July 17, 2023
By Morgan Wenger
Tournament Director

A very vibrant, talented group of teams made up the Puppy division in Dawg Days Basketball 2023. The opening round game between Big Buckets and the Grizzlies was one of the most competitive games in pool play. Big Buckets battled the entire game, but they were unable to slow down Cooper Kavanagh. Kavanagh’s 16-point outburst led the Grizzlies to a 26-16 win. Graham Cathey scored 10 points to lead Big Buckets in defeat.

The most thrilling matchup during pool play was between Crossover Crew and Triple Threat. This game went back and forth the entire way. Crossover Crew guard Landon Phaphouvaninh was showcasing his talents on both sides of the ball. Phaphouvaninh (11 points) was driving into the paint all game long to either score at the rim by himself or set up his teammates for open shots. He was also a major pest on defense, pressuring the Triple Threat guards into several turnovers. His teammate, Milze Carter, was nearly unguardable going to the basket as well. Carter led the way for Crossover Crew with 12 points, and they were able to fend off Triple Threat by a 25-20 count. Everett Hudson and Bryce Williams led a balanced Triple Threat scoring attack with six points each.

The most hotly contested game of the day came in the semifinal round between Crossover Crew and Big Buckets. Led by great team defense and the offensive exploits of Graham Cathey, second seeded Big Buckets jumped out to a huge lead to start the game. Down by double digits almost immediately, Crossover Crew called a timeout to regroup. After the timeout, Crossover Crew started chipping away at the lead behind the stellar play of their two guards Landon Phaphouvaninh and Milze Carter. Crossover Crew finally caught Big Buckets around the 20-point mark and held a slim 23-22 lead with 90 seconds left to play. With Phaphouvaninh (8 points) and Carter (9 points) handling the ball, Big Buckets was unable to regain possession and Crossover Crew hung on for the dramatic 23-22 victory and a berth opposite the Grizzlies in the championship game. Graham Cathey led the way for Big Buckets with 14 points in the game.

Cooper Kavanagh of the Grizzlies drives against Crossover Crew's Milze Carter

The Grizzles’ closest game of the day was their 10-point opening round contest against Big Buckets. Their dominance continued in the championship game, as they ran away from Crossover Crew right away and never looked back. Cooper Kavanagh was dominant for the Grizzlies all day long, but he was never better than in the championship game. Kavanagh dropped in a couple of three pointers along with a bevy of drives to the basket to score 24 points in a 30-14 championship game victory over Crossover Crew. Milze Carter led Crossover Crew with eight points in defeat.

Grizzlies (Cason Adams, Jordan Bever, Cooper Kavanagh, and Jack Jones)

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