The Throne Quarterfinals Notebook

The Throne Quarterfinals Notebook

By Robert Alfonso Jr.

Atlanta, GA – The Throne National Championship is in its inaugural year. The tournament has provided two days at Morehouse College of upsets and strong performances.

These teams are playing for a mythical high school national championship. However, the player’s efforts on the court are nothing mythical about anything. Each player is playing these games in search of that one shining moment. The games are affiliated with the National Basketball Players Association and are being televised on NBA TV and Fox Sports 1 at Forbes Arena.

This 16-team tournament has rosters loaded with notable and highly-touted prospects. There have been upsets along with solid individual performances to help teams advance.

Ninth-seed Vikings (NC) plays No. 5 Second II None (IL) at 7 pm on NBA TV. No. 3 Explorers (FL) will matchup with No. 7 Avalanche at 9 pm on Fox Sports 1.

NC Vikings upset the No. 1 overall seed

Jaiden Thompson hit a go-ahead basket for Central Cabarrus to secure the victory. John Marshall could not get a shot off at the buzzer losing 67-65. The North Carolina 3A state champions advance to Friday’s semifinal game against Seconde II None on NBA TV. Central (32-0) remains undefeated.

Thompson finished with a team-high 20 points and five rebounds on 8-of-15 shooting. The unsigned senior has had a solid two games in Atlanta. Chase Daniels finished with 17 points.

NC State signee Dennis Parker Jr. finished with 25 points, which included 7-of-14 shooting from the field. Damon Thompson Jr. finished with 16 points. Dominique Bailey added 13 points, while Jason Rivera chipped in with 11 points for Virginia’s John Marshall.

Boozer continues to dominate

Cameron Boozer is as good as advertised. The 2022-2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year is on another level. Over two days, this 6-foot-9 sophomore has displayed all his skills.

He did it again leading the Explorers to a 66-53 victory over the Longhorns Bball Club. Boozer filled the stat sheet with 28 points, nine rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and five steals. He was 11-of-19 from the field, including 3-for6 from three-point range. These are numbers usually seen on a video game-created player.

Twin brother, Cayden Boozer, added 16 points. Malik Abdullahi finished with a double-double. The Explorers play the Avalanche on Friday at 9 pm on Fox Sports 1.

Second II None edges out The ‘Ville

Second II None strong defensive effort allowed the Chicago team beat its Midwest foe, 52-51.

Simeon (IL) had a solid team performance led by Wesley Rubin. The Northern Illinois commit scored a team-high 17 points and was relentless on both ends of the floor. Jalen Griffith, a Jacksonville University commit, orchestrated the offense for 11 points and six assists.

Jonathan Powell led The ‘Ville with 16 points, most of which came in the first quarter.

Avalanche overwhelms the Royals

Cornelius Robinson had a strong showing for the New Jersey team in its 85-65 win over the Queens Royals. The senior foward shot the ball really well and was efficient.

Robinson finished with 19 points. His running mate for the night was Billy Richmond. The junior forward poured in 19 points as well, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range. He also punished the rim viciously. Teron Murray added 16 points, while Dasear Haskins had 13 points.

Qingfang Pang scored a game-high 36 points on 15-for-25 shooting, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He shot the ball well from all over the floor. Brandon Gardner chipped in with 16 points.