AURORA | A handful of standouts from Aurora prep programs headed to Colorado Springs Saturday and Sunday for the 2018 USA Basketball 3×3 U18 National Championships.
Twelve men’s teams and 11 women’s teams from across the country entered the tournament at the United States Olympic Training Center aiming to win and earn the chance to represent the U.S. at the Youth Olympic Games Oct. 6-18 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Regis Jesuit freshman Avery VanSickle is a member of Team Denver, which got off to a 5-0 start in play Saturday. VanSickle has teamed with Jada Van Gytenbeek (Cherry Creek) and Autumn Watts (Highlands Ranch) in the competition for a second straight season with Ramani Parker of Fresno, California, rounding out the team.
Team Denver plays at 11 a.m. Sunday in the quarterfinals, with a win putting them in the noon semifinals. The championship game — which will be live-streamed on USAB.com — is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Also still alive in the women’s competition is the Denver Snipers (2-2) — which features juniors Alisha Davis and Allyah Marlett of Class 5A state champion Grandview — which has a play-in game at 10 a.m. with the winner moving in the quarterfinals.
Davis and Marlett, who played in the tournament together previously in 2016, have teamed with Highlands Ranch’s Jamie Bain and Kasey Neubert.
The women’s competition includes teams from Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania, plus other teams with players from a mix of states.
In the men’s competition, Grandview’s Dayne Prim is the lone competitor from an Aurora school. Prim is part of the 1 Elite team that also includes Castle View teammates Chase Hettinger and David McKean along with Denver East’s Kwane Marble.
1 Elite finished 4-1 on the opening day and have a spot in the quarterfinals at 10:40 a.m. Sunday against the winner of a play-in game. The men’s semifinals are at 11:40 a.m. and the championship game at 1:20 p.m.
The men’s field includes four teams full of players from Pennsylvania, two from Colorado, Florida and Illinois and one from Illinois, plus another that is a mix of players from Florida, Delaware, Iowa and North Carolina.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
