Over the long Memorial Day weekend, the CAVS packed up their autos and RVs to make the trip to Reno, NV for the AAU/ Jam On It Memorial Day Tournament from March 29th – 31st. The CAVS were looking to make their presence felt as a top contender nationally in the 11U division. The CAVS opened play against Rainier Select Basketball team from the state of Washington. The CAVS started the game slowly against RSB, as early on the shots didn’t seem to fall. The CAVS speedy trio of DJ McDonald, Brian Deveraux and Kihei Clark were a force to be reckoned with. Slowly the CAVS guards started to take over the game. DJ and Kihei hit wide open jumpers, and Brian scored some easy lay-ups down low. With 10 minutes left in the half, the CAVS built a 15 – 8 lead. The CAVS defense swarmed the court and forced RSB to commit multiple turnovers. The offense started to heat up, and at halftime the CAVS led 39 – 21. The second half was riddled with fouls, but it didn’t slow down the CAVS offense. Guards Taj Regans and Elijah Walker continued with offensive fire power. With 9 minutes left in the game, the CAVS held a commanding 54 – 25 lead. The CAVS went on to win 63 – 29.

The CAVS final pool play game was against Spirit Got Game. This was an athletic team with some tall post players. Spirit Got Game jumped out to an early lead as the CAVS committed several turnovers. Midway through the first half, Spirit led 17 – 10. Slowly and methodically, the CAVS kept themselves in the game and started chipping away at the lead. DJ and Kihei were on fire and hit some wide open 3-pointers to close the lead. With only 2 minutes until half time, the CAVS took their first lead 28 – 25. The CAVS kept getting sent to the free-throw line and at halftime, the CAVS were leading 29 – 26. The second half was very competitive as both teams continued to hit some big shots. The CAVS defense was very stingy and the pressure defense would not allow Spirit to cut into the lead. Jordan Wilder and Colden Davis came in off the bench to provide excellent relief minutes. With 5 minutes remaining, the CAVS still led 47 – 40. The Spirit guards could not handle the defensive pressure and started to commit turnovers. The CAVS went on to win 59 – 48.

The CAVS earned the first seed in their pool and opened the playoffs against the East Bay Legacy. The CAVS started the game on fire, and the Legacy team was no match. Within minutes, the CAVS jumped out to a 22 – 4 lead behind DJ and Kihei’s sharp shooting. At halftime, the CAVS were dominating the game with a 48 -7 lead. In the second half, Coach Darryl used the time to work on specific offensive sets, and allowed playing time for all the players. Jordan, Colden, and Franklin all came in off the bench to score in this game. The CAVS went on to win with an impressive 73 – 12 victory. This high powered game created a buzz in the gym, and clearly sent a message to the other 11U teams that the CAVS were a team to be reckoned with.

Moving on to the semi-finals, the CAVS faced the All Star Sports Predators, a team from the Sacramento area. The Predators were an athletic and speedy team and not used to losing. The first half provided fast paced action as both teams pushed the tempo of the game. Both teams scored multiple lay-ups on fast breaks. Midway through the first half, the CAVS held a 15 – 13 lead. Then the CAVS went a few series where they had multiple turnovers. Soon the Predators were ahead 21 – 15 with only 5 minutes until halftime. The CAVS rallied back as Brian and DJ hit some open shots. At halftime the two teams were tied 26 – 26. In the second half, the CAVS stopped pressuring full court. The Predators could not score without having any fast break opportunities. The CAVS defense started holding the Predators to only one shot. DJ started to find the range with his shot. Halfway through the 2nd half, the CAVS led 39 – 28. The Predators continued to leave DJ open on the wing, and the CAVS built a 44 – 31 lead. The Predator players started getting frustrated and committed multiple fouls in succession. The CAVS kept their composure and continued to punish the Predators with their inside/ outside game. The CAVS went on to win convincingly 61 – 45.

Now the time had come for the CAVS to bring home the championship. After dominating multiple Northern California teams that were not used to losing, there was quite a buzz surrounding court #31 as the 11U championship started. There were multiple people looking on, wondering where this undefeated CAVS team had come from.

The CAVS would face the Tri City Future All Stars from the southern part of Washington State. The game was delayed as the coach of Tri City was disputing the use of the CAVS trademark Molten ball. The type of ball didn’t matter. The CAVS were focused and determined. No team that was going to stand in the way of bringing home the championship. The Tri City team was a tall team, and had their own version of the "Twin Towers" as they had twin brothers in the post. The CAVS have beaten teams taller than Tri City before, and this game would be no different. The CAVS jumped out ahead quickly. DJ and Kihei both hit multiple wide open shots. The CAVS defense swarmed the larger Tri City players, as Elijah and Taj scrambled for every loose ball that came their way. Mike and Chasen worked for position down low against the larger Tri City players. With ten minutes until halftime, the CAVS were dominating 18 – 2. The CAVS did not let up the pressure and continued to swarm the court. The Tri City post players were too slow to keep up with the CAVS players. At halftime the CAVS held a commanding 39 – 7 lead. At half time, the Tri City coaches and fans were stunned. As the second half opened, Tri City made the mistake of coming out and putting the CAVS into the bonus. Tri City thought it would give them an advantage to try and get as many possessions as possible. It backfired as multiple players stepped up to the free throw line and knocked them down. With 9 minutes left, the CAVS defense had not allowed double digits. The CAVS led 41 – 9. For the final minutes, Coach Darryl utilized his bench players and substituted often. The CAVS went on to complete their championship run undefeated with an astounding 45 – 19 victory. Congratulations CAVS 11U for a great team performance during this championship run.