08/01/2012 3:46 PM - In the final NCAA "Live" period in July, the 17U Bulls Premier traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada to go 8-0 to win the Las Vegas Fab 48 Premier Division title and finish their season on a 15 game win streak.
Bulls Premier started the tournament in a big way by defeating Las Vegas Edge by 21 (69-48), with a big 19 point contribution from Danny Leach (Timothy Christian). In the next pool play game, the Bulls were faced with a tougher challenge against a solid SoCal Slam 'n Jam team. Thanks to an all around team effort, where everyone was in the scoring column, the Bulls walked away with a 59-50 victory led by an energetic performance from Evan Blust (Hinsdale Central). In the final pool play game, the Bulls marched to another 21 point victory (67-46) against San Diego Select, with Justin Earls (De La Salle) posting a double-double (10 points and 13 rebounds) and Alex Majewski (Brother Rice) adding 19 points.
After going 3-0 in pool play, Bulls Premier was looking at a tough first round match-up with Each 1 Teach 1. However, Tahron Harvey (Glenbard East) paced the team with 16 points and brought constant energy while Sean Dwyer (Stagg) hit 3 crucial 3's to help them rally to a 69-64 win. Alex Majewski led all scorers with 20 points.
In the second round, the team was mentally tough and focused for their game with the CTB All-Stars. The Bulls were in full swing and played like a team scoring a 75-54 win in a game where they never trailed. There was very solid guard play from Austin Amann (Elk Grove) putting in 11 points, Kyle Bolger (Schaumburg) scoring 15 points, and Dom Manteca (De La Salle) nailing a big 3 to cap off a huge run in the second half. In the Elite 8, Bulls Premier rallied to a 56-49 win in a defensive battle. Jimmy Lundquist (Schaumburg) led the charge by shooting 4-4 from beyond the arc, and finishing with 14 points. Justin Earls (De La Salle) put the exclamation point on the end of the game with two huge dunks to help Bulls Premier advance to the Final 4 of this nationally recognized tournament.
Jimmy Lundquist (Schaumburg) started off the Final 4 game vs. Pressure absolutely on fire, shooting a perfect 4-4 from the three, 2-2 from inside the arc, and 1-1 from the free throw line to score 17 points in the first 4 minutes of the game. Unfortunately, he was unable to finish the game after suffering a broken nose caused by a hit from the opposing team. Dom Manteca (De La Salle) also had to leave the game due to a cut that required stitches. The team rallied behind their fallen teammates and defeated Pressure 61-40 in a very physical game to advance to the tournament championship.
The final game pitted Bulls Premier vs. Minnesota Heat for the Premier Division title. After a slow start, Bulls Premier trailed 26-29 at halftime. However, this game was a tale of two halves. Kyle Bolger (Schaumburg) could not be stopped going to the rim and finished with 20 points, while Bryan Lolordo (Naperville North) nailed two 3's in the final 3 minutes of the game to seal the championship victory, 62-53.
While all players had standout games, Bulls Premier were led all weekend with solid tournament performances from Alex Majewski (averaging nearly 14 ppg), Kyle Bolger, and Tahron Harvey.
In the month of July, the 17U Bulls Premier team finished with a 17-2 record, 15 game win streak, and two tournament titles, while their only 2 losses were by a combined 6 points. Head coach Victor Agapay and assistant coach Kyle Cummings are very proud of their team's effort not only in Las Vegas, but throughout the season. "They played as a team and were just a great group of guys, on and off the court." said Coach Agapay.
17U Bulls Premier finished their 2012 AAU season with a 34-12 record.
The players are primed and ready for their upcoming High School seasons. Congratulations to all and good luck!
Continue to get updates on Twitter by following @bullspremier.
