WESTFIELD, Ind.—It’s hard to top a setting that combines the elite status and depth of talent that comes as part of the Nike EYBL with the gold standard in event operation that is set by USJN. The 15thAnnual USJN Premier Showcase served as the setting again for one half of the semifinal EYBL action leading into the 2018 Nike Nationals just a day away in the Windy City of Chicago just a few hours north.
Once more the revamped structure for this year’s EYBL competition not only set up the seeding for Chicago but also dangled a carrot for claiming a title along the way. The Fairfax Stars claimed the opening bragging rights back in April over all 32 teams in round one. In Indianapolis top honors over the 16 participating teams went to undefeated Team Takeover who was runner up to the Stars back in Hampton. Takeover won all five of their contests at one of the more impressive multicourt facilities, The Pacer Center at Grand Park. The championship match up Sunday saw them roll past the Midwest Elite by a score of 87 – 61. For the weekend they averaged each win by an impressive margin of 20.4 points per game. Midwest Elite made their way into the Platinum final by way of a two point win over the Philadelphia Belles while Takeover got past North Tartan by 25.
Gold bragging rights went to 4 and 1 Tree of Hope while the Silver bracket belonged to the Michigan Crossover who finished the weekend at 3 and 2. Team Northwest won their final two games to nab Bronze honors. The 16U EYBL Indy title was claimed by Michigan Crossover’s younger group.
Things tip off at the McCormick Place in Chicago on the 10thwith the first games getting underway at 9:30 a.m. To see Tuesday’s match-ups follow the link below to the Nike Girls EYBL site.
http://nikegirlseybl.com/2018-nike-nationals/
To see all the pool and bracket results from round two, including the other half of the field in Louisville, use the following link.
With the busy NCAA evaluation period underway, check back with Blue Star Media for more coverage of Nike EYBL action, the highly regarded USJN events as well as other tournaments and showcases. Below are banners for each of the 16 teams taking the floor in Westfield. Included are their overall record, game by game results as well as an action image of one of their standout players.
