Storm fire up 2-man attack

Green, Sims tough tandem

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/RICK MCFARLAND --07/14/13--  Red Storm's Raekwon McNight, (4) is double-teamed by SBG's Delvin Benett (10) and Jalon Underwood (back) during the AAU ninth grade finals at Philander Smith College in Little Rock Sunday.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/RICK MCFARLAND --07/14/13-- Red Storm's Raekwon McNight, (4) is double-teamed by SBG's Delvin Benett (10) and Jalon Underwood (back) during the AAU ninth grade finals at Philander Smith College in Little Rock Sunday.

The combo effort of guard Troy Green and power forward Wayde Sims carried the Red Storm of Baton Rouge, La., to a national championship on Sunday afternoon.

Green and Sims each scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Louisiana-based team held off SBG of Beaumont, Texas, 49-41, in the AAU Boys’ Ninth Grade Division I title game at Philander Smith College.

The Red Storm turned a two-point deficit after the first eight minutes into a 26-19 halftime lead as Green had eight points and five rebounds in the second quarter, . The Louisiana team did not trail in the second half.

“Sims has been a factor for us the whole tournament, but Green is just as valuable,” Red Storm Coach Charles Myers said. “They (SBG) didn’t have anyone on their team that could stop those two. I told our guys I wanted to go inside out. I didn’t want us to shoot a three until we got the ball inside first. That was the plan the whole second half. That’s all we tried to do.”

The Red Storm hit 18 of 38 shots from the floor, including 10 of 17 in the second half. The Louisiana team was also 10 of 15 from the free-throw line.

Joshua Boyd led SBG - short for Silverback Gorilla - with 15 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. Guard Keith Corbin added eight points, but no other SBG player had more than six points. SBG was 18 of 47 from the floor.

“I don’t know if our guys were just starstruck or what, playing in the big game,” SBG Coach Michael Ryals said. “A lot of my kids haven’t played in this type of game before. The Red Storm just made a few more plays than we did. They got to a few more loose balls and I think that was big factor in this game.”

SBG pulled to within 30-27 late in the third quarter and had a chance to cut the deficit to 1 when 5-11 guard Dontre Thomas made a steal at midcourt and headed for the basket. Thomas’ shot, however, missed its mark and Red Storm guard Skylar Mays grabbed the rebound and threw full-court pass to Toliver Freeman, whose fieldgoal with 1:13 left in the third quarter gave the Red Storm a five-point lead.

On the ensuing SBG possession, Freeman came up with a steal, which led to a 34-27 Red Storm advantage heading into the final quarter.

Freeman finished with 10 points and three steals. Mays scored 4 points, but he handed out a game-high 7 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds.

Sims was not as effective as he was in Saturday’s 21-point effort against the Arkansas Wings Elite, but he did score 11 points in the second half.

“Sims did not play his best game today. He struggled early and was pressing a little bit, but you saw what kind a player he was last (Saturday) night,” Myers said. “He did come through for us late as usual. But our point guard Mays controlled the whole tempo. He’s one of the best point guards in the nation right now.”

Ryals said SBG came into the game primed to stop Sims, which it did in the first half. But Green picked up the slack.

“He was what I call a solid sleeper,” Ryals said. “We felt we could negate him with our defense, but he got to a lot of rebounds and eventually I thought that was the difference.”THIRD-PLACE GAME SPORTS ACADEMY 45, ARKANSAS WINGS ELITE 40, OT

Jalen Johnson scored five of his 13 points in the extra period as the Sports Academy of Baton Rouge outlasted the Wings.

Payton Willis led the Wings with nine points while Jason Burks added eight.

The was tied at 35 to start the overtime, but Sports Academy scored the first eight points of the extra period.

AAU results DIVISION I Championship Red Storm 49, SBG 41 Third-place game Sports Academy 45, Arkansas Wings Elite 40, OT Fifth-place game Athletes First 68, D-1 Greyhounds 57 Seventh-place game EAYO Lions 75, Team Texas 61 Ninth-place game Team Loaded 15, Albany City Rocks 0, forfeit DIVISION II Championship Memphis Tigers 53, Tifton Eagles 49 Third-place game Judges Court 56, New Bern Storm 41

Sports, Pages 15 on 07/15/2013

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