On the final day of the Planet Athlete North South Classic at Trinity Washington University in Washington D.C. the NPSAA hoped to leave on a high note following a second day that saw all the Canadian squads fall, despite Christian Faith Center Academy’s successful rout in its debut.

With four teams in action on the final day of action there was no shortage of opportunities to end the tournament on a high note.

Here’s a look at how some of the matchups broke down.

Game 1 PHASE 1 Prep vs. Urban Honors Academy

Coming into its final game the PHASE 1 program had struggled in the first two days of the tournament coming up short in three games and looked to head home with a W in the bag.

Behind an intense defensive approach that hope was fulfilled when PHASE 1 handed Urban Honors a 76-57 drubbing.

After a lacklustre showing in its opening game the effort right out the gate was evidently higher than in previous showings yet for as much improvement made on the defensive end the offensive struggles remained for in the early going.

Despite the slow offensive production, administering a full court press created turnovers and allowed PHASE 1 to get out in transition for easy baskets.

Though they were missing the inside presence of D’Adrian Allen, who was sitting out with a sprained ankle, the production off the bench from Jamal Gataler made up for his absence as the senior forward was active on the glass getting a number of second chance points while providing tenacious D.

It didn’t take long for the pressure defence to wear out Urban Honors as PHASE 1 maintained the intensity throughout the first half to take a 34-19 lead into the break.

Though a the second half would start with Urban Honors converting on back-to-back and one plays the closest they would come was `within 10 points as PHASE 1 seemed to have a response for every run, sparked mainly by the impressive defence, that withstood the loss of Jelani Daniel and Rashaun Arthur who both fouled out.

In the end the pressure defence was too much for Urban Honors to handle and PHASE 1 would walk away with its first victory of the tournament.

Game 2 REDA National vs. Huntington Prep

In one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the tournament, Huntington Preps length and size would prove to be too much for REDA to handle en route to its 57-45 victory.

After falling to NIA Prep the night before, REDA was looking to prove to observers they belonged in the same conversation for top programs in North America along with the West Virginia powerhouse. The first quarter, however, the team played like they were out of their league.

Maybe it was the handful of NCAA Division I coaches in the stands, most recognizably North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams, or just the magnitude of the game, but the first few minutes REDA was tentative settling for long jumpers and struggling to find any offensive rhythm.

The lack of execution allowed Huntington to jump out to a quick 9-1 lead and it looked like a blowout was in order. Looking to answer the call and live up to the hype REDA would close the quarter playing strong defence and trailed 13-7 after one.

Though for most of the first half it appeared REDA just couldn’t find any comfort on the offensive end, missing five free throws in the first half while most jump shots were falling short, suggesting tired legs or tentative shooters were to blame yet they trailed 28-17 heading into the break.

After cutting the lead to 10 Huntington would respond with a 6-0 to push the lead to 17 behind a distinct advantage on the offensive glass, garnering a number of second chance points. Even on the defensive end the American squad was limiting REDA to just one shot per trip down the floor, gobbling up any errant shots.

Despite playing from behind for the entire game Shaquille Keith provided a spark that seemed to light a fire with his teammates, most notably Connor Wood who would hit three big three-pointers in the final quarter to keep REDA within striking distance.

Yet the size and early hole were too much to overcome for the No.1 ranked Canadian club as they fell to phenom Andrew Wiggins and company.

Other Results

Our Saviour defeated Christian Faith Center Academy, 82-79

CJEOTO defeated ROCK Academy, 102-82