DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. – There was a pretty healthy commotion coming from Court 6 at the Capital Sports Complex a short while ago. At a venue with 10 games going on simoultaneously and people walking around and talking all over the place, to have one court becoming the center of attention is no small feat.
A closer look at what was taking place among the throng of fans and a crush of college coaches along the sideline, and it became clear that a perennial contender was getting taken to the cleaners as Pool J play finished up at the U.S. Junior Nationals platinum bracket.
Boo Williams, long associated with top-notch play on the AAU circuit, fell 53-36 to the Arizona Wildcats to finish 4-1 in pool play. Boo is clearly talented, but fell victim to a Wildcats squad that does certain things very well. Among the platinum bracket teams here in D.C., there haven’t been many better than the Wildcats at getting up and down, playing in-your-face defense and back-cutting teams for layups in the halfcourt set.
As the Pool J winner at 5-0, the Wildcats will play a round of 16 matchup at 6 p.m. against the South Carolina 76ers. Despite the loss, Boo, which won USJN in 2009, finished second thanks to the points tiebreaker. The reward for advancing out of pool play? A round of 16 matchup with Cy-Fair Nike Elite, which won Pool F going away and has looked very much like a contender to win the whole thing in going 5-0.
Should Boo take down Cy-Fair, a possible quarterfinal matchup with reigning U.S. Junior Nationals champion Midwest Elite Platinum looms at 9 p.m. Midwest Elite Platinum, the Pool I winner, takes on Spiece Lady Gym Rats 17s in the round of 16.
