Bench players, Makhi Mitchell lead DC Premier to Fab 48 title
Makhi Mitchell might have been the most highly touted prospect on the DC Premier roster, and he even earned the Most Valuable Player award at the Fab 48 tournament Sunday at Bishop Gorman.
But Mitchell knows his team couldn’t have competed for a title without some key plays from reserves … and a little help inside from his twin brother, Makhel.
Makhi Mitchell had 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots, and Josh Wallace and Mekhi Long combined for 36 points off the bench as the Premier topped The Truth 82-75 in the final of the 17 Invite division.
“Tremendous effort by the guys off the bench,” said Makhi Mitchell, the nation’s No. 61 prospect according to ESPN. “Josh Wallace, shout to to him. He hit some big shots. He closed it out for us, basically.”
Wallace played sparingly in the first half, but scored 17 of his 20 points after halftime to help spark the Premier, who trailed 50-40 before a 3-pointer by Wallace ignited a run.
The 6-foot-9-inch Mitchell twins, who both have committed to Maryland, combined with 6-7 Ricky Lindo to dominate the glass.
Makhel Mitchell had seven rebounds and Lindo grabbed nine rebounds, including six in the second half. Lindo also scored 18 points.
“We got most of the rebounds,” Makhel Mitchell said. “We got second-chance shots, third-chance shots and fouls and stuff. So that really helped us out.”
Jaden Shackelford, who holds a scholarship offer from UNLV, shot The Truth into the early lead, hitting five first-half 3-pointers, finishing with 21 points at the break. He finished with seven 3-pointers and 29 points.
But it wasn’t enough to stop the Mitchell twins and DC Premier from finishing the summer with a title.
“Me and my brother keep getting blessings coming our way,” Makhi Mitchell said. “I just love to share this moment with these guys. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
All Compton Magic
The championship game of the Las Vegas finals was scheduled for late Saturday night. But that game never was played after two teams from the same program advanced to the championship game.
Compton Magic Elite knocked off EBO 79-66, and Compton Magic Select 17s beat Team Bradley Northwest Panthers 69-64 in the semifinals on Saturday.
They were declared co-champions, capping an outsanding week for the Compton Magic program, which beat Team Takeover 81-79 in overtime on Wednesday in a battle between the top team on the Adidas circuit against the top team on the Nike Circuit.
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Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.