FRANKLIN, Tenn.—When you consider 569 teams, 54 courts and the added attraction the Nike EYBL…it’s easy to see why the women’s basketball community finds its way to central Tennessee each July. The annual Battle in the Boro may well be the largest club or scholastic event anywhere on the recruiting landscape. The 10th annual edition of the event wrapped up Monday, one day after the Division I college coaches headed back to campus for a 10 day break from the eternal search for impact players and job security.
Even without the talent prospectors mining the sidelines, 11 championship games were a part of the Monday schedule played at the A-Game multi court complex in Franklin. The 16 EYBL teams finished their five game second round Sunday morning so the main stage belonged to the teams looking to grab Gold Showcase bragging rights. The semifinals saw the Minnesota Stars move into the final by way of their win over the always challenging CSS Bison squad. An impressive Minnesota Crossfire Elite couldn’t hold off the iExcel – Team Walter team led by long time club presence Walter Welsh. The Stars had no more luck with Welsh’s group in the final as iExcel took top honors comfortably in the championship match up. Jocelyn Willoughby, a highly regarded 6-0 guard, led the way and claimed MVP of the event as determined by the Boro All – Star committee led, as always, by Bob Corwin.
Plenty of other hardware was up for grabs throughout the day Monday. Silver Showcase honors headed back to Ohio with the Cincinnati Angels. They nabbed top honors with their win over the PSPA Rams – Harris out of Virginia. The 2016 Showtime crown headed south to Florida firmly in the grasp of the Essence Black team. Their win sent Team Penny back to Memphis empty handed despite some impressive play over the course of the tournament. In the 2016 Premier final the Georgia Sting got by a competitive Blue Star St. Louis team after taking out a strong Lady Team Charlotte in the semis. Indiana based Sky Diggs Elite claimed the 2016 Prime title taking down the Durham Hurricanes out of North Carolina.
The 2017 Showcase Gold championship went to North Tartan who had a great tournament winning two divisions and qualifying their EYBL team for Nike Nationals. Their win in the championship game came at the expense of a talented Tennessee Extreme group. The 2017 Showcase Silver belongs to the Fairfax Stars who blew open a close game against a PSPA Rams-Marshall team. The 2017 Premier bracket stays close to home with the Select 2017 team from metro Nashville getting by the Tennessee Fury.
North Tartan’s second crown came by way of the 2018 Showcase championship. Their final round win was over the always competitive Dayton Lady Hoopstars. The Tennessee Trotters took down Team B. Wright for 2018 Premier honors while Team Slink held off Take Takeover’s second half rally for the 2019 Showcase title.
Follow the link below for complete pool and bracket results from the 10th Annual battle in the Boro.
http://media.wix.com/ugd/e0b40f_9eeb5b2e6a9a44c582457f09fbf44c7d.pdf
