PTL preview: 6/24/2012 games
Posted on 23. Jun, 2012 by admin in Iowa Basketball
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
Here’s a rundown of what Iowa basketball fans can expect Sunday afternoon with the two Prime Time League games taking place inside the Jones Gym at the North Liberty Community Center:
Vinton Merchants/Mike Gatens Real Estate (1-0) vs. Culver’s/Iowa City Ready Mix (0-1), 3 p.m.
Both contests feature 1-0 teams pitted against 0-1 squads, and the first game of the afternoon features what ought to be a highly-touted match-up of forwards in sophomore Aaron White and Wisconsin transfer Jarrod Uthoff. Despite Culver’s/Ready Mix losing its PTL opener back on June 19, White had the most dominating performance of anyone on the league’s first night, dropping 40 points on 16-of-25 shooting while also compiling 16 rebounds. On Sunday, White will be pitted against the league’s top pick in Uthoff, who had a double-double himself of 13 points and 13 rebounds in Merchants/Gatens’ 93-89 win in its opener.
While this will be the most talked about match-up in this game, there are other names to watch. For Culver’s/Ready Mix, senior forward Eric May will have a chance to build off a 21-point showing last week, while incoming freshman guard Anthony Clemmons looks to improve off a six-point outing where he shot 3-of-11 from the floor. As for Merchants/Gatens, incoming freshman center Adam Woodbury will have a little extra motivation coming off a game where he had two points and seven fouls, but also had eight rebounds and five assists, and junior forward Zach McCabe will look to continue his hot shooting after going 7-of-10 from the 3-point line and finishing with 29 points in last week’s win.
Merchants/Gatens will also have the luxury of sophomore guard Josh Oglesby being back in its lineup on Sunday after a night class prevented the Cedar Rapids native from playing on June 19.
Jill Armstrong of Skogman Realty (0-1) vs. L.L. Pelling Company/McCurry’s (1-0), 4:30 p.m.
Like the first game, Sunday’s second contest features another intriguing one-on-one battle with junior guard Devyn Marble battling wits against incoming freshman guard Mike Gesell. Marble missed the first half of Pelling/McCurry’s 97-94 win over Culver’s/Ready Mix last week due to a night class, but proceeded to play the majority of the second half and ended up with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting in the victory. As for Gesell, he put on a show in his PTL debut with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists in Armstrong/Skogman’s 93-89 loss to Merchants/Gatens.
In addition to Marble and Gesell, sophomore center Gabe Olaseni is another player to watch in this one after he had nine points and six rebounds for Pelling/McCurry’s in its opener. He’ll likely be guarded the majority of Sunday’s game by sophomore forward Darius Stokes and incoming freshman forward Kyle Meyer.
As for Armstrong/Skogman, it will be seeking strong showings again from both junior forward Melsahn Basabe and former Iowa center Jarryd Cole. Basabe had 18 points and seven rebounds last week, while Cole, playing in his first PTL game since 2009, had a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds that came in a game where he spent most of the night guarding the 7-1 Woodbury.
*Be sure to visit HawkeyeDrive.com following Sunday’s action at the North Liberty Community Center for ongoing coverage of the Prime Time League this summer.*
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