The Basketball Tournament 2021 Results: Eberlein Drive Win Headlines Saturday Scores
July 18, 2021
The second day of The Basketball Tournament featured plenty of chalk, as all but one of the day's favorites advanced closer to Dayton, Ohio, for the final rounds. No. 8 The Enchantment was the only higher-seeded squad to suffer a defeat Saturday, falling 84-83 to No. 9 Stillwater Stars.
The single-elimination tournament with a $1 million prize on the line is only just getting underway, but already a number of highlights—and names—stand out among the entrants.
That begins with top-seeded Eberlein Drive, who easily took care of No. 16 NG Saints, 86-68, as they look to avenge their loss in the 2018 title game to Overseas Elite.
Here's a look at some of Day 2's biggest moments as TBT rolls on toward crowning a champion in Ohio.
Saturday Results
Wichita Regional
(5) Florida TNT def. (12) Kimchi Express, 83-59
(4) LA Cheaters def. (13) Mental Toughness, 76-73
(1) Eberlein Drive def. (16) NG Saints, 86-68
(9) Stillwater Stars def. (8) The Enchantment, 84-83
West Virginia Regional
(3) Herd That def. (14) Team DRC, 85-76
(2) Best Virginia def. (15) WoCo Showtime, 70-67
(6) Team 23 def. (11) Georgia Kingz, 91-64
(7) D2 def. (10) Bleed Virginia, 68-56
Full bracket and schedule available via TBT
Highlights
The Elam Ending more than served its purpose Saturday, providing a number of thrilling finishes as the TBT turned off the game clock and let the two teams play to a set score. That led to a nearly epic comeback from WoCo Showtime—a team of Wofford alumni—over Best Virginia before Kevin Jones' game-winning layup halted a 15-7 run by the former Terriers.
Jones scored 18 points with a game-high 13 rebounds, while Tarik Phillip tallied 11 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for Best Virginia. WoCo Showtime's Fletcher Magee dropped a game-high 21 points in the loss.
That wasn't the only eye-popping finish to come out of the West Virginia region. A group of Marshall alumni playing as No. 3 seed Herd That delivered a thundering game-winner with a putback dunk to eliminate Team DRC.
Herd That's Jacorey Williams and Jon Elmore combined for 44 points in the victory, while Rondale Watson's game-winning putback gave him just six points on the day. It was more than enough for a Marshall alumni club seeking to return to the quarterfinals for the second straight tournament. To do so, it'll have to get past a Team 23 crew that dropped 91 points in a victory over Georgia Kingz.
It was a rough TBT debut for Georgia Kingz, who found themselves trailing by 17 at halftime and never found a rhythm. Instead, Team 23's Raphiael Putney led his team with 19 points as four more of his teammates scored in double figures.
As much talent as is spread around the opening round, few teams can match the star power of LA Cheaters, who started four former NBA players with Derrick Williams, Terrence Jones, Casper Ware and Quincy Miller.
Williams, in particular, was a force Saturday. The former Arizona Wildcats star finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one block as the Cheaters sealed a 76-73 victory.
Equally as thrilling as Williams' performance was the play of Mental Toughness' Brandon Randolph, who went off for a game-high 27 points. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep his tournament hopes alive.
TBT continues with eight more games Sunday as both the Wichita and West Virginia regions draw closer to crowning their quarterfinalists.