Possibly the most talent-filled contest of the day, Dynamic Prep is led by former NBA great Jermaine O’Neal, one of the last Preps-to-Pros. The team features a pair of SMU recruits in 6’9 Jaden Toombs and 6’4 Jermaine O’Neal, Jr. DME will counter with 6’3 Mikel Brown, Jr., one of the top point guards in the country and 6’7 Murray State recruit Trey Simpson.
DME got on the board first with a mid-range jumper from 6’11 senior Henri Bukinga. Dynamic then peeled off six straight points as O’Neal put back a lob, 6’3 senior Jacob Coleman had a steal and score and 6’4 senior Carlisheon Young threw down a dunk in transition to make the score 6-2 less than two minutes in. DME’s 6’6 senior Malas Bueliausakas put back a miss to get them back on the board but that was answered with a transition dunk by Toombs. DME put together an 8-4 run, highlighted by a pair of threes to tie the score at 12-12 with under three minutes to play. DME took its first lead a minute later but a three from Young gave them a one point 15-14 lead. A 5-2 DME run featuring a Brown three gave them a 19-17 lead but it was brief. Ryan Hampton, a 6’7 sophomore hit a mid-range jumper to tie the score at 19-19, which is where things stood after the first eight minutes.
DME hit a free throw early in the second but a three from Coleman gave the lead back to Dynamic. DME then scored five straight to go up three. The offenses for both teams bogged down at this point and scoring became difficult. On two occasions Dynamic would hit free throws to get within one but each time DME answered. Dynamic finally tied the score at 29-29 after a three from 6’4 sophomore Avery Houston but DME responded with a three and then a put back dunk by Simpson to go up 34-29 with just over two minutes left. Dynamic reeled off five points of their own to tie it at 34-34 but a late DME bucket by 6’11 senior Seydina Ndiaye made the halftime score 36-34 in favor of DME.
DME got the first two points of the third quarter but from there, Dynamic ripped off eleven straight points, four points coming from Toombs and another four coming from O’Neal. With just under five minutes to play in the third, Dynamic looked in control up 45-38. That didn’t last long. DME cobbled together a 12-4 run of their own featuring seven points from Brown to grab a 50-49 lead with 1:24 left in the period. Dynamic took back the lead with a transition jam from O’Neal and with one more quarter to go, Dynamic had a tenuous one-point lead at 51-50.
The lead changed hands a couple of times early in the fourth. With five minutes left and the score tied at 59-59, Dynamic got hot with a three-point play from Coleman, two free throws from Toombs and another Coleman bucket to make the score 66-59 in their favor with 3:30 left. DME got back to within four, 66-62, after a bucket by 6’0 junior Nathan Kirk but four straight points by Dynamic gave them an eight-point lead and DME never got closer than five after that. Dynamic advances with a 78-67 victory.
Toombs led Dynamic with 23 points while O’Neal added 20. Coleman finished with 14 points.
Brown of DME led all scorers with 23 points.