Day Three
The first two days of the Rumph featured jam-packed action, and two teams got sent home before the weekend even started. Day three followed that trend, as the two quarterfinal matchups finalized Sunday’s semifinal games.
However, Saturday also brought a twist: the Classic presented two women’s semifinal games for the first time in its 19-year history.
Game One
8Eye closed out Friday night’s action just 10 seconds away from a spot in Sunday’s semifinal. They had one more opportunity to punch their ticket against Rumph Center in Saturday’s opener.
Rumph Center had other plans, taking a 13-point lead midway through the first half and refusing to look back in its 68-57 win. Rumph Center saw their 20-point lead dwindle to just six points with two minutes remaining but led by double-digit points for most of the second half.
8Eye, last year’s runners-up, finished 1-2 in the 2024 tournament and were eliminated.
Both squads battled back and forth, and the score stayed at six apiece in the first three minutes before Rumph Center took the upper hand. Rumph Center exploded behind Ahmad “JR” Gilbert’s 18 points, which fueled a 21-9 run and ballooned the score to 27-15 in a split second.
8Eye had opportunities to battle back, but their self-inflicted wounds stalled the comeback effort. They shot just 20 percent from three and went into halftime down 38-23.
Tyrone Williams matched last night’s 20-point game with 25 on Sunday. Only Melik Martin scored more than 10 points on 8Eye, finishing with 12.
The second half saw 8Eye chip into Rumph Center’s lead, but it didn’t last for long. JR’s back-to-back three’s brought the lead back into double digits and from there Rumph Center went into cruise control.
Rumph Center found success beyond the arc while 8Eye continued to struggle. Rumph Center led by 20 with seven minutes left, and the result was all but set in stone. Quan Davis earned Player of the Game honors behind his 17 points.
Williams hit a three to cut the deficit to just six just under two minutes left, but never got any closer.
Rumph Center (2-1) will play Rex6(2-0) in Sunday’s semifinal action.
Game Two
Develop Now battled FOE to close out the men’s action Saturday afternoon, and both teams vied for the final spot in the semifinals.
The star-studded FOE team had one more trick up their sleeve, adding Los Angeles Clippers forward P.J. Tucker for Saturday’s action. The first 20 minutes were tightly contested, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats.
However, FOE flexed their muscles in the second half, securing a spot tomorrow with a 74-62 win.
Neither team could control the pace in the first 20 minutes of game action. FOE jumped to an early 6-2 lead, but it was neck-and-neck until the buzzer sounded at the half.
Marcus Morris scored seven points but shot just 37 percent in the first half. However, the tandem of Sam Sessoms and Vinny Simpson helped FOE the most. Sessoms had nine, and Simpson chipped in with four shots from beyond the arc.
The University of Maryland connection of Hakim Hart Jr and Danta Scott did what they’ve done best all tournament: score. The duo had 17 points in the first half and kept their deficit from reaching double digits.
A Hart three gave Develop Now the lead, but Simpson responded as the horn sounded to tie the game at 31 going into halftime.
Simpson’s buzzer beater was a sign of what was to come as he gave his FOE squad a burst of momentum. FOE exploded out to a double-digit lead and kept Develop Now at arm’s length the rest of the way through.
FOE’s four pros showed out, especially Isaiah Wong, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half. But it was Simpson who picked up Player of the Game honors, draining four three pointers.
Develop Now refused to go down without a fight, bringing the game within five, but they never got any closer. Their weekend ended on Saturday.
FOE (2-1) will play Blue Magic (2-0) Sunday for a spot in Monday’s championship game.
Game Three
The first-ever installment of the women’s tournament kicked off late Saturday afternoon as team Cloud and team Lucas battled for a spot in the inaugural championship game.
In a game full of runs, team Cloud controlled the pace when it mattered most, earning a 49-37 victory against team Lucas. Team Cloud punched its ticket to the championship game on Sunday against the winner of team Candy and team Yolanda.
Cloud controlled the first 10 minutes of play, holding a dominant 20-8 lead thanks to Brittany Hrynko’s game-high 12 points in the first half. However, after head coach Maggie Lucas called timeout with six minutes remaining in the period, the momentum shifted.
Team Lucas began to claw its way back into the game, closing out the first half on an 11-3 run, and then carried that momentum into the second half.
Coming out of the half, team Lucas continued its run and took a 32-31 lead for the first time, but that didn’t last long.
Cloud came storming back late in the second half, closing out the final seven minutes on a 17-6 run. Cloud had three players—A.J. Tambers, Amaris Baker and B. Harver-Carr—each score six points in the second half, propelling them to the win.
Game Four
Team Candy and Team Yolanda closed out the action for day three, and Candy’s Taylor O’Brien absolutely stole the show.
Thanks to O’Brien’s game-high 21 points, team Candy cruised to a 67-38 win and will take on team Cloud in Sunday’s championship game.
O’Brien and team Candy came out firing on all cylinders and dominated the floor in the opening minutes. She scored nine of team Candy’s first 11 points and helped take a 20-5 lead with seven minutes left in the period. Angela Sanders and Latifa Cain tried to close the gap late in the first half for team Yolanda, but team Candy still took a 30-14 lead into halftime.
The second half was more of the same for team Candy, as they continued to control the pace of the game and broke out to a 30-point lead with with less than five minutes remaining
O’Brien’s 21 points is the most by any woman in the tournament so far.
