3-1 Team Penny aims to advance

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Team Penny moved a step closer to the Elite Eight of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League at the Peach Jam with a 75-71 win over Philadelphia-based Team Final on Friday night.

Hamilton High sophomore forward and University of Memphis recruiting target Dedric Lawson scored a game-high 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Team Penny bounced back from an 80-71 loss to Spiece Indy Heat in Friday’s morning session to improve to 3-1 in pool play.

The top two teams from each of the tournament’s four pools advance to Saturday night’s quarterfinals. Team Penny plays its final pool play game at 9:30 a.m. CDT on Saturday against the St. Louis Eagles.

Dedric’s older brother, K.J. Lawson, a junior forward also being recruited by Memphis, added 16 points and six rebounds in the win over Team Final. Both Lawson brothers are ranked among the nation’s

top prospects.

TIGERS’ PASTNER BUSY AS USUAL

On the second day of the Nike Peach Jam, University of Memphis coach Josh Pastner once again split time between the Nike event and other surrounding-area tournaments, like the Elite Youth Invitational and the Peach State.

He left South Carolina in the afternoon, however, for St. Louis, where he’ll be attending, among other things, a top-100 camp for junior college players.

Two of the Tigers’ top targets will be in the event: Chipola forward Cinmeon Bowers and Odessa (and Texas Tech transfer) guard Josh Gray.

LABISSIERE’S WINGS ADVANCE

Evangelical Christian School forward Skal Labissiere and the Arkansas Wings advanced to the Final Four of the Peach Jam’s 16-and-under tournament with a 54-51 quarterfinal win over Team Takeover on Friday.

The Wings will take on the King James Shooting Stars at 12:30 p.m. CDT in Saturday’s semifinals. The 16-and-under championship game is slated for noon Sunday.

You gotta grind it, and everybody does it, then we’re up and ready to go at the 8 a.m. game. It’s like that every day — a continuous cycle morning, noon and night.”

Josh Pastner, Tigers head coach