2021 Winter Showcase Day 3 Recap

Semifinal #1: No. 6 Oklahoma City Blue defeated No. 7 Motor City Cruise, 99-97

D.J. Wilson's 20-point, 10-rebound double-double led the Blue over the Cruise to advance to Wednesday's AT&T Winter Showcase Final. Both teams fought back and forth in this one, as the Cruise held a 97-94 lead with just over a minute left in the game. But Zavier Simpson and Scotty Hopson would score back-to-back buckets for Oklahoma City to take a 98-97 lead. Simpson hit a free throw with just over five seconds left to eventually seal the deal. Cheick Diallo put up a game-high 27 points and 17 rebounds for Motor City. Both Derrick Walton Jr. and Jamarko Pickett recorded double-doubles for the Blue, who will face the winner of No. 1 Delaware Blue Coats and No. 4 South Bay Lakers in the final on Wednesday, Dec. 22 at 5pm/ET on ESPNews.

No. 3 Rio Grande Valley Vipers defeated No. 2 Maine Celtics, 105-98

Marcus Foster, Daishen Nix, and Trhae Mitchell all notched double-doubles for the Vipers. Foster tallied 21 points and 12 rebounds. He also had six rebounds. Nix went for 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Mitchell had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Maine was paced by Chris Clemons' game-high 31 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

Semifinal #2: No. 1 Delaware Blue Coats defeated No. 4 South Bay Lakers, 122-108

Jarron Cumberland erupted for a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Blue Coats advanced to Wednesday's AT&T Winter Showcase Final with a strong second half. Without both Paul Reed and Charlie Brown Jr., Haywood Highsmith led all scorers with 30 points - including five triples. Braxton Key notched a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds as Delaware built its lead up to as much as 20 points late in the 3rd quarter. South Bay refused to go out quietly, however, as a Cameron Oliver dunk in the closing seconds of the frame started a run that helped the Lakers cut the deficit down to 10 a few minutes into the 4th quarter. Oliver finished the game with 27 points, 15 rebounds and 4 steals, while fellow big man Paris Bass posted 29 points and 13 rebounds for South Bay.

No. 8 Fort Wayne Mad Ants defeated No. 5 Wisconsin Herd, 155-103

Gabe York set a new franchise record for the Mad Ants with nine 3-pointers made, finishing with 36 points in 26 minutes off the bench as Fort Wayne cruised to a victory. Keifer Sykes (22 PTS, 13 AST), Terry Taylor (22 PTS, 11 REB), and Bennie Boatwright (19 PTS, 11 REB) all posted double-doubled in the victory for Fort Wayne, which got double-digit scoring from seven players in total and poured in a whopping 47 points in the 2nd quarter to put the game out of reach. Jalen Lecque led the Herd with 26 points while Lindell Wigginton added 22 points and 9 assists, but Wisconsin was unable to climb back into the game in the second half.

Santa Cruz Warriors defeated Lakeland Magic, 96-83

Six Santa Cruz players scored in double-figures to lead the Warriors to a convincing win over the defending champions. Quinndary Weatherspoon led the way with 18 points while Jordan Bell scored 13 and hauled down 18 rebounds. The Magic were led by Samir Doughty who scored a game-high 23 points on 4-8 FG.

Salt Lake City Stars defeated Cleveland Charge, 123-97

The Stars used a dominant second half to propel them to a blowout victory over the Charge. Salt Lake City had six players in double-figures including Carsen Edwards ( 25 PTS), Elijah Hughes (22 PTS), and Derrick Alston Jr. (18 PTS off the bench). The Stars shot a red hot 51% FG, 40% 3PT, and 89% FT for the game. They scored 30+ points in three of the four quarters and outscored the Charge by +21 points in the second half. Cleveland was led by Justin James (26 PTS) and Malik Newman (25 PTS).

Sioux Falls Skyforce defeated Stockton Kings, 91-87

After trailing by double-digits, the Skyforce used a huge fourth quarter (32-18) to earn a gritty come-from-behind victory over the Kings. Sioux Falls were led by Brandon Knight (25 PTS and 5 AST), DJ Stewart (20 PTS), and Micah Potter (15 PTS and 16 REB). Stockton received big performances from Emanuel Terry (18 PTS, 21 REB, AND 7 AST) and Damien Jefferson (18 PTS).

Westchester Knicks defeated Mexico City Capitanes, 113-103

Despite 38 points from Jordan Howard, the Knicks earned a hard-fought victory over the Capitanes thanks to a big fourth quarter rally led by Brandon Williams (29 PTS). Williams was one of six Westchester players to score in double-digits. The Knicks also received big performances from Alan Griffin (22 PTS and 10 REB), VJ King (17 PTS and 11 REB), and Aamir Simms (16 PTS and 11 REB).