The CAVS 11U played in the ARC Next Level tournament the weekend of June 13th and 14th and came away with a second place finish. The team has not played in many tournaments this year, but they have been coming into their own as of late.

The CAVS 11U began tournament play against the ABA Hoopraiders. The Hoopraiders started the game quickly and jumped out to an early 12 – 4 lead in the 1st half. The CAVS settled into their game. Brian Deveraux and DJ McDonald pressured the Hoopraider guards and scored on easy drives to the basket. Maurice Walton used his size to score down low as well. The CAVS fought back but still trailed 13 – 17 at halftime. The CAVS came out in the 2nd half and tried to let their stellar defense lead them to a victory. Colden Davis and Skyler Barry played tough defense on the speedy Hoopraider guards. The teams traded baskets most of the second half. The Hoopraiders won 28 – 21.

On Sunday, the CAVS were poised to have a better outing than the previous day. The CAVS matched up against the La Verne Stars. The CAVS started the game quickly against La Verne. Myles Marchand and DJ both scored on long range shots from the outside. Jordan Hunt and Robert Martinez played great defense against La Verne and forced them into multiple turnovers. The CAVS built a 30 – 7 lead at halftime and never looked back. Maurice and Bryce Edelberg used their size down low to control the rebounds. The CAVS would cruise to a 42 – 12 victory.

The CAVS moved on to the playoffs and played Westlake NJB. The CAVS easily matched the speed of the Westlake team. Jordan and Brian both had easy drives to the basket and forced turnovers on defense. Myles also continued his sharp shooting from the outside. The CAVS cruised to a 31 – 19 lead at halftime. In the second half, the CAVS did not play with much energy and the offense became stagnant. The Westlake team began to take advantage of some sloppy play by the CAVS, and started to cut into the lead. With 7 minutes left in the game, Westlake was only down by 6 points. The CAVS continued to have problems scoring. Their shots were close but just weren’t falling in. With 1:30 left, Westlake had fought all the way back and only trailed by 3 points. The CAVS didn’t want to let the game completely slip away. The team regrouped for the final minutes and gained their composure. Brian, Skyler and DJ controlled the ball the rest of the game. Westlake regained the ball with 8 seconds left but the CAVS forced a turnover and got the ball back. The CAVS won 43 – 41.

The CAVS made it to the final and would match up against the Hoopraiders. The CAVS were determined to have a better showing then the first time they faced the Hoopraiders. Once again, the Hoopraiders jumped out quickly against the CAVS. The CAVS defense had a difficult time containing the Hoopraiders point guard. The Hoopraiders held a 22 – 12 lead at halftime. Unfortunately the 2nd half would be similar to the first half. The CAVS had too many defensive lapses which led to easy lay-ups for the Hoopraiders. On offense, the CAVS could not find any rhythm and the shots just would not fall in. The CAVS would lose 39 – 25 but it was a gutty performance by the team. This team will bounce back and be ready for the next tournament.