Colorado Prep and Colorado Prep Black were the only two teams with perfect records during the fifth stop of the Contenders Conference (Grind Session) at NOCO Sports Center in Colorado. Teams from Colorado, Utah, Virginia and Oklahoma took part in the three-day Showcase for a spot in the March Contenders Conference championship.
Colorado Prep (1-0) and Colorado Prep Black (1-0) both finished atop the standings while Anthem Prep (Utah) (2-1) and Bethel Sports Academy (Virginia) (1-1) rounded out the top performances.
TOP MATCHUPS
GAME #1 – Terra Verde (Oklahoma) 82 vs. Colorado Destination 76
Hudson Franz scored a game-high 35 points leading Terra Verde to a solid, 82-76, victory over Colorado Destination. Terra Verde (1-2) jumped out to an early, 39-28, halftime lead behind Franz’s 24 points and held on for the six-point win. Kristian Payne added 24 points for Terra Verde. Jaydon White led Colorado (0-2) with 30 points followed by Fresh Carter with 18 points.
GAME #2 – Colorado Prep 71 vs. Anthem Prep (Utah) 66
Four players scored in double figures leading Colorado Prep to an exciting, 71-66, victory over a very polished Anthem Prep team from Utah. Baba Sow led Colorado Prep (1-0) with 20 points followed by Abdallah Dia with 17 points. Elliot Moskowitz finished with 11 points including a big offensive rebound put back with less than two minutes remaining securing the win. Daniel Mbadinga added 10 points. Anthem Prep (2-1) battled back from a 17 point, 42-25, halftime deficit outscoring Colorado 20-12 during the third quarter, only down by nine points with one quarter remaining. Sekou (Rooney) Bagayoko led Anthem with a game high 31 points while Ousseynou Sambe chipped in 21 points.
GAME #3 – Anthem Prep (Utah) 92 vs. Terra Verde (Oklahoma) 78
Anthem Prep was once again led by Ousseynou Sambe with 24 points and Rooney with 23 points as they raced past Terra Verde, 92-78. Anthem Prep (2-1) outscored Terra Verde 26-15 during the second quarter securing a 46-39 halftime lead. Sambe scored 14 of his points during the final two quarters leading to the 14- point victory. Kaden Leache led Terra Verde (1-2) with 18 points followed by Hundson Franz with 16 points. James Gituma and Jayden Hopkins rounded out the scoring with 14 points each.
ABOVE THE RIM: (Top Single Game Performances)
35 points / Hudson Franz (Terra Verde) vs. Colorado Destination
31 points / Sekou Bagayoko (Anthem Prep) vs. Terra Verde
30 points / Jaydon White (Colorado Destination) vs. Terra Verde
24 points / Ousseynou Sambe (Anthem Prep) vs. Terra Verde
24 points / Devin Toatley (Bethel Sports Academy) vs. Terra Verde
24 points / Kristian Payne (Terra Verde) vs. Colorado Destination
Contenders Colorado Standings
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
Sekou Ousmane Bagayoko (Anthem Prep)
6’4 forward / guard is a sophomore averaging 21.2 points per game. His teammates call him Rooney after his favorite football (soccer) player, Wayne Rooney. His favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers / Lebron James. Viewed as a confident scoring guard with good size for his age and position, capable of creating off the dribble and hitting tough shots from three. Sekou helped Mali win gold at the 2024 U18 AfroBasket, earning an All-Tournament Team selection.
