Spurs claim juniors championship

JUNIORS: SPURS 64, ROCKETS 55

The Spurs jumped out to a 7-0 lead early Sunday afternoon and never looked back en route to winning the championship in the juniors division. Jaylen Gilmore and the rest of the Spurs used their speed to jump out in transition and get easy layups.

The Rockets trailed 19-9 at the end of the first, but seemed poised to claw back into it when they opened the second with a 3-pointer. However, they only got one more basket in the quarter. Daron Campbell and Daronte Rainey’s baskets down low and a handful of conversions at the free-throw line gave the Spurs 30-16 lead at halftime.

Trevon Campbell led an offensive flurry in the third with six straight points. It helped the Rockets finish the third quarter on a 10-4 run, but the deficit proved too large to overcome. Some of the Spurs’ more mid-range attempts in the third hadn’t been dropping, so they got back to their run-and-gun offense in the fourth and it paid dividends. They scored 19 in the final period to seal the win.

Clippers use strong second half to win 9-10 boys’ title

BOYS 9-10: CLIPPERS 36, WARRIORS 28

After scoring just four points in the first half, the Clippers exploded for 32 in the second to scoot past the Warriors and win the 9-10 boys division championship.

It took the Clippers almost 14 minutes to make their first field goal. Kadir Lawrence put home a layup at the 6:19 mark of the second quarter. Quayshawn Artis had just made a layup on the run to put the Warriors ahead 10-1, so the basket was much needed. He answered Lawrence’s basket with a long jumper that put the Warriors ahead 12-3.

The Warriors led 13-4 entering the second half. Jaquez Jordan got the Clippers going in the third with a layup that sparked an 8-0 run. The Warriors’ lead was cut to one, 13-12, all of a sudden. They didn’t reel, though. The Warriors responded with a 7-0 run of their own to create some separation and go into the fourth leading 20-14.

Four Clipper baskets in a row at the beginning of the fourth tied the game at 22 apiece, which prompted the Warriors to use a timeout. Jordan completed a 3-point play by hitting a layup through contact and making the subsequent free throw.

With that, the Clippers took a lead they wouldn’t surrender. Immaculate work at the charity stripe from Jaylen Lamkins down the stretch sealed the win.

Selby carries Mainstreet Collection to 8-10 girls’ title

GIRLS: MAINSTREET COLLECTION 52, CHOCO FARM BUREAU 38

Taionah Selby scored 42 points — nearly double her average — to lead Mainstreet Collection to the 8-10 girls’ championship. Her height gave her an advantage over most others on the court. She was able to put up a shot right at the rim and grab her own rebounds until one went in.

Mainstreet’s lone loss of the season came to Choco Farm. The girls were able to overcome them this time with the title on the line.

Tanreya White made a free throw in the first to give Choco Farm a 6-5 lead early. Triniti Burke hauled in a rebound and put it back up for a layup to quickly grab the lead back for Mainstreet. The girls never looked back. White scored 11 points in the third to help Choco Farm pull within four, 34-30, heading into the fourth.

Mainstreet pulled away in the final period, outscoring the opposition 18-8 to win the title.

Strong start earns Fitness Unlimited 7-8 boys’ championship

BOYS: FITNESS UNLIMITED 34, TAYLOE DRUG 27

Josiah Jennette made three layups in a row to close out the first period and give Fitness Unlimited an 18-2 lead after 10 minutes. The massive advantage helped stave a comeback attempts by Tayloe Drug.

Jennette added another layup early in the second, but it was the only basket his team would get in the period. Joshua Green kicked off an 8-0 run that lasted almost the entire quarter. It helped Tayloe Drug climb back into it and go from down 18 points to trailing 20-10 at halftime.

Impressive showings at the charity stripe from Khalia Marsh, Lake Ross and Jarryn Payne made it a one-possession, 24-21 game. Try as they did to come back, Fitness Unlimited had an answer for most of Tayloe Drug’s baskets down the stretch.

Lady UConn use speed to claim 11-14 girls’ crown

GIRLS: LADY UCONN 38, LADY FEVER 20

Mariah Jones, Marchina Warren and Ka’Nyah O’Neal all found success in transition to lead the Lady UConn to the 11-14 girls’ division crown. The three of them combined for four fastbreak layups in the first to give their team a 14-4 lead early on.

They didn’t slow down. Kesiah Blackledge made a layup to spark a six-point burst that brought the Lady Fever within seven, 19-12, in the second quarter.

Lady UConn got running again in the second half and it paid off. They got some high-percentage looks in the third that helped rebuild their big advantage as they took a 27-14 lead into the final quarter.

With the game already a bit out of reach, Jakeyria Crawford made the Lady Fever’s lone basket of the fourth. O’Neal dropped a trey late in the game to lock down the win for the Lady UConn.

Stellar shooting leads Mavericks to mites title

BOYS: MAVERICKS 32, TAR HEELS 19

Kalijah Booth, Ezekiel Gonzalez and Josiah Spencer were three Mavericks players that got involved early and often. They all made first-quarter baskets to produce a 10-4 lead that the Tar Heels were never able to overcome.

Ky’Leig Mackey was a standout for the Tar Heels. He made the team’s first three buckets, including a mid-ranger with less than 10 seconds to play.

Emilio Gonzalez kicked off the third with back-to-back baskets that pushed the Mavericks’ lead to 22-6.

Mackey and Zacarias Moore got going in the second half, but the deficit was a bit too much to overcome.