GASO DAY 2: Pool Play Spills into Bracket Play

Carrollton - Day 2 of the Great American Shoot-Out wrapped up pool play for all 168 teams and bracket play began mid-day Sunday. GASO Beat writer Lyndon Cook dives into the action.

Texas Bluechips 17U Blue 61 YL2G 56

Day 2 of the Memorial Day Great American Shootout was opened up with a riveting game that saw Texas Bluechips edge YL2G by 5 points. YL2G battled back from a 7 point halftime deficit to have an opportunity to tie the game with a minute left in regulation, thanks largely in part to an electric second half from Graham Louis (Euless Trinity), who poured in 21 of his 27 in the second period. But Texas Bluechips took care of business to seal the win, with the team going a perfect 16 for 16 from the charity stripe in the game.

All 4 Sports Dream Team 76 D1 Premier Hall 67

All 4 Sports Dream Team shared the wealth in a 9 point victory over D1 Premier Hall, with 4 players reaching double digits on the score sheet. Jock Hughes (Yates 2018) led the way for All 4 Sports with 14, and was helped by 13 from Cameron Burkett (CM 2017), and 10 a piece for Javaughn Dantzler (Jersey Village 2017) and Kevin Samuel (RHCA 2017). D1 Premier Hall was paced by Dez Scott (Madison 2017), finishing the game with 14 points. Josh Richardson (Prestonwood 2017) and Gabe Tanella (Homeschool 2017) both added 13 in the loss.

Celtics Select 54 Eye of the Tiger Hoops 17U 51

Trent Brezovsky (Plano West 2018) waited until the perfect time to knock down his only made field goal of the second half, nailing a three from the wing with 1.8 seconds left to play to give Celtics Select the victory. Brezovsky totaled 7 points on the day, with Jalan Nichols (Newman Smith 2017) scoring 15 and Xavier Elam (Richardson 2018) adding 11 to defeat Eye of the Tiger Hoops out of Belton. Eye of the Tiger Hoops were paced by an impressive 23 point game from Austyn Floyd (Belton 2018).

Plano Wolves 67 YGC36 2017 Select 63

Plano Wolves coughed up their lead midway through the second half against YGC36 Select, only to retake it with just over a minute to play and seal the game with free throws. Merek Nelson (Plano East 2017) scored 9 for Plano Wolves in the victory. YGC36 Select were led by Parker Hicks (Decatur 2017), who hit 4 treys on the way to putting in 24 points. Braydon Boyd (Keller 2017) added 11.

Texas Impact 4:13 70 Seawolves 50

After a rough start on Day 1 of the GASO, Texas Impact picked up a 20 point win over Seawolves. The combination of guards Xavier Bryant (Greenhill 2018) and Jaylon Rucker (Frisco Heritage 2017) proved to be too much for Seawolves, with the pair scoring 15 and 14 respectively. Brendan Brooks (Lakeview 2017) was unable to replicate the 43 point performance he produced on Day 1, but still led Seawolves with a 16 point outing. 2017 Donald Whiteside Jr. out of Mansfield chipped in with 15.

MC Texas Elite 17U 66 A-GAME Athletes-Love 46

MC Texas Elite showed nice offensive balance in a 20 point win over A-GAME Love. 6'10 John Brown (Magnolia 2016) was high point for MC Texas Elite with 12, while Greg Stone (Magnolia 2017) and William Pendygraft (Magnolia 2017) contributed 11 and 10 respectively to their team's victorious effort. A-GAME Love was led by Titus Foster (Skyline 2016) and Dorian Griffin (Irving Ranchview 2016) with 12 a piece.

ATX Future 17U 77 Texas Triumph Gold 63

ATX Future came out hot and stayed that way for most of the game in a 14 point victory over Texas Triumph Gold. Future's Donovan Armstrong (Round Rock 2016) scored all 16 of his points in the first half, while Kordell Stiggers (Manor 2017) drained 3 long range efforts on the way to having 11 points in the opening frame. Darian McDonald (Manor 2017) added 15 to ATX Future's final tally. Texas Triumph Gold was paced by Flower Mound 2017 Adam Dworsky with 18. Anthony McGee (Mesquite 2017) helped out with 11.

TX D1 Ambassadors 17U 61 THP Elite 17U 35

TX D1 Ambassadors used a dominant second half performance to turn a 9 point halftime lead into a 26 point win over THP Elite. Malachi Barron (Midway 2017) got things started for Ambassadors, putting in all of his 8 points in the first half. From there, it was Bubba Furlong (Midway 2017) and James Beuerlein (St. Andrews 2017) stealing the show, both scoring 7 after the break. THP Elite were held to 13 points in the second half due to some very solid defensive work by Ambassadors. Michael Aranda (Killeen 2017) and Avery Sullivan (Pflugerville 2017) led the way for THP Elite with 9 and 8 respectively.

Basketball University AG 54 SwagHouse 34

For a half, the battle between top prospects Quentin Grimes (Woodlands College Park 2018) and Marcus Garrett (Dallas Skyline 2017) was effectively even in terms of performance and their team's score. But after the break it was Grimes whose star shone brightest, scoring 11 of his 15 in the second half and propelling his team to a 20 point win. Greg Bowie (Athlos Leadership) also had 15 in the game for Basketball U. But Grimes' success on the scoreboard should not diminish the performance of Garrett. While an 8 point outing may sound meager, Garrett's distribution from mid-range and on the drive was something to behold. Chiefly benefiting from these passes were Trae Jones (WF Hirschi 2017) with 12 points and Daveaun Brookins (Spruce 2017) who had 11 for SwagHouse in the loss.

Texas Tigers Gold 67 3D Sports Team Bizness 17U 57

An early 3-point barrage by DaRaun Clark (SA Wagner 2018) and a complete performance by Ray'Shawn Dotson (Converse Judson 2017) was enough to take Texas Tigers Gold past a skilled 3D Sports Team Bizness squad. Dotson finished with 19 points, while Clark added 5 three balls on his way to an 18 point outing. Team Bizness was carried in the first half by the play of Sebastian Andreas (EP Americas 2017) who totaled 9 in the opening period and 19 for the game. Donovan Grayson (Lake Ridge 2016) came on to score 12 in the second half for Team Bizness, but it ultimately wasn't enough as Texas Tigers Gold came away with the 10 point win.

BeastMode 2018 65 Dallas Mustangs-North 50

BeastMode 2018 used a burst of offense early in the second half to put the distance they needed between themselves and Dallas Mustangs-North to secure a victory in the last round of pool play. Kaleb Favors (Trimble Tech 2018) was high point for BeastMode with 13, while Ty Phillips (Lipan 2018) and brother Tate Phillips (Lipan 2017) added 9 and 7 respectively. Dallas Mustangs-North hung around for a half, but just couldn't come up with a run of their own in the second half to get them back to within striking distance.

Texas Future (San Antonio) 53 Dallas Mustangs-Rob 46

The dynamic backcourt combo of Avery Crisp (SA Reagan 2017) and Devin Blair (Judson 2016) did just enough to outlast the challenge of Dallas Mustangs-Rob. Blair had 14 and Crisp added 13 in a game that Texas Future trailed by 1 at the half. Also contributing was the 6'2 D'Angelo Johnson (SA Roosevelt 2017) with 13. Dallas Mustangs-Rob was paced by the attacking prowess of Jase Townsend (Skyline 2018), who finished the game with 15 points. The win saw Texas Future overtake Dallas Mustangs-Rob as first place in the pool for bracket play.

Vipers Academy Elite 56 Dallas Showtyme Elite 50

Vipers Academy Elite made the trip up from the Rio Grande Valley to beat Dallas Showtyme in their proverbial own backyard. Ryan Garza (Edinburg Vela 2017) had the hot hand early on, nailing 2 triples in the first half and finishing 18 points in the win. Alec de la Cruz (Vela 2016) and Roosevelt Martin (Sharyland Pioneer 2016) added 10 and 9 to the Vipers' total. Dallas Showtyme couldn't get out of the gate and trailed by 11 at the break. Though they cut into the deficit in the second period, they were unable to pull off the comeback. Showtyme was led by Quenton Hennington (Bishop Dunne 2017) with 13 in the loss.