FAB 50 No. 9 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) receives significant contributions from its supporting players to defeat No. 32 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) with a score of 76-58 in the Platinum Division championship game of the 12th Annual Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. Brayden Burries from Roosevelt is awarded the tournament Most Valuable Player title.
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The championship game of the 12th Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas was highly anticipated. The audience and coaches were looking forward to a showdown between Brayden Burries from FAB 50 No. 9 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) and Tyran Stokes from FAB 50 No. 32 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.). Although many believed that Rutgers-bound point guard Lino Mark from Notre Dame could be a game-changer, he was limited due to a hamstring injury. The difference in the game turned out to be the performance of Roosevelt’s supporting players, who helped the top seed overcome a 27-12 deficit and secure a 76-58 victory in an up-tempo matchup against the No. 2 seed.
Roosevelt (11-1), with its only loss against FAB 50 No. 18 Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) when Issac Williamson, their guard bound for New Mexico, got injured, faced a tough start in the title game on Saturday. Poor shot selection and stagnant offensive strategies led to Notre Dame (12-1) establishing a 27-12 lead in the first quarter. However, Roosevelt bounced back by outscoring Notre Dame 23-7 in the second quarter to take a 35-34 halftime lead.
Notre Dame coach Matt Sargeant attributed Roosevelt’s turnaround to their rebounding performance and did not make any excuses for Mark’s limited playtime. Mark only played for less than four minutes in total.
“The reason for Roosevelt’s improved performance is simple. In the first quarter, we didn’t allow any offensive rebounds. In the second quarter, we gave up nine. If you don’t rebound, you can’t win. In the second half, we improved our rebounding but struggled with turnovers,” said Sargeant.
