#1 Buckeye Prep Hoopsters-Coaster Classic Champions
#2 TNBA Ohio-Buckeye Classic Champions
In terms of tournament action and the class of 2032 this weekend, seven of Ohio’s top 3rd grade teams were on the court throughout the state. Up north (Sandusky), the Coaster Classic played host to 3 top 10 ranked teams. The #1 ranked Buckeye Prep Hoopsters, #6 Ohio Basketball Club, and #8 Y-Elite Superstars were all hooping in Sandusky this weekend, with all three teams matching up in either pool or bracket play. Buckeye Prep finished 2-0 in pool play, with wins over Legacy (51-2) and Y-Elite Superstars (38-14), In bracket play, Buckeye Prep got by Legacy for a second time (50-3) and the Ohio Basketball Club (45-26) in the championship game on their trek to the 3rd grade title.
For the weekend, Buckeye Prep was led in scoring by Will Harding, followed by Jordan Taylor, Alec Moore and David Johnson III. It should be noted that OBC’s Ron Houston Jr. led his team in scoring in the championship game, while Abrielle Taylor grabbed a ton of rebounds and added much needed low post scoring. For the record, Chris DiPalma and DJ Bird led Y-Elite in scoring over the weekend.
In Columbus, #2 ranked TNBA and #4 ranked Charging Elite squared off in the Buckeye Classic. Actually, they met twice, once in pool play and again in the championship game. Although Charging Elite got the initial win, TNBA overcame a late-game deficit in the championship game to claim the title. In the final game, TNBA was led in scoring by Jayden Vega and Jason Lewis, while Charging Elite enjoyed balanced scoring between Julian Winner, Christian Morrow Jr. and Zion Lancaster.
In the AAU State Championships in Cincinnati, #5 ranked All Ohio and #9 ranked Cincinnati Royals were the headliners. From what we understand, All-Ohio faced off against the Royals 2 times, with All-Ohio claiming both wins and the title. For the weekend, All-Ohio was led in scoring by Jase Owens, Chris Downing Jr. and Jedi Haynes Lee. Apparently, Dean Schwartz led the Royals in scoring, which included a 20-point explosion in the 1st matchup, followed by Maxwell Ratica. All in all, 7 of the teams included in our Buckeye Prep Power Rankings were balling this weekend, and in the final analysis, everybody pretty much held serve based on their respective ranking.
