INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– Competing against stiff competition while having seven available players isn’t the ideal path to success.

But it worked out just fine last week for the Indy Magic 17 squad coached by Justin Blanding.

After going 5-1 – the only loss in overtime — at the U.S. Junior Nationals event in Cincinnati earlier in the week, the Magic captured the title for the top pools Sunday at USJN’s seventh annual Indy 100.

The tournament, in front of coaches from no less than 92 colleges, attracted 136 teams to Jonathan Byrd’s Fieldhouse but none better than the talent-rich Magic – even if they were shorthanded.

“We’ve got seven kids so it’s been rough, but it’s been good,” Blanding said. “We prefer it, actually. We’re in shape. We practice twice a week and we condition a lot.”

And it isn’t as if the Magic utilized a walk-the-ball-up-the-floor style. With scatterbug guards Destiny Perkins and Nia Clark, the Magic punish teams with a lightning-quick fast break. A turnover often turns into two points at the other end before an opponent realizes what’s happened.

The Magic went 5-0 in Indianapolis, beating Wisconsin Academy 17 Williams 73-63 in the title game. Wisconsin Academy was led by Wisconsin-Green Bay commit Alex Luehring and Northern Iowa commit Marissa Robson.

The Magic got superb performances all weekend from Madison Wise, the 2017 6-footer from Greenfield (Ind.) Central. The versatile Wise, comfortably and effective at nearly any spot on the floor, was dynamic as usual, whether leading the break with Perkins and Clark or using her agility to score inside.

“Only having seven girls, I think we came together pretty well and played well for being pretty tired,” Wise said.

Wise was tailed by numerous coaches all weekend. Though uncommitted, Wise is starting to firm up some details regarding her official visits – she’s headed to Iowa State and, likely Ball State, among others – and hopes to make a decision in the next few months. In the meantime, she said she still gets a kick out of the success that the Magic have enjoyed, even as it becomes something of a routine for this well-respected program.

“We’re really excited (to win it),” Wise said. “A lot of us have been playing together for a long time.”

Her running mates at guard are a dynamic pair as well. Perkins (2017), at 5-5, is an extraordinary ballhandler.

“She’s about 5-5 so schools think that she’s limited but we’ve competed against the best in the country, EYBL teams, everybody,” Blanding said. “She’s a fighter. Her mid-range game is (improving), she can handle it against pressure.”

Clark (2018) is 5-9 and has similar skills.

“She’s a young kid; she’s supposed to be in the 2019 class,” Blanding said. “She’s going to be a really good player. Very explosive, can handle it, shoots it really well. Colleges are starting to come on with them. A lot of Division 1s are starting to come along with both of them.”

Another player who does the dirty work deserves more attention, Blanding said. Riley Blackwell, a 6-1 2017 forward, has had a strong July. She has offers from about a half-dozen mid-major schools.

“Probably our most underrated player,” Blanding said. “She does some of everything for us and she doesn’t get a lot of the credit that she deserves. She battles with those big kids down there. She took a beating in Cincinnati and here. She’s been doing great. I’m excited to see what the response will be after the first half (of July).”

ONTARIO A GAME SQUAD HAS TALENT GALORE

Canada has been producing significant amounts of Division 1 talent in recent years, and coach Yaw Afful’s A Game 17 TDot squad from Ontario will keep that pipeline moving in the right direction.

Tops on the list is 2019 point guard Micah Dennis (5-8). Dennis was impressive as A Game went 2-1 during Saturday’s pool play.

“She’s ranked the No. 2 player in the country for ninth graders,” Afful said. “She’s tough. She did well last year, too.”

The roster is stocked beyond Dennis. Among the standouts is Brianna Breedy, a 5-7 2018 guard who is ranked third in her class in Canada by Crown Scout.

“They’re all getting Division I looks,” Afful said. “We’re just young.”

None has committed. Afful said there’s a reason for that.

“We don’t do that (in Canada),” he said. “We rarely commit in grade 11. We wait until the fall. They go through the process. And sometimes they lose out, sometimes they don’t. But in Ontario we play high school basketball in the fall, and college coaches will come up there and the kids get a chance to go through the whole process.”

MORE CANADIAN TALENT – FROM THE OTHER COAST

Blue Star British Columbia, a first-year program affiliated with the AthElite Basketball Academy in the Vancouver, British Columbia area, competed among the top pools at the Indy 100. Blue Star BC’s top player is Taya Hanson, a 5-10 2018 product who is a member of Canada’s national program.

Hanson just re-joined her club team after competing for Team Canada the FIBA U17 world championship in Spain.

“She got back from Spain on July 4,” coach Aman Heran said. “She hasn’t practiced with us for a month. She’s still got Canada Basketball in her head at times.”

The weekend was an exercise in “making do” for Blue Star BC, given Hanson’s recent absence and the fact that the team didn’t get into its Indianapolis hotel until 3 a.m. Saturday – some eight hours before tip-off of its first game – after flying in from the USJN event in Las Vegas.

“They’re on four hours’ sleep, playing their third game (of the day),” Heran said after Saturday’s action. “We were gassed. I wish I would have planned it a little different, but we came in right from Mike (Flynn’s) event in Las Vegas. We’re playing good competition.”

Heran’s team isn’t done in the U.S. It will compete in the Nike 17U National Championship in Washington D.C. July 22-25.

MICHIGAN DRIVE’S MAURIYA BARNES IS ONE TO WATCH

The Indy Magic competed with just seven players, but that would have seemed like a luxury to the Michigan Drive Basketball 17 Blue Star team. It only had six.

The Drive finished second in its pool and then won its Sunday matchup against the Chicago Hoops Express Silver team despite the lack of players. The Drive played with six during its trip to Cincinnati last week, too.

“I liked the way the kids persevered through having just six players,” coach Larry Copeland said. “Normally I have 10, including three other 6-footers. They’ll all be back at the end of the month except (one), but I’ll add another 6-footer and we should be at full strength for Blue Star Nationals (in Augusta, Ga.).”

Copeland’s team has a 2019 prospect to watch in point guard Mauriya Barnes, who is smart, sees the floor well and is automatic at the free throw line.

“She’s just a great kid, a pleasure to coach,” Copeland said. “Very smart, knows the game. She dominates with her young team. Everything I’ve asked from her, she’s done for me. She makes freshman mistakes like always, but she’s very talented and understands the game very well.”

Her only drawback is size. Barnes is listed at 5-5.

“I hope she gets as tall as her mom,” Copeland said. “Her mom is about 5-7. She’s getting interest from a lot of mid-majors; no offers yet.”