July 17, 2023
By Morgan Wenger
Tournament Director

White Shirts and J’s & D was a heavyweight matchup in the first round of the Top Dawg division. Both teams were loaded with enough talent, size, and skill to be considered favorites to claim the grand prize. With both teams recognizing the importance of staying in the winner’s bracket early on, this game was fiercely competitive from the start. Dawg Days Basketball 2022 MVP Marcus Ernst was all over the place for White Shirts, challenging shots at the rim, rebounding, and scoring on the interior. While Ernst (eight points) was doing his thing on the inside, DaVonte Harris (15 points) was filling it up from the outside for White Shirts. J’s & D went to Joe Pope for the majority of their offense. The versatile Pope knocked in three long balls and used his full arsenal of moves around the basket to score a game high 19 points to lead J’s & D to the 30-29 opening round victory. Jason Pitts added seven points in the game for J’s & D.

Norwayne, on the strength of an 18-point effort from Braden West, was able to secure a tightly contested 30-28 win against D-3 & 1. Caden Granger (10 points) and Brady Wheeler (eight points) led a balanced attack for D-3 & 1 in the loss. The other side of the bracket saw Details hammer 3Ball 30-13 behind Braylon Wenger’s 28-point onslaught. Wenger knocked down four three pointers and was overpowering going to the basket. Keller McFarren led 3Ball with nine points in the game. Death Row and WDE hooked up in an opening round battle as well. WDE’s Dawson Troyer (15 points) and Death Row’s Marquise Jones (17 points) were going at it from the perimeter, with neither team able to slow them down. Trevor Summers added 10 key points to help Death Row prevail by a 30-26 count.

Buoyed by his opening game performance, Joe Pope did not let up in the next round. Pope dominated the younger Norwayne team on the inside, scoring 20 points to lead J’s & D to a 30-21 victory and a spot in the winner’s bracket finals. Braden West scored 11 points to lead Norwayne. Details found the going a little bit tougher against Death Row. Marquise Jones forged Death Row into an early lead behind his hot shooting from the outside. Jones finished the game with 16 points, but it was not enough to overcome the hot shooting of Braylon Wenger (five three pointers, 19 points) and Isaiah Portis (four three pointers, 12 points). Details won the game 30-24 to set up the winner’s bracket final against J’s & D.

Braylon Wenger and Isaiah Portis picked up right where they left off against Death Row when it came to outside shooting. The duo blistered the nets from the outside to push Details out to an early, double-digit lead against J’s & D. J’s & D methodically chipped away at Details’ lead but could never get a consistent offensive rhythm in this game. Joe Pope (nine points), Jason Pitts (seven points), and Jon King (six points) all contributed for J’s & D as they got within 28-24 late in the game. Isaiah Portis knocked down a free throw to seal the game for Details and send them into the best of three championship series. Braylon Wenger put together another dominant performance with 19 points in the game for Details, while Isaiah Portis connected three times from downtown as part of his 11-point total.

WDE's Dawson Troyer drives to the basket against Death Row's Trevor Summers

White Shirts showed they were not ready to give up their reign as four-time defending champions easily as they started their trek through the loser’s bracket with a 30-9 drubbing of D-3 & 1. DaVonte Harris led the way with 15 points for the winners, while Mario Edwards (nine points) and Malik Billingsley (six points) both made healthy offensive contributions. Kaiden Roscoe led D-3 & 1 with four points. WDE was able to muster their first win of the day via a 30-28 nailbiter against 3Ball. After a cold shooting opening round game, Cody Steiner found the range for WDE in this game. Steiner ripped the nets four times from long distance as part of his 16-point effort. Dawson Troyer added 10 points for WDE. Keller McFarren almost shot 3Ball to the win as he hit six shots from deep and scored 20 points in defeat.

Death Row locked horns with White Shirts in a hotly contested matchup in the next round. The game went back and forth as expected. Marquise Jones (16 points) and Trevor Summers (eight points) continued to wreak havoc on the defense, but Death Row could not stop DaVonte Harris and Mario Edwards. Harris knocked down four three pointers as part of his 16-point total while Edwards chipped in with nine points to secure the 30-24 White Shirts win. Norwayne rebounded from their loss against J’s & D with an impressive 30-19 win over WDE. Parker Metsker (11 points) led a balanced Norwayne attack in this game, with Connor Preattle (eight points) and Braden West (six points) chipping in as well. Cody Steiner led WDE with nine points.

This left Norwayne as the last obstacle for White Shirts to earn their rematch with J’s & D. This game was tight from start to finish. While both teams received contributions up and down their respective rosters, DaVonte Harris and Braden West were the engines powering the offensive output. Harris and West made eight three pointers between the two of them in this game. Harris was able to make one more play than West in the end, as his 19-point effort led White Shirts to a 30-28 victory. Braden West finished the game with 17 points for Norwayne.

The rematch between White Shirts and J’s & D was exactly what would be expected. Points were at a premium as both teams were locked in defensively in a game that was tight throughout. Mario Edwards (11 points) nailed three huge three pointers for White Shirts. DaVonte Harris (eight points) and Marcus Ernst (six points) chipped in as well. J’s & D had a good surge in the middle of the game but hit a dry spell offensively after the teams reached the 20-point mark. Jon King scored from inside and outside for his 10 points while Jason Pitts did all of his damage from outside the arc to score his nine points for J’s & D. J’s & D trailed 28-27 late in the game with possession of the ball. With both teams in the bonus after an extremely physical game, J’s & D were trying desperately to make a three pointer to win the game without giving White Shirts a chance to win it on offense. After being fouled on multiple three-point attempts and refusing the two-point free throw attempts, a loose ball led to a scramble situation. Joe Pope (11 points) was able to grab the ball about halfway up the right lane line, sprint towards the right corner and launch a heavily contested, fadeaway three pointer that found the bottom of the net and sent him and his jubilant teammates into the loser’s bracket finals.

Jon King finishes with his left hand for J's & D

The elimination bracket regularly features some of the tournament’s most intense games as teams try to stay alive in the tournament. This year was no different. Death Row and 3Ball hooked up in a fierce battle right off the bat. Keller McFarren was on fire again, knocking down four long balls as part of his 14-point effort to lead 3Ball. Brandon Steiner (eight points) and Jake McMillan (seven points) also chipped in for 3Ball. Not to be outdone, and definitely not ready to exit the tournament, Marquise Jones had the last laugh as he went off for 26 points to lead Death Row to a 30-29 win. Jones started out going to the rim and then got hot from three-point land (four three-pointers) late in the game to lead his team to the next round. WDE was able to dispatch D-3 & 1 by a more comfortable 30-23 score. Cody Steiner and Dawson Troyer continued their marksmanship from outside the three-point arc. Steiner connected five times from deep and led WDE with 17 points. Troyer’s four trifectas accounted for all 12 of his points. Brady Wheeler (11 points) and Caden Granger (nine points) led the way for D-3 & 1 in defeat. This set up a rematch between Death Row and WDE. While Cody Steiner (11 points) and Dawson Troyer (11 points) continued their solid play, Marquise Jones was rolling at this point. Jones used his athleticism and shooting (three three-pointers) to lead his team to the next round with a game high 15 points in a 30-24 Death Row win.

Death Row's Marquise Jones shoots over the outstretched hand of WDE's Cody Steiner

Now in the elimination bracket semifinals, Death Row was not finished yet. With Jones tiring a little bit, Trevor Summers took the scoring mantle for Death Row as he scored three times from inside the arc and three times from outside the arc in amassing a game high 15 points to lead his team to a 30-23 win to eliminate Norwayne. Braden West ended his solid day with a 14-point performance to lead Norwayne. Death Row’s good fortune finally ran out in the elimination bracket finals against White Shirts. Marcus Ernst was assaulting the rim from all over the court in this game. Ernst (16 points) scored on drives and putbacks to lead his team back to the loser’s bracket with a 30-22 victory. Trevor Summers led Death Row with 10 points.

White Shirts and J’s & D hooked up in another battle royal in the loser’s bracket finals. The third game between the two teams went almost exactly as the second game did. Extremely physical with several lead changes and tight throughout, White Shirts again held a slim lead late in the game as J’s & D tried to end the game with a three pointer. The dramatic three pointer did not find the bottom of the net this time around, and White Shirts forced another game by finishing off the 30-27 win. Marcus Ernst was the best player on the court again, dominating the interior with 16 points for White Shirts. That was just enough to offset Joe Pope’s team high 11 points for J’s & D. DaVonte Harris chipped in 10 points for White Shirts while Dillon Henderson (seven points) and Jason Pitts (six points) each made solid contributions for J’s and D. With one game remaining to secure a berth in the finals, Mario Edwards had his biggest game of the day. The tournament veteran exploded for a game high 16 points, including four three pointers, to lead his team to a 30-23 victory to eliminate J’s & D. Marcus Ernst continued his domination of the interior by posting a 14-point game. Dillon Henderson (nine points) and Jon King (eight points) led a balanced scoring effort for J’s & D.

Tournament MVP DaVonte Harris shoots a three pointer against J's & D

The first game of the finals was typical of a game between two teams playing each other for the first time. Both teams were feeling each other out and getting used to their individual matchups throughout the game. Details had the first big run in the game as they rode Isaiah Portis’ (four three pointers) hot shooting to a 14-8 lead. White Shirts quickly discovered that Details had no answer for DaVonte Harris. Harris was scalding from outside the arc, knocking down five long balls to keep his team attached as the game went down the stretch. Jaiden Malone converted on two consecutive drives to keep Details in the lead. In a pivotal moment, Braylon Wenger elected to go for the knockout punch with Details leading 27-26. White Shirts rebounded the three-point miss and scored quickly to take a 28-27 lead. After another Details miss, Mario Edwards scored the final two points of the game on a drive and floater that secured the 30-27 Game 1 win and 1-0 series lead. Harris led the way for White Shirts with 17 points while Edwards chipped in with nine points. Isaiah Portis scored 12 points to lead the way for Details while Braylon Wenger added 11 points in defeat.

After going through the entire tournament unscathed, Details found themselves suddenly up against elimination in Game 2. They did not react well initially as White Shirts stormed out to a 9-2 lead behind three straight three pointers from DaVonte Harris. Already doing yeoman’s work against Marcus Ernst while on defense, Braylon Wenger started turning it up on the offensive end too. Wenger was hitting three off the dribble, using his size around the basket, hitting threes off the catch, and attacking the basket from the perimeter as he tried to keep Details alive. DaVonte Harris was trying to end matters in Game 2 though, and his drive to the basket gave White Shirts a commanding 25-19 lead late in the game. After a Braylon Wenger three pointer, Mario Edwards scored on a putback to put White Shirts within one possession of another title with a 27-22 lead. Details were not done yet, however, as Isaiah Portis followed up another Braylon Wenger basket with a steal and three-pointer to tie the score at 27. After a White Shirts miss, Details were going for the three to win the game. Braylon Wenger missed twice but was given additional chances thanks to some incredible hustle plays by teammate Jaiden Malone. Wenger converted on his third game winning three-point attempt of the possession to give Details their first lead of the game and clinch Game 2 of the series with a 30-27 triumph. DaVonte Harris (four three pointers) turned in another brilliant 16-point performance to lead the way for White Shirts. Braylon Wenger (five three pointers) turned in a 25-point masterpiece to keep Details’ title hopes alive.

Details' Braylon Wenger drives to the basket against 3Ball's Jake McMillan

After being held to two total points in the first two games, White Shirts made a concerted effort to get Marcus Ernst going in Game 3. Ernst responded with two baskets down low to start the game. White Shirts built on those baskets quickly with Mario Edwards draining two three pointers to build a commanding 14-2 lead early in the deciding game. Details were able to mount an impressive comeback to win Game 2, but White Shirts were not going to let it happen this time around. After building a 20-5 lead, DaVonte Harris put the nail in the coffin with two long balls down the stretch to secure a 30-14 Game 3 win and 5th consecutive tournament championship for White Shirts. Harris led the way again for White Shirts with 12 points to put the finishing touches on his MVP performance. Edwards finished with 10 points while Ernst totaled eight points in the final game. Isaiah Portis (eight points) and Braylon Wenger (six points) led the way for Details in Game 3.

White Shirts (Malik Billingsley, DaVonte Harris, Marcus Ernst, Mario Edwards)

Dawg Days Home