The weekend of June 26th and 27th the CAVS 11U headed to Northern California to participate in the Oakland Soldiers "Battle of the Bay" tournament. The CAVS 11U are earning respect amongst the Northern California travel circuit, as they have beaten some of the elite teams. There were several teams looking forward to having another chance to avenge their previous losses.

First up for the CAVS 11U was the Oakland Rebels team. The CAVS started the game very slowly as their shots were not falling early on. The CAVS offense seemed stagnant and the players struggled to find open shots. With 3 minutes to halftime, the CAVS trailed 9 – 11. The CAVS defense started to make its presence felt and come alive. The CAVS defense made some great plays and stole the ball multiple times. Taj Regans and DJ McDonald hit some lay-ups and open shots to give the CAVS a boost before halftime. The CAVS rallied back and at halftime, the teams were tied 18 – 18. In the second half, the CAVS offense finally came alive. Chasen Pender and Mike Irving were able to use their strength to score down low. Brian Deveraux started to find the range on his shot. The CAVS scored on a series of lay-ups on fast breaks, including a lay-up by Colden Davis. With only 4 minutes remaining in the game, the CAVS were holding a commanding 35 – 24 lead. The CAVS went on to win 41 – 30.

The CAVS 11U then matched up against the Norcal Blaze for the final pool play game. The game started quickly as both teams wanted to run the floor. Similar to the first game of the day, it took a few minutes for the CAVS offense to come alive. Elijah Walker and DJ hit a few open jumpers, and mid-way through the first half the CAVS still trailed 13 – 14. The CAVS kept up their defensive intensity as Jordan Wilder and Isaiah Roby came in off the bench to provide solid defense. DJ and Brian started to drive to the basket to get the Blaze in foul trouble. With only 5 minutes until halftime, the teams were tied 18 – 18. The CAVS pushed to gain the lead before halftime. Chasen and Mike both scored from the post. DJ started connecting on all his shots, and at halftime the CAVS led 29 – 26. In the second half, the two teams continued to trade baskets. With only 10 minutes left in the game, the CAVS only led by 1 point with a 31- 30 lead. DJ and Brian continued to lead the charge on offense. Elijah hit an open shot, and slowly the CAVS began to build a larger lead. The CAVS 11U went on to win 53 – 40.

On Sunday the playoffs started, and the CAVS found themselves matched up against the Predators. The CAVS had recently beaten the Predators during the Memorial Day weekend tournament, and the Predators were eager to match-up against the CAVS one more time. The Predators started the game quickly. The Predator guards jumped out early making plays and scoring some easy baskets. The CAVS guards made some mental mistakes early that cost them. Mid-way through the first half, the teams were tied 12- 12. DJ’s sharp shooting was punishing the Predators as his teammates continued to feed him the ball for wide open shots. With 5 minutes to halftime, the CAVS were leading 19 – 14. The team was working on building a more commanding lead. It was a very physical game as the referees were not making a lot of calls. James Watson dominated in the post as he made his presence felt grabbing rebounds. At halftime, the CAVS led 32 – 18. In the second half, the CAVS continued to apply defensive pressure full court. Taj, Elijah and Brian swarmed the Predator guards forcing multiple turnovers in succession. The Predators started getting into foul trouble, and with only 5 minutes left in the game the CAVS 11U were dominating with a 40 – 23 lead. The CAVS would go on to beat the Predators 45 – 25 and move on to the championship game against the Oakland Soldiers.

The stands were filled with people as the home town Soldiers were ready to take on their nemesis from Southern California. The Soldiers had waited all weekend to match-up against the CAVS. The game was moving at a furious pace as both teams were pushing the ball up the court at full speed. The Soldiers guards were driving to the basket every opportunity they got. Mid-way through the first half the CAVS led 16 – 15. The CAVS continued their full court defense. The CAVS swarmed the court to double team the Soldiers guards to force them to pass the ball elsewhere. Although the referees were calling multiple fouls against the CAVS, the team continued their defensive pressure. James dominated the post play as he scored on multiple offensive rebounds. At halftime, the CAVS had built a 28 – 18 lead. In the second half, the CAVS continued the full court pressure and forced multiple turnovers. The Soldiers could not score from their offensive sets, and James continued to score in the post. DJ connected on some 3-pointers and the CAVS led 37 – 21 with 10 minutes left in the game. The CAVS held on to the double digit lead for the remainder of the game. The bench players came in to seal the victory. The CAVS 11U won the championship 44 – 32, and once again the team left an impression on all those that watched the game. Great job.