over Team Charging (34-15), the Ohio Hoopsters-Monarchs (25-13) and Michigan Titans (33-20).  In the first round of bracket play, Buckeye Prep faced off against the Michigan Titans for a second time in as many days, and would hold off a late charging Titans to secure the 14-10 win.

In the championship game, Buckeye Prep matched up against Team Charging for the 4th time in 2 weeks and jumped out to an early lead. Although there was a little drama early in the game, once Buckeye Prep got a comfortable lead they never really looked back. In that game, Jordan Taylor dropped a game-high 12 points, while David Johnson III and Jase Owens added 7 points each. Key to the game was Carter Watson’s excellent defensive effort against the Charging’s leading scorer, Jedi Haynes-Lee, who was held scoreless in the game. The leading scorers for Team Charging included Elijah Ruiz (7) and Kason Angert (5), Zion Lancaster (4).

Team Charging entered bracket play 2-1 with wins over the Ohio Hoopsters-Monarchs (22-12) and the Michigan Titans (27-11), and a loss to Buckeye Prep (34-15).  In the first round on Sunday, Team Charging defeated the Ohio Hoopsters-Monarchs 26-19. Although the Michigan Titans did not win a game over the weekend, they are scrappy, and they have a couple of quality pieces on the team. It should also be noted that the Ohio Hoopsters-Monarch made a respectable showing for only their first tournament of the season. Below is a complete list of standout performers and All-Tournament Teams.

MVP & 1st Team All-Tournament Team
Jordan Taylor-MVP
David Johnson III
Carter Watson
Jedi Haynes-Lee
Elijah Ruiz
2nd Team All-Tournament Team
Carmelo Malone
Armani Cooper
Jase Owens
Caleb Towns
Joshua Towns
Kason Angert