The Peachtree City Panthers, a local 14U basketball team, returned from the YBOA National Tournament in Orlando last week where the team earned a spot as one of the top 20 teams. After playing three games in pool play, the Panthers won the first round playoff game with an impressive win over the New Orleans Heat 69-47. The win put the Panthers in the Winner’s Bracket.

Throughout the week long tournament, the Panthers relied on each team member to compete against some very talented teams from the East Coast and Midwest. Some key performances came from Chris Longoria, who led the team in scoring and three point shots and averaged 16 points per game, Justin Jones, who averaged 14 points per game, and Miles Ballard, the team’s “Big Man,” who controlled the boards at both ends and stunned defenders with his one handed shot.
Ballard also averaged 14 points per game. These three players also received nominations from opposing coaches to the National Tournament team. Zach Laskey and Matt Darnowski both received Player of the Game awards for their hard work. Laskey was known for his aggressive defense and Darnowski had a season high game 15 points in one of the games.

All of the players contributed throughout the week and all recorded points in the scorer’s book. Scott MacGillivray and Drew Plaissance assisted Ballard with rebounding duties and both exhibited stellar defensive play. Drew Huefler and Daniel Brachey performed their guard duties well, had numerous assits and were almost perfect from the free throw line.

In addition to game play, there was a skills tournament. Brachey shot an amazing 14 of 15 free throws and placed second.

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