Eclipse Show Their Power
ST. LOUIS – The field at this weekend’s USJN Gateway Challenge got eclipsed.
The MoKan Eclipse capped a strong showing Sunday by nearly sweeping the premier spots at the Gateway Challenge, which featured 64 teams, more than 20 college coaches and four national scouting services and media representatives. For full results, colleges in attendance, & pool all stars – Click Here
One of the most impressive displays came from the Eclipse 16U Black squad, which beat the St. Louis Rockets 64-32 in the final of the 17/16U bracket. The Eclipse showed off their cohesiveness and teamwork, using strong passing and an eagerness to share the ball while dissecting defenses.
“We have so much fun playing together,” said Kaylee Page, a 6-foot-2 guard who handed out a bevy of assists while scoring seven points. “They’re my family. I spend so much time with them, and they’re so much fun to be around. What we do off the court carries onto the court, too. They’re not ‘me, me, me,’ kind of people. They’re all great people.”
Page (Alma, Kan., Wamego High School) is the top talent, featuring good vision and perimeter skills in a long body. Blue Star evaluators suggested that her weekend play should push her into Blue Star’s top 100 sophomores list soon. The Eclipse also got solid play from 5-5 guard Kyessence Collins (Kansas City, Southwest High School). The team’s Sunday showing was perhaps most impressive because two of its best players – 5-10 Kylee Kopatich (Olathe, Kan., Olathe South) and 6-2 Rachel Blackburn (Leavenworth, Kan., Leavenworth) weren’t in attendance.
But the Eclipse 16U Black team had plenty of company in the winner’s circle. The Eclipse 16U Red and Eclipse 17U Red reached the final of the 17/16 National bracket and chose not to contest each other in the title game. The 17U Red squad finished the weekend unbeaten, while the 16U squad dropped a 68-65 overtime decision against St. Louis Flight 17U but still managed to win their pool. The Flight rebounded from a sluggish Saturday performance and managed to beat the Eclipse despite missing standout post Sydney Stipanovich, who suffered a knee injury in the first half and did not return.
Two Eclipse teams – 14U Red and 13U Red — also reached the final of the 14U bracket and chose not to play out the title game. The 13U Red squad, which blitzed all comers on Saturday, had to fend off a feisty Running Angels 14U Red team in the semifinals. The Angels led 31-24 with 10 minutes to play before the Eclipse running game was able to grind out a win, wearing down the Angels with a 23-7 run to finish the game. Jessica Wayne (Kansas City, Piper High School), an athletic 5-8 wing, sparked the rally.
“They’re a real high quality team, and we’ve been playing them for about three years,” Eclipse coach Ed Hammersmith said of the Missouri-based Angels. “It’s a game like that every single time. They play pressure (defense) and we play pressure (defense) and it usually comes down to who gets the turnovers and who makes them pay on the other end. Both teams played well.”
The Eclipse 15U Red squad didn’t get through unscathed, as the St. Louis Warriors posted a 53-51 victory in the final of the 15U bracket. Charisse Williams (Ellisville, Mo., Westminster Christian) scored in the lane with 1 minute left to break a 49-all tie, then added a layin off an in-bounds play with 17 seconds left to seal it.
The final in the 13U bracket also went down to the wire, as the Running Angels slipped past the Missouri Rockets 44-43.
USJN’s next event will be in two weeks in Champaign, IL – 10th Annual Mid America Challenge. As of May 7 the field already had 160+ teams & are expecting close to 30 college coaches again as well as all four major scouting services. BlueStar Media will be bringing full coverage of this event.
