YB Power 2031: JPS Candy Cane Classic: 4-0 Champions

Christmas came early for the 2031 Boys as they put a bow on the 2025 calendar year!

The YB Power '31 Boys came to battle all weekend long. The weekend of the 19th & 20th of December proved to be a weekend of resolve, character and fight for the '31 boys.

PDay 1: The boys drew the late game on Friday the 19th at 9:15pm. While it was not the prettiest win, the squad got it done against a solid B&B 7th Grade Black team. The boys jumped out on top from the opening tip, and never relinquished the lead. The combination of #00 Tydus and #15 Walker cleared up the boards, while also putting the ball in the hoop for the '31 team. #24 William contributed to the scoring effort, and ultimately our "bigs" were too much for the opposing team. While the game got a little close for comfort at times, the boys pulled away for a 40-28 victory.

Day 2: The true test began. The first game the boys faced off against a very solid Maniacs Select team that was well coached, executed their offense, and had some solid players. The '31 boys jumped out to a comfortable first quarter lead, but the Maniacs Select squad fought back. It was a back and forth game until midway through the 3rd quarter, when the YB boys started to pull away. The game saw some very solid contributions from #7 Marley who shot the ball at a high percentage, going 3-4 from behind the arc, leading the team with 15 points. #3 Sam continued to take on tough defensive assignments, and execute. The boys gave up a large lead at the end of the game, causing them to sweat out the finish with a 46-44 win. Sam ended up at the stripe at the end of the game, knocking down some key free throws to help the squad to the win.

Then came the Flyers, a team the boys had seen a week before. Our boys jumped on them from the opening tip, and never looked back. The game saw contributions from the entire roster. Everyone played a role in the win, there was some great team defense, they crashed the boards, and caused turnovers all game long. #6 Lincoln stepped up, and did a little of everything well for the team. He was locking down people on defense, cutting with purpose on offense, (which led to some nice easy buckets), and shot the three-ball confidentiality. #4 Cole played hard all night long, was pesky on defense, grabbed boards for the team, and was putting the ball in the bucket. #13 Joquin was on it for us on the defensive end, continuously pressuring the ball. On the offensive end, he was terrific for us in the high post, delivering some great passes to his teammates. The coaching staff called up one of our 2032 girls, #8 Trinity to join the boys in this game. Trin stepped right up, and right into the game. She played tough, and aggressive on the boards, and on the defensive end as well. She was communicating well, played very unselfish setting screens for her teammates, and as the game went on she grew more confident on the offensive end, putting the ball in the bucket for us. #00 Tydus played with a ton of energy, filling up the cup with a game high 18 points for the squad.

The wins against the Maniacs Select and the Flyers put the squad in the Championship against a familiar foe, Mile High Elite. While their squad was short handed, they still showed up to play. The boys championship game followed the 2033 YB-Girl Power team who had just locked down the 5th grade championship, and now was the boys' time. Or was it...?

The boys started off out of sync, and Mile High jumped all over us with a quick 8-0 lead. The boys, and the staff made some defensive and offensive adjustments, and our team started to find their groove. #24 William caught fire in the first quarter for the boys, scoring 9 of his game high 14 points in the first quarter, while adding three assists for the game. Floaters, the inside game, and the three-ball were all in his arsenal in the Championship. #3 Sam was pesky on defense, handled the point for us, and led the team with four assists. #6 Lincoln came off the bench, bringing defensive energy, forcing turnovers, and knocking down a confident and key three-pointer. #15 Walker was a beast all night on the boards, not letting anyone get in the way. He ran the floor for us, and got to the stripe multiple times, adding some key free throws along the way. The boys took the lead early in the third quarter, and kept it through the end of the game. A few key three-pointers down the stretch from #7 Marley & #00 Tydus helped expand our lead, before Mile High climbed back in the game at the end. The 44-40 victory propelled the 2031 team, to a big Championship following the tone set by the 2033 girls who had just won their Championship game vs. GRIT Give, and setting up the 2030 boys for a possible, back to back to back opportunity in the JPS Candy Cane Classic.

A solid weekend run for the YB Power 2031 crew! 4-0