The CAVS 9U packed their uniforms and headed to Las Vegas to participate in the Star Vision Center Stage Tournament.  The CAVS opened pool play against the Edge Basketball International 8U.  The Edge Basketball team was severely undersized for the CAVS team.  The post play by Austin Olsen, Mike Irving, and newcomer Grant Drogsch dominated the game.  Each player scored in the post and controlled the boards with their rebounds.  From the perimeter, Jalen Bolden, Khari Roddy-Osborne, and Kyle Fisher all hit wide open jumpers.  The CAVS jumped out to a 14 – 0 lead early in the game and never looked back.  The CAVS held a 36 – 8 lead at half time and went on to win 44 – 10.

The next game for the CAVS 9U would be very different from the first game.  The CAVS matched up against the Rising Stars of America.  The CAVS started slowly against the team.  The Rising Stars were able to slow down Mike and Austin down low.  Kyle Fisher and Khari worked hard on defense to slow down the speedy guards of the Rising Stars.  The first half slowed down quite a bit as the Rising Stars players were getting into foul trouble.  In the first half, the Rising Stars had multiple players with 3 fouls.  At halftime, the CAVS trailed 15 – 11.  In the second half, the CAVS pounded the ball inside to try and take advantage of the foul trouble of the Rising Stars.  Austin and Mike scored multiple baskets in the second half to get the CAVS back into the game.  Khari and Kyle’s pressure defense forced multiple turnovers to shut down the Rising Stars offense.  The Rising Stars then lost one of their players who fouled out.  With less than 1 minute in the game, the CAVS trailed 28 – 29.  The CAVS defense forced a turnover and pushed the ball up the court.  Kyle passed the ball to an open Mike who scored the winning bucket.  The CAVS went on to win 30 -29.

The final game of pool play was against Triple Threat Youth Organization (TTYO).  The CAVS were motivated to secure the first seed heading into the playoffs.  This game would see great contributions from the CAVS bench.   Anthony Spann, Hunter Barry, and Cyrus Eslamieh all had multiple points during this game.  The CAVS used their size advantage to score easy lay-ups.  The CAVS built a 31 – 5 lead at halftime.  The CAVS would carry the momentum into the second half as Grant and Kyle joined the team in the scorer’s column.  The CAVS cruised to a 44 – 10 victory.

The CAVS first playoff game would be against the Kings Basketball Academy.  These two teams have met on multiple occasions and this game would not end any differently than the previous outings.  Mike used his size advantage to score early at the free throw line.  The Kings had multiple players get in early foul trouble trying to stop the CAVS post players.  The CAVS jumped ahead with a 15 – 4 lead in the first half.  The Kings guards could not handle the CAVS defense and committed multiple turnovers.  The CAVS led 24 – 6 at halftime.  The Kings would never pose a threat.  The CAVS went on to win 34 – 12.

The championship game would be rematch with the Rising Stars.  The Rising Stars were positive that they were robbed of a victory when the teams played earlier in the tournament.  The teams traded baskets early in the first half.  The CAVS defense worked on containing the Rising Stars guards.  The CAVS led 10 -8 midway through the first half.  The CAVS pressure defense spurred the offense on a run.  Kyle hit multiple long range 3-pointers.  Mike controlled the post, and the CAVS built a 26 – 12 lead at halftime.  The second half would be very different than the first half.  The CAVS defense had very little luck containing the Rising Stars guards.  The Rising Stars began to press full court and scored on some easy lay-ups.  With only 57 seconds left, the CAVS lead was only 44 - 41.  The Rising Stars then hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 26 seconds left.  The CAVS players were a little shaken after leading throughout most of the game, but were determined to pull out the victory.  The CAVS turned over the ball, but Kyle stole the ball right back.  He raced down the court with the ball, and the Rising Stars fouled him.  With only a few seconds left on the clock, Kyle stepped up to the line and sank both free throws.  The CAVS would win 46 – 44!  It was a great victory by the entire CAVS 9U team.  Great job!!