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.