Oak Cliff Faith Family Wins EIBC Championship
Here are a few of the standouts from the second ever EIBC Championship:
The MVP of the EIBC Finals simply controlled the game on both ends of the floor, posting 17 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists in the South Dallas program's comeback victory. Gary constantly got to his spots on the floor, always had his head on a swivel, and was the team's catalyst on the defensive end with the pressure he put on the rock. Surprisingly still unsigned, Gary put himself on the national map as one of the better unsigned point guards at the EIBC.
As far as sophomores in the EIBC are concerned, no one was better than Lyris Robinson and it showed against Oak Cliff Faith Family. The sophomore single handedly busted Oak Cliff's zone via a number of deep threes, flashes for mid-range jumpers in the middle, or quick rips to the rack on the weak side. The Canadian swingman played with the utmost confidence and was the focal point offensively for an uber talented CIA Bella Vista team, pouring in 29 points on 11-17 FG (3-5 3PT). Robinson already holds no shortage of D1 offers and his play in the EIBC will certainly gain him more.
A player who I wasn't familiar with going into the event, I walked away from the EIBC Finals being one of Lamont Hartfield's biggest fans. The lefty power wing is a powerful athlete who can guard all over the court, has a great pull-up jumper, and brings infectious toughness to the hardwood. He had 16 points (6-10 FG, 3-5 3PT), eight rebounds, four assists, and the game winning 3-pointer to give Faith Family the EIBC crown. Heading to Florida Southwestern, Hartfield has the chance to be amongst the first group of players to take advantage of the NCAA's new JUCO rules when transferring D1.
The best big man in the EIBC struggled a little offensively (4-15 FG) in the championship game, but the impact that Mouhamed Sylla had on the game went far beyond the 10 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks that he posted. The four star recruit was a constant lob threat, which opened the lanes for his teammates to drive to the rack because he was such a threat on drop off passes or for offensive rebounds...and he still had six. On the defensive side, Sylla was an imposing shot blocker whose impact as a rim protector can't be described in numbers. Heading to Georgia Tech next year, Mouhamed will continue the Senegalese pipeline that fellow countryman star Baye Ndogo started.
There wasn't a player who I saw play with more composure in tight games at the EIBC than King Grace. The Mississippi State recruit had an outstanding demeanor, had a number of tough takes to the rack in crunch time, and made countless essential plays on the defensive end in the second half of the championship game. It wasn't the best shooting night (8-19 FG and 3-11 3PT), but the 19 points, four assists, and three steals that Grace had were imperative to Oak Cliff Faith Family winning the EIBC Championship.