16U-Lin Pittsburgh Jam Fest Recap
Road Trip Weekend Ended on a Buzzer-Beater Overtime Loss
The NOVA Cavaliers played in an impressive tournament in Pittsburgh, but had hard luck in the games. In the first game of the weekend, the Cavs faced off against High Rise Elite from Connecticut. Right off the opening tip, they were dealt quite a blow, as Avi Silberman was immediately injured and was out for the weekend. Facing an towering front line, the Cavs battled. Nate Shafer grabbed 10 rebounds to go with his 15 points and Seamus Maloney hit 3 three-pointers, but the Cavs shot 35.2% from the field. High Rise eventually made a run and won, 69-45.
In the second game, the Cavaliers played the Southern Maryland All-Stars. NOVA took the lead early, but Southern Maryland chipped away at it and took control by halftime, leading 24-16. Danny Krug scored 20 points and Shafer had 9 rebounds. Southern Maryland never relinquished the lead after halftime, though. NOVA shot 26.4% and lost, 50-38.
Sunday’s game pitted NOVA against Team Future. The Cavs used strong performances from Liam Zeya and Maloney to stake out a lead. They led the entire first half. Yet again, the Cavaliers shot poorly, only making 32% of their shots. But they scrapped and forced the game into overtime tied at 40. There was no score in the 2-minute overtime period until Team Future knocked down a buzzer-beater from the baseline, sending the Cavs home with a heartbreaking loss, 42-40.