16U-Lin Cavs Finished as AAU Division II National Tournament Classic Finalist
AAU DII National Championship Tournament Recap for 16U-Lin Cavs
Tavares, FL – NOVA Cavaliers (Lin) traveled down south to Orlando, Florida for AAU Division II National Championship Tournament. Despite the rough 0-3 start in pool-play, the Cavs made a valiant run in the Classic Bracket and finished as the Runner-up of the National Tournament.
Cavaliers lost the first three games of pool-play by the combined total of 15 points to Columbia Nuggets (SC), Orlando Captains (FL), and Southern Illinois Eagles (IL). NOVA struggled to finish games down the stretch, causing the team a chance to advance into the Championship Bracket. Despite the agonizing losses early on, the Cavs fought back on the third day of actions and defeated Team Prospects (FL) 56-47 to earn their first win of the tournament.
In the second round of the Classic Bracket, NOVA faced Young Scholar from Georgia in an intense battle for tournament survival. Cavaliers trailed for much of the game and did not take the lead until the final minute of the fourth quarter. Danny Krug (Robinson HS, Class of 2016) made the play of the game with under a minute left, when he dove across the floor and secured a loose ball for the team. The Cavs ended up surviving with a 40-38 victory.
NOVA moved on to the quarterfinal in the fourth day of actions and faced Massachusetts Elite (MA). Cavaliers used a sizzling shooting performance by Seamus Maloney (WT Woodson HS, Class of 2016), who hit five three-pointers in the game to put away the Elite by the final score of 56-29. In the semifinal, the Cavs squared off against 32OH Rams from Florida with a berth to the Classic Championship game on the line. Once again, Cavaliers trailed for much of the contest early on and only managed to stay within striking distance due largely in part of Nate Shafer’s performance (Langley HS, Class of 2016), who had a block-party of his own and swatted 7 shots in the paint. NOVA eventually overcame the deficit when Maloney scored on back to back lay-ups late in the game, helping the Cavs advanced into the tournament final with a wild 45-41 win.
In the Classic’s Championship game, Cavaliers finally ran out of magic and lost to Florida Spartans 61-43 on the last day of the tournament. NOVA completed the 2014 AAU Nationals with a 4-4 record, as the team finished 26-13 on the season and had an amazing experience at Orlando. The Cavs not only stayed at a vacation rental home, but they also visited both the Disney World and Universal Studios.
NOVA Cavaliers (Lin) will take the rest of the summer off and return in the fall to play in two Team Camp events. The schedule will be announce at a later time.
