Northeast Live Invitational - Event Recap

by John Kibbe | Sunday, April 28th, 2013

New England was well represented in Westchester this weekend as the Rhode Islands Hawks won the championship in the 17U Red division. The Hawks had to overtake a medley of New York City teams en route to the final, beating the Juice All-Stars in a hard fought battle on Saturday and then the Brooklyn Ballers and Born Ready Elite on Sunday. They did so with outstanding guard play, balanced scoring, and great outside shooting. Overall, it was a fantastic showing for the Hawks, as they overcame a slow start to defeat Born Ready in impressive fashion 90-73 in the championship game. Jackson Donahue carried the Hawks in the championship, scoring 27 points from his off-guard position. They also recieved 18 points from point guard Kealen Ives and 11 points from swingman Malcolm Smith.

Players who stood out:

Jackson Donahue (Rhode Island Hawks): Outstanding shooter was tough to stop this weekend. Donahue came off the bench and scored 19 points in the win over Juice in the second round. In the final, his scoring helped put the game out of reach in the second half. He finished well slashing to the basket and displayed a solid handle.

Kealen Ives (Rhode Island Hawks): Although he didn’t look to score as much as he did in the final, Ives really controlled the tempo of the game in the Hawks win over the Juice. A great ball handler and good outside shooter, his was extremely consistent running the point throughout his teams’ run to the championship.

Malcolm Smith (Rhode Island Hawks): Smith came off bench and scored 10 points against Juice on Saturday. A great athlete, he can create his own shot and is a good perimeter defender.

Mairega Clarke (Born Ready Elite): Clarke is very athletic and versitile forward. He did a little bit of everything for his team this weekend. Despite his slight frame, Clarke is a good rebounder and a great finisher around the basket.

Miles Wright (Metro Boston): Despite a disappointing first round upset, Wright was very impressive for Metro Boston. The slashing guard is very tough to stop when attacking the basket. He is also a great athlete and an excellent defender.

Eli Davis (Juice All-Stars): Davis is a tough combo forward who got to the basket at will this weekend. Had a couple of impressive outings scoring the ball.

Colin Richey (BV Chaos): Point guard was impressive scoring the ball. Looked equally comfortable running the point and playing off the ball when his team needed on Saturday.

Ian Sistare (Rhode Island Hawks 2015): Scoring guard was impressive playing up in the 17U division this weekend. He displayed a good outside shot and finished well slashing to the basket. Sistire a deceptive athlete finishing on the break.

A.J. Brodeur (Rhode Island Hawks 2015): Brodeur is a strong rebounder and a good perimeter defender for a forward. He has a good mid-range jumpshot and finishes well around the basket.

Dustin Cole (MB Nation 2014): The playmaking guard exploded for his latest huge performance on Saturday, going for 29 points and 11 assists in a win over one of Connecticut Select’s teams.  

Justin Zukowski (MB Nation 2014): Zukowski was often the beneficiary of Cole’s kick-out passes, going off from long range with 8 three-pointers and 32 points.