17U Earns NOVA Supremacy
Battle of NOVA Invitational Recap
Reston, VA – NOVA Cavaliers (Gray-Mendes) defended home turf and won their first Tournament Championship of the year at Battle of NOVA Invitational this past weekend.
Cavaliers came back from an 8 points halftime deficit in the tournament final and took down Bedlam 16U, who won Big Shots Baltimore earlier this season and is considered by many one of the best 10th grade teams in Virginia. Nate Thatcher (Falls Church HS) averaged a team-high 17.3 ppg in the tournament and led NOVA to a much-deserved Championship.
The Cavs earned a pair of hard-fought victories in pool-play with wins over Fairfax Bulldogs and Loudoun Triple Threat. Besides Thatcher’s fabulous performance, NOVA were also led by Jack Ferguson (McLean HS) and Nate Roberts (Fairfax HS), who each averaged 13.5 and 9.3 points per game. In the Semifinal, Cavaliers soundly defeated NOVA GameChangers 62-46 to advance into the title game.
In the Championship game, NOVA Cavs controlled the pace in the second half with precision ball movements and intense defensive effort. Michael Trivisonno (Marshall HS) managed the game beautifully, as he faced tough on-ball pressure throughout the game and kept his teammates involved. Cavaliers then used a big 15-4 run to take over the lead with 6 minutes left in the game, before executing to near perfection to close out with the win.
The tournament runs 17U’s overall record to 14-10 on the season and 6-0 versus teams from Virginia. They will participate in the Maryland Invitational Tournament (MIT) this weekend.