Madison Peaster made the best of his first Real Deal.
Peaster, a 6-2 guard from Marion, scored 16 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and handed out 5 assists in leading the Joe Johnson Arkansas Hawks to a 71-58 victory over Hoop City in the 16U championship game of the 15th annual Real Deal in the Rock on Sunday afternoon in Little Rock.
Peaster sparked the Hawks early, hitting two three-pointers and handing out three assists in the game's first six minutes.
"He was fantastic this tournament," Hawks Coach Bill Ingram said of the tournament's MVP. "He was absolutely flawless. He kept his turnovers down. He remained focused, and he played a great team game."
Hoop City -- a Memphis-based team that had breezed through its first five games of the tournament with an average margin of victory of 20.2 points -- hit its first four three-point attempts and led the Hawks 12-6 three minutes into the contest. That deficit did not shake the Hawks.
"After we called a timeout, we got ourselves together," Peaster said. "We came out strong after that."
By halftime, the Hawks held a 37-23 advantage. Hoop City could get no closer than 10 in the second half.
The Hawks played without guards D.J. Smith and Tracey Steele, who were both instrumental in Friday's 63-61 victory over in-state rival Woodz Elite. Ingram said Smith "tweaked" a knee Saturday night, and Steele "stepped on someone's foot" Sunday morning.
"We had to change our game plan up a little bit," Ingram said. "Our rotation was cut to seven or eight players. It was hard for us. They spread us out a little more than what we're used to, but eventually we were able to pick them up with a full-court, man-to-man defense and pulled us through."
Peaster scored 12 of his points in the first half, including a buzzer-beating 23-footer.
"This is the first time I've had an opportunity to play in this tournament, and there was some good competition all the way around," Peaster said. "I think I did well defensively, which is something I take pride in. Overall, I think the team did really well. I'm really proud of the job we did this weekend."
Terran Williams, a 6-5 forward from Barton High School, added 15 points and eight rebounds. Hykeem Hancock, also from Barton, scored 13 points and picked up 10 rebounds. Sylvan Hills guard Jalen Ricks scored 12 points, including a 7 of 8 performance from the free-throw line.
Reese McMullen, a 6-2 guard from Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, led Hoop City with 19 points. Chandler Jackson, a 6-4 guard who is also from Christian Brothers, added 14 points. Zander Yates, a 6-8 center from Houston High School in Germantown, Tenn., led Hoop City in rebounding with eight rebounds.
The Hawks hit 20 of 29 free-throw attempts while Hoop City was 4 of 9 from the line. The Hawks also enjoyed a 43-23 advantage on the boards.
"We thought we had a pretty good team coming into this tournament," Ingram said. "And I think we'll get even better as the summer goes on."
UNDER 17
TEAM HARDEN 62,
GOL1VE 46
Marcus Williams, a 6-1 guard from League City, Texas, earned MVP honors of the 17U tournament in leading Houston-based Team Harden to a victory over GoL1VE of Columbia, Mo.
Williams scored 15 points, made 3 steals and grabbed 5 rebounds.
"He has got a motor on him," Team Harden Coach Eric Dixon said. "There's no stopping him on either side of the basketball, neither offensively or defensively."
Jestin Porter, a 5-10 guard from Cypress Ridge High School in Houston, scored a game-high 16 points for Team Harden.
Sports on 04/08/2019