Walker and Mayo strong on Sunday morning

Akron, Ohio-Sunday at the King James Classic began with quarterfinal games at 8:00 AM after slugging out past midnight the night before. That did not deter Bill Walker and some other top prospects from waking up ready with their A game.

D-One Greyhounds 68, The Family 59

Bill Walker did his damage in the first half and then O.J. Mayo took over after intermission in the Sunday morning quarterfinal game. Walker had 19 points in the first half and finished with 25 for the game. Mayo had only 7 points in the first half, but then hit for 16 in the second to finish with 23 points.

Mayo had a couple clutch three-pointers and some timely defensive plays down the stretch to help the Greyhounds break away from a tight game.

Walker scored both at the basket and in the mid-range during the first half, and handled the ball well. He also made all five of his free throw attempts.

No one on the circuit takes the ball up through contact with more power than Walker. In the second half, he attacked the basket with strength but could not get a call. Defensively, he was a physical presence throughout the game.

The Family was led by the backcourt duo of Kalin Lucas and Corperryale Harris.

Lucas made a variety of shots in the mid-range, from one foot runners going to his left to floaters going to his right, but fell cold in the last stage of the game. Fast and strong with the ball, Lucas also did a nice job distributing the ball in transition. He finished with 17 points.

Harris sliced and diced his way through the Greyhound defense for a team high 22 points. Once again, he was the production man for The Family, grabbing rebounds, coming up with loose balls, and getting to the free throw line for 8 attempts.

Harris also produced the highlight play of the game when he knifed left to the basket and successfully challenged Walker at the basket for a bucket and one.

Slippery and crafty with the dribble, Harris is a tough match up and also a versatile defender. Although his outside jumper is the weaker part of his game, Harris hit one three-pointer in the contest and looked good shooting the ball yesterday. Mechanically, he could use more wrist snap on his release.

Illinois Wolves 60, Fox Valley Skillz 48

The Wolves fought off the taller Fox Valley Skillz squad without the services of their star player Evan Turner, who was limited to only a couple of minutes of play with a sore knee.

Carrying the way for the Wolves was Jon Rice, who hit 5 three-pointers on the way to 19 points for the game.

Burly point guard Demetri McCamey had a very strong second half where he controlled the ball, came up with some big rebounds and scored all 10 of his points.

Keaton Nankivil struggled for only 4 points in the loss but did show some shot blocking ability.

Spunky scoring guard Charlie Chapman led Fox Valley with 18 points.

Turner, who has had a horde of coaches following him throughout the event, plans on narrowing his massive school list in the near future. Expect Illinois, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Wake Forest to make the cut. Other schools mentioned by Turner are DePaul, Virginia, Miami, Marquette, Iowa and Iowa State.

Nankivil plans to commit after the summer circuit. Presently Miami, Virginia, Wisconsin, Marquette, Iowa and Iowa State comprise his list with all but Miami having offered.

Semifinal Triple OT Thriller

Behind the super play of Johnny Flynn, the GC Ballers were in control of the game with a seven point lead over Triple Threat early in the second half until Jeff Jones hit his first field goal of the game and then made 5 of 6 free throw attempts after DaMario Ceaser picked up two technicals and GC Ballers coach Jeffrey Bishop was also whistled for a technical after Ceasars felt he was fouled on a three-point attempt. After the free throws, Triple Threat was up one point.

Triple Threat did not seal the deal until Shane Walker hit a jumper and two free throws for a 62-58 win in triple overtime.

Jones, a Maryland commitment, struggled most of the game after playing well for most of the event. He missed his first 8 shots, before ending with 16 points in regulation. His three field goals were three-pointers, and 5 of his 7 free throw points came off the technicals. Jones also had 1 assist, zero rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers in regulation play.

Reclassified .2007 Virginia Tech commit Jeff Allen had a very productive weekend but struggled from the floor in this game. He hit 2 out of 9 field goals for 4 points in regulations. Allen did handle the ball well, making some nice assist passes against the GC Ballers press. Tough on the glass, he had 7 boards in regulation.

With North Carolina and Kentucky assistants in the crowd watching, 2008 prospect Chris Braswell played a strong game with 16 points and 6 rebounds in regulation. Braswell gets the ball to the rim quickly and has a finesse style that is gradually getting more bullish.

Syracuse bound Johnny Flynn had some quality stretches of play in a losing cause. In regulation he repeatedly got to the lane, drawing 11 free throw attempts (made 8) and finding open teammates for 6 assists. Flynn also hit 3 three-pointers on 6 attempts and hit 2 out of 6 inside the arc for a total of 21 points in regulation.

With a a great first step and the ability to pull up quickly from deep or in the mid-range, Flynn is very difficult to contain.

Stick with Rivals.com for further breakdowns from the King James Classic and the April evaluation period.