Ballers U17 Boys Teams Meet In “Bragging Rights” Game
Photos and Story by Robert Thomas
The game may not have been for a medal but both of the Moose Jaw Ballers teams battling for ninth place and for “bragging rights” in the U17 boys division at the Premier Prairie Classic Basketball Tournament played their hearts out on Saturday evening.
And in the end the game which was close throughout was won by Ballers One (in white) over Ballers Two 68 - 59 in a come from behind victory.
Closely Guarded - A member of the Ballers One team (center) turns back and runs into an opponent who was closely guarding him - MJ Independent photo
The First Quarter saw the Ballers Two team take a four point lead. The lead was due to a field goal or three pointer late in the quarter.
The score was Ballers Two 19 and Ballers One 15 at the end of the quarter.
Breaking Through Traffic - a member of the Ballers One team tries to break past through defenders on a layup attempt
The Second Quarter was close with the Ballers One team scoring one more point than their opponents.
Ballers One scored four pinpoint three pointers - 12 points - of their 14 points.
The score at Half Time was Ballers Two 32 and Ballers One 29.
One Hander - A member of the Ballers One team (left) gets ready to take a one hand shot
The Third Quarter saw the Ballers Two team run into foul problems with the squad racking up five team fouls but the Ballers One team was only able to score two points from bonus land.
The score at the end of the quarter was Ballers Two 55 and Ballers One 46.
Breaking For The Lane - As his teammate blocks out an opponent a member of the Moose Jaw Ballers One team gets ready to rush down the open lane on the way to the basket
The Fourth Quarter was dominated by the Ballers One team as the Ballers Two team was unable to get their offence kicked into gear.
Ballers One were able to score eight straight points against their opponent managing to pull into one point lead with a long three pointer at the 6:00 minute mark.
Foul problems persisted for the Ballers Two team in the Fourth Quarter with the Ballers One team picking up three key points to cement their win.
The Ballers Two team was unable to get much of an offence going scoring just six points in the quarter.
The Ballers One Team scored a three pointer making the score 65 - 55 with a minute to go making it virtually impossible for any late charge to victory.
Jumping for a rebound - opponents jump for a rebound
The Final Score was Ballers One 68 and Ballers Two 59.
Both teams are now finished play in the tournament.
Both Ballers U17 boys teams paused for a group photo after the game - MJ Independent photo
The Premier Prairie Classic Basketball Tournament runs until Sunday and will see 73 teams compete for more information check out the the Premier Prairie Classic Basketball Tournament’s Facebook page.
The premier medal match up today features the Moose Jaw Spartans U17 boys team facing the Crossover06 team for gold.
The game goes at 12:30 pm at Peacock Collegiate.
There are other games as well.