The CAVS 11U were looking to fine tune their game in preparation for the final road trip to Las Vegas.  The weekend of July 17th and 18th the CAVS participated in the Impact Basketball Summer Invitational.  The CAVS opened the tournament against Impact Pasadena.  The CAVS took control of the game from the opening tip.  DJ McDonald and Taj Regans scored early as their pressure defense forced multiple turnovers.  Chasen Pender and Mike Irving controlled the post, and their rebounds led to multiple fast break baskets.  The CAVS cruised to an early 20 – 5 lead.  In the second half, Brian Deveraux and Elijah Walker joined in the scoring as they drained open shots from the perimeter.  James Watson and Jordan Wilder grabbed offensive rebounds and scored lay ups down low.  The CAVS went on to win 42 – 9.

            The CAVS 11U faced off against the CV Falcons next.  The CAVS offense once again started the game quickly.  The CAVS took an early 10 point lead, and then used the remainder of the 1st half to fine tune and execute their set offense.  Franklin and Colden Davis joined their teammates in the scoring column as the CAVS held almost a 30 point lead at halftime.  Coach Darryl used the second half to work on specific defensive and offensive plays.  The CAVS offense was a finely tuned machine as the CAVS went on to win 50 – 4.

            On Sunday July 18th, the CAVS worked overtime and pulled double duty as they filled in for open slots in the 12U division as well as the playoffs for the 11U division.  On Sunday July 18th the CAVS 11U faced off against the ACES 12U team.  The game was close as the CAVS were undersized against the ACES team.  The two teams traded the lead back and forth as neither team could build a lead by more than 5 points.  In the second half, the CAVS defense dug in and shut down the ACES offense.  Chasen and Mike played tough post defense.  At the guard position, Kihei Clark and DJ pressured the ACES front court and forced multiple turnovers.  The CAVS started to make their move as ACES struggled to get the ball up the court.  Midway through the 2nd half, the CAVS held a 30 – 21 lead.  The CAVS defense swarmed the court and pressure the ACES players at every turn.  The CAVS converted baskets after multiple lay ups and started to pull away.  The CAVS went on to win 41 – 28.

            The CAVS 11U then resumed play for the 11U playoffs.  The CAVS had a skeleton crew as the team was split in half.  The other half went on to play another 12U game.  The CAVS 11U took the court with 5 players, Colden, Elijah, Franklin, Jordan and Mike.  With only 5 players the CAVS still took control of the game.  Elijah started the scoring early for the CAVS against Hoopmasters.  Jordan and Mike both scored from the post.  The CAVS jumped out to an early 10 point lead.  Although without their main players, the CAVS bench showed that they are also a force to be reckoned with.  Franklin and Colden both scored on open looks at the basket.  At halftime, the CAVS led 21 – 5.  In the second half, the CAVS players tired a bit since they were playing without any subs.  But the players pulled together and played great defense against the Hoopmasters.  The CAVS contested every shot.  On offense the CAVS continued to run their offense as they have been coached.  The CAVS earned their way to the championship with a 36-11 victory.

            In the championship, the CAVS 11U faced off against Impact Basketball.  The CAVS players were exhausted having played 7 games over the course of the weekend.  The CAVS started very slowly, and Impact took advantage.  Impact raced up the court after multiple turnovers and took the early lead 14 -5.  The CAVS struggled early but slowly started to heat up.  DJ and Brian scored from the perimeter, as James controlled the post play.  The CAVS players drove to the basket at will.  Midway through the first half, the CAVS started to wake up and got their game back on track.  The defense started to shut down Impact and started to extend their lead.  All the CAVS players scored in the game.  It was good all around game for the entire team.  The CAVS went on to win 70 – 37.  Great tune up for the CAVS in preparation for Las Vegas.

            The CAVS 11U returned to the California State Games to defend their title from the previous year from July 9th – 11th.  The CAVS opened play against Lobos Marinos Ensenada.  The CAVS started the game on fire from the opening tip off.  DJ McDonald and Elijah Walker dominated from the guard position.  Both guards scored easy baskets after forcing turn overs on defense.  James Watson and Chasen Pender dominated from the post position as they both grabbed every loose ball that came their way.  Midway through the first half the CAVS were dominating 19 – 3.  Taj Regans and Brian Deveraux swarmed the court on defense which led to easy baskets by their teammates.  At halftime, the CAVS led 29 – 2.  In the second half, the CAVS continued to work on their set offense, trying to execute specific plays.  Kihei Clark and Remy Martin came in off the bench to contribute in the second half.  The CAVS went on to win 38 – 7.

            The second game for the CAVS was against St. Mary’s of San Francisco.  The CAVS started slowly against St Mary’s.  The tough team defense by the CAVS kept them in the game.  DJ and Taj’s sharp shooting gave the CAVS the early lead.  Midway through the first half the CAVS led 13 – 7.  James, Chasen and Mike Irving continued to dominate in the post.  At halftime, the CAVS held a comfortable lead 28 – 12.  In the second half, the CAVS offense continued to fire on all cylinders.  Remy, Kihei and DJ continued to hit open shots.  Brian, Elijah and Taj drove to the basket at will.  The CAVS went on to win 47 – 16.

The CAVS earned the first seed in their pool, and their semi-final game would match them up against the San Francisco Rebels.  The Rebels had multiple post players with good size which would pose a problem for the CAVS early on.  The Rebels forced some turnovers early in the game.  Midway through the first half, the CAVS trailed 7 – 2.  The CAVS offense could not find its rhythm most of the first half.  With only a few minutes remaining until halftime, the CAVS still trailed 9 – 11.  The CAVS players showed toughness by digging in on defense and fighting back to tie the game 11 – 11 at halftime.  As the second half started, Coach Darryl rallied his players to get them ready.  The CAVS brought their intensity to the court on defense.  Kihei and DJ swarmed the Rebels guards on defense.  In the post Remy, James and Chasen shut down the Rebels post players.  With 12 minutes remaining in the game, the CAVS took their first lead 21 – 19.  The CAVS offense slowly started to come alive as DJ and Brian both scored on open shots.  The CAVS held a marginal lead 27 – 21 with only 2:30 remaining.  The Rebels started getting desperate as they could not score from their set offense.  The clock was winding down and the Rebels were forced to foul as the CAVS were run a spread offense to run time off the clock.  DJ and James both hit free throws, and the CAVS were able to get a 33 – 27 victory.

            The CAVS had earned their way to another championship game against Flight Elite.  Flight Elite has been an elusive team for the CAVS, as they have multiple losses to this team.  Flight Elite has a size advantage against the CAVS, and it is a challenge.  Flight Elite took the early lead in the championship, but midway through the first half, the CAVS battled back to tie the game 8 – 8 behind some tough post play by James.  The CAVS held on to a 12 – 8 lead as DJ’s sharp shooting kept the team in the game.  Flight Elite did not give up and used their size advantage to score from offensive rebounds.  At halftime, the CAVS trailed 16 – 17.  As the second half started, Flight Elite started to build a lead.  The CAVS had a difficult time generating offense.  With only 8:26 left, the CAVS trailed 24 – 17.  The two teams exchanged baskets, and the CAVS could not cut in to the lead.  With only 2:30 left, the CAVS still trailed 30 – 24.  The CAVS put together one last push to try and re-take the lead.  Elijah came in to hit a big basket, and the CAVS cut the lead to 4 points with only 90 seconds left in the game.  However, the CAVS would go scoreless the rest of the game.  Flight Elite went on to win the game 30 -26.  The CAVS were disappointed in not being able to defend their State Games championship.  The team will get back to practice and be ready for the Las Vegas to end the travel season.

For the long 4th of July weekend, the CAVS headed out to the desert. The CAVS went to face some new competition in the Arizona Team Power House Summer Sizzle Tournament. The tournament started on Saturday, July 3rd for the CAVS, and they would have a busy day with 3 games waiting for them. The CAVS opened up pool play against Team Bibby Red. The CAVS were looking to avenge a loss against Team Bibby earlier in the travel season. The CAVS were very lethargic at the start of this game. The usual intensity was not present. The CAVS offense could not find its rhythm, and Team Bibby could not score either. With 7 minutes until halftime, the CAVS trailed 8 - 9. DJ McDonald and Brian Deveraux helped keep the CAVS in the game. At halftime, the CAVS trailed 14 - 16. The CAVS were not used to trailing and did not want a repeat of the first game against Team Bibby. In the second half, the CAVS used their size advantage. James Watson and Chasen Pender all scored lay-ups in the post. With only 6 minutes left in the game, the CAVS finally took their first lead, 22 – 19. Once the CAVS gained the momentum, the rest of the offense begin to heat up. Elijah Walker and Taj Regans hit open shots, and the CAVS defense held Team Bibby virtually scoreless the remainder of the game. The CAVS went on to win 32 – 20.

The first game had the CAVS working hard to make sure they pulled out the win. The second win would come much easier. The CAVS faced off against the Arizona Native Hustlers. From the opening tip, the CAVS had too much fire power for the Hustlers. The CAVS defensive pressure forced multiple turnovers as all starters scored in this game. Kihei Clark, Remy Martin, Colden Davis, and Mike Irving all came in off the bench to add to the offensive scoring spree. Midway through the first half, the CAVS led 23 – 0. The CAVS dominated this game and led 48 – 3 at halftime. In the second half, Coach Darryl tried to use the time to run specific offensive plays. The CAVS ran the offense and continued to score at will. The CAVS went on to win 84 – 10.

The CAVS had one final game on Saturday against Arizona Fusion. The CAVS wanted to end the day with another victory to lock in the number one seed. The CAVS were still white hot from the previous game, as all their shots were falling. James and Kihei hit multiple shots to give the CAVS an early lead. Midway through the first half, the CAVS led 14 – 0. As the half continued, DJ, Elijah and Taj continued to hit their wide open shots. Chasen and Mike controlled the rebounds, which led to multiple fast break opportunities for the guards. At halftime, the CAVS led 22 – 4. In the second half, again the CAVS worked on specific set plays from the offense. Brian and Remy used their speed to score on multiple lay-ups off turnovers. The CAVS continued to dominate the game, and went on to win 60 – 18.

On Sunday, July 4, the CAVS opened the playoffs against Team Arizona Future Legends. The Future Legends team was scrappy. Their players swarmed the court on defense and were managing to pick up every loose ball. The CAVS were having a difficult time with the referees and found themselves in foul trouble very early in the game. With 7 minutes until halftime, the CAVS only led 9 – 4. The CAVS continued to apply full court defensive pressure and forced turnovers. DJ, Brian and Kihei scored on lay-ups. At halftime, the CAVS held an 18 – 9 lead. In the second half, the game would get rough as both teams were riddled with fouls. Chasen Pender picked up his 3rd and 4th fouls early in the half. DJ and Brian then found themselves in foul trouble. The CAVS continued to score points in the paint. James dominated down low and was able to score on several offensive rebounds. With 11:45 left in the game, the CAVS had a comfortable 27 – 13 lead. The physical play continued until the 5 minute mark. There was a mistake by the scorers table that upset the coach from the Future Legends. He was instantly called with a technical foul, and then he removed his team from the floor. The game was not completed but the CAVS were given the victory since they led 37 – 15 when the game was stopped.

The CAVS were moving on to the semi-final game against a team they’ve played multiple times, Vegas Elite. It’s always a good game when these two teams meet, as they bring out the best in each other. Vegas Elite took the early lead as the CAVS made some early ball handling mistakes. Within the first few minutes, the CAVS trailed 3 – 8. It wouldn’t take long for the CAVS to get back on track. DJ and Taj hit some key buckets, as the CAVS guards were driving strong to the basket. With 9 minutes to halftime, the CAVS took the lead 10 – 8. James and Chasen played stellar defense in the post. Every defensive rebound went to the CAVS. Brian and Kihei used their quickness to drive to the basket. At halftime, the CAVS led 21 – 12. Vegas Elite was not about to give up and kept fighting to get the lead back. The Vegas Elite post players were trying to keep their team in the game. Vegas Elite could not seem to close the gap to less than 7 points. With 9:30 left in the game, the CAVS still led 31 – 24. James used his quickness to score some easy baskets. With only 6 minutes left in the game, the CAVS seemed to be clinging to the lead 33 – 26. Slowly, the CAVS began to pull away to a more comfortable lead. The Vegas Elite players started to tire. DJ and Brian controlled the offensive for the CAVS. The CAVS went on to win 42 – 30 to earn a spot in the championship game.

The CAVS would face one of Arizona’s elite teams, Arizona Select. From the buzz around the gym, this AZ Select was a team that seldom loses. The Arizona Select took the early lead from the tip off. A series of turnovers by the CAVS led to some easy lay-ups. After 5 minutes, AZ Select led 8 – 4. The lead wouldn’t last for long. The defensive pressure from the CAVS guards was stifling the AZ Select offense. The AZ Select guards committed some turnovers and slowly the CAVS regained the lead. At halftime, the CAVS led 23 – 18. As the team prepared for the second half, Coach Darryl pulled his team together and let them know that anything but a victory would not be acceptable. The CAVS players were pumped up and ready for the second half. The CAVS defensive pressure was limiting AZ Select to one shot, and the CAVS offense started to heat up. Kihei and Brian had multiple open drives to the basket for lay-ups. Coach Darryl sensed that the Arizona Select team was getting tired. The CAVS continued to substitute players in and out to have fresh legs on the court. The CAVS big men began to take advantage of their size. Chasen, Mike and James all scored easy lay-ups down low. With 9:34 left in the game, the CAVS were starting to pull away with a 36 – 23 lead. Kihei and Brian took turns finding the open seams in the defense. Elijah and Taj found their shooting range from the outside, and with only 3 minutes left in the game, the CAVS were dominating 51 – 26. The AZ Select team could not keep up with the quickness of the CAVS team. Every rebound by the CAVS was leading to a fast break opportunity. The CAVS won the championship, 58 – 28. Congratulations CAVS 11U as they continue to make a name for themselves as a team second to none.