|
KEARNEY — The Mr. Basketball Invitational championship is going to
Colorado for the first time. The Colorado Shining Stars Black
withstood a rally from the Grand Island Thunder and held on for a 53-50
victory Sunday at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Health and
Sports Center.
The Shining Stars are the first Colorado team to win the Mr.
Basketball championship in the event’s 19-year history. They are just
the second Colorado team to reach the Mr. Basketball Championship.
Colorado got 17 points and six rebounds from Derek Vander Velde and
13 points and five rebounds from Danny DiFolco to complete its unbeaten
run through pool and tournament play (7-0).
DiFolco was named the tournament MVP after averaging 16 points a
game.
Colorado led by nine early in the second half when Grand Island went
on a 17-7 run to go up 42-41 with 6:44 left.
It was 45-44 Grand Island when Vander Velde scored five straight
points to put Colorado up 49-45 with 2:30 to play.
Grand Island got within 49-48 with 1:48 left, but Colorado got a
basket from Kyle Evans and a pair of free throws from DiFolco to hold
on.
Grand Island Central Catholic’s Turner Fahey scored a game-high 25
points to lead Grand Island.
Litchfield’s Adam Kucera, the only Hub Territory player on the team,
added nine points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench.
Colorado got 12 points from Sam Porter, who finished 5 of 6 from the
field.
Colorado won despite being outrebounded 44-25, including 18-6 on the
offensive glass.
Two more Nebraska teams, Going Vertical and Omaha Sports Academy I,
joined Grand Island in the quarterfinals. Going Vertical won last year’s
Mr. Basketball championship.
Colorado Shining Stars Black 53, Grand Island Thunder 50
GRAND ISLAND — Tyler O’Connor 2-5 0-0 4, D.J. Bamesberger 1-4
0-0 2, Turner Fahey 7-19 9-11 25, Skyler Sullivan 0-4 0-0 0, Ben
Uhing 3-11 2-2 8, Pat Stoltenberg 0-3 0-0 0, Jack Jeffries 1-2
0-0 2, Adam Kucera 4-8 1-3 9. Totals 18-56 12-16 50.
COLORADO — Kyle Evans 1-3 2-3 4, Keaton Dille 1-3 0-0 2,
Derek Vander Velde 6-8 5-7 17, Sam Porter 5-6 2-4 12, Abdullah
Musleh 1-6 2-2 4, Zach Owsten 1-3 0-0 2, Dann DiFolco 3-14 5-7
12. Totals 18-43 15-23 53.
Halftime — Colorado 32, Grand Island 25.
3-point goals — Grand Island 2-15 (Fahey 2-7, Uhing 0-4,
Sullivan 0-2, O’Connor 0-1, Stoltenberg 0-1), Colorado 2-11 (DiFolco
2-8, Evans 0-1, Dille 0-1, Musleh 0-1). Rebounds — Grand Island
44 (Kucera 7, Uhing 7), Colorado 25 (Vander Velde 6). Total
fouls — Grand Island 22, Colorado 12. Fouled out — O’Connor,
Uhing. Turnovers — Grand Island18, Colorado 11. Blocked shots —
Grand Island 1 (Bamesberger). Colorado none.
©Kearney Hub 2010
|
