HAMPTON, Va.—If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then Nike and the Girls EYBL should be feeling pretty good about themselves these days. Over the past couple of years there have been some other “leagues” appear on the spring and summer club schedule and even some rival shoe companies now have gotten into the act looking to stir the pot. It may be a case of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” and then again it just might be wishful thinking. The EYBL was the original and by all accounts this past weekend comfortably weathered the storm of a new upstart shoe sponsored endeavor. It’s easy to dress something up first time out but the test of time will be the lasting commitment that has been there from day one from Nike and the EYBL.
In its sixth year of league play, the three round competition followed the tremendously successful and long running Nike Nationals and is a coveted addition to any club’s resume. Round one in Hampton this past weekend saw Team Takeover grab top honors in Hampton and position themselves better for what would be their first ever EYBL crown. Their 6 and 0 opening record was capped off with Sunday’s championship win over Boo Williams, 73 – 58 after an earlier semifinal win over the defending EYBL champs from All Iowa Attack. Boo’s squad punched their ticket to the final with a hard fought win over an ultra-competitive North Tartan team. Moving on to round two, following the undefeated Takeover there are three teams with 5 and 1 marks (All-Iowa, Boo and Kentucky Premier). Three others carry 4 and 2 records while three more were 4 and 1 in Hampton.
The 16 year old EYBL division also crowned a winner in Hampton with All Iowa Attack using 12 first half three pointers to run away with a 83 – 39 win. Once again, the runner up team was out of the Boo Williams club making for a tough day in the host gym.
Half the teams will be headed for Indianapolis for Round Two July 6 – 8 while the other 16 will make their way to Louisville on the same dates. Ultimately they’ll all be in Chicago for the Grand Finale of years six. To see how each team did, scroll below to see banners for all 32 teams. Each individual game score is included so you can see who struggled.
For more information last weekend, statistics and schedules for the Nike Girls EYBL, follow the link below.
