GDW reports on opening night of Chaos Summer League hoops:
Intense youth hoops league now in its 5th year of existence:
GDW Analysis:
Chaos Summer Basketball, hosted by the Cullman Bearcats, began its 5th season Monday evening from Bearcat Arena.
The league is for kids entering the 2nd grade to the 8th grade in the upcoming school year.
Gameday Weekly appeared for opening night in following three intense games.
The participants were decked out in Cullman uniforms of white jerseys vs. black jerseys.
The games consisted of 18:00 halves with a running clock.
Coach Stu Stuedeman coordinated the event from being the clock operator and setting up substitution patterns throughout each contest.
Game 1 was between players from the 2nd through the 5th grade.
A close first half with Team White going on a 7 to 0 run right before intermission and led 24 to 17.
Another 7 to 0 surge allowed the White to build the lead to double figures and turn a close encounter into a one sided 53 to 28 victory.
The White executed a solid scoring attack in the 2nd half with 29 points, hitting their last two shots from three point range to move past the 50 point tally.
Game 2 had players from the 6th grade through the 8th grade go to battle.
This game was executed better by the Black team as they took the lead and got the advantage by halftime to 29 to 14.
Team White never gave up and had a good final half with a 30 to 20 scoring edge.
But the victory belonged to the Black in a final of 49 to 44.
For the finale, a 2nd matchup of 6th through 8th graders.
This featured a couple of female players that held their own against the male competitors.
Gweniviere Marks of West Point, also known in local sports media at G Bolt, played for the White team. She will be in the 6th grade at West Point when school starts in August.
Isabella Rice from Good Hope, heading into the 7th grade, was on the Black squad.
Both faced each other in defensive play. Both put out efforts with the game the best of the tripleheader for opening night.
Team White enjoyed the first half with a 26 to 18 advantage.
Then the Black team made their move. A 22 to 7 run got them on top by the score of 40 to 33 approaching crunch time.
Marks and her teammates answered with their own run of 7 in a row and the game was even at 40 to 40.
It would go back and forth with the White hitting a go ahead FG inside the final minute and adding a point from the line for a 47 to 44 thriller.
The schedule for the rest of July for the league is the following.
July 10, 14, 21 and 28. Games will get under way from Bearcat Arena at 5:30 p.m. A tripleheader is to be each evening.
The bleachers on the lower side of Bearcat Arena, opposite the scorers table, had good support with many of the fans being dads, moms and grandparents.
Photo of opening tip on opening night of Chaos Summer League Basketball from Bearcat Arena.
GDW photo by Johnny Thornton.
