Cleveland Cruises Past Plainsmen in Semifinal Round
By Steve Dion
| Thursday- December 29th | 2016 | Boys | Tournament of Champions | Semifinal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin High School | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Evergreen (Vancouver) | 6 | 31 | 7 | 22 | 66 | |
| Cleveland | 24 | 22 | 26 | 12 | 84 | |
Cleveland Junior Jahleel Breland
The defending Tournament of Champions champs Cleveland stood one game away from reaching the final round again with the Evergreen Plainsmen. The Eagles jumped out to a sizeable lead in the first half through opportunistic executing from airtight defense.
CJ Elleby and Fahad Sharif led the charge with 17 and 12 first half points respectively. However, the Plainsmen were able to cut the deficit before the break with Trey Ratcliff attacking the basket and willing his team to with 14 of a 31 point second quarter.
When play resumed, Cleveland found their groove again and put the ballgame out of reach heading into the final frame. Philip White and Jahleel Breland joined the scoring spree in the second half as the Eagles rolled to a 84-66 win. Can Jerry Petty lead his squad to back-to-back tournament wins?
The Final Score
Cleveland 84, Evergreen (Vancouver) 66.
Top Performers:
Cleveland
C.J. Elleby- 23 points
Evergreen (Vancouver)
Trey Ratcliff- 16 points