By Jordan Divens

Mokan Elite is the 2016 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Peach Jam champion. The team dominated the title game against the PSA Cardinals by taking them down 93-65 thanks to incredible performances from star tandem Michael Porter Jr. and Trae Young.

All while their best player, Porter Jr., was on the bench, Mokan Elite jumped out to a 31-18 lead after an 11-0 run in 82 seconds. The run was sparked by a pair of Jared Ridder threes, a Trae Young three, and a Jontay Porter steal and coast-to-coast layup. The PSA Cardinals were never able to recover, and allowed the lead to balloon to 18 points at the half after an incredible half-court buzzer beater from Porter Jr.

Carrying their momentum into the second half, Mokan Elite returned from the break with a 5-0 run to stretch their lead to 51-27. Brandon Randolph responded for the PSA Cardinals with a 10-2 run of his own, which cut the lead down to 16 with 12:01 remaining. What followed was complete domination by Mokan Elite. Starting with a quick 14-0 run in the next two minutes and 20 seconds of the game, Mokan Elite extended its lead to 67-37. The run was bookended by Porter Jr. buckets with a Trae Young 10-0 run in the middle. The star tandem combined for 60 points in the title game and finished their Peach Jam run with an unblemished 8-0 record.

Mokan Elite avenged one of their three losses of the regular season on Sunday, as they fell to the PSA Cardinals 76-66 in overtime earlier in the year. In the first matchup between the two teams, PSA Cardinals held Young to just 19 points, and he only made 33 percent of his shots from the field, while Porter Jr. was held for just 17 points.

This matchup was much different. Porter Jr. went off for 33 points, shot a wicked 75 percent from the field and connected five of six threes. Young scored 28 points, dished out 11 assists, and shot 60 percent from the field with six three-pointers. Other key championship game contributors for Mokan Elite included 2018 big men Jontay Porter and Carte’Are Gordon, who each chipped in with eight rebounds and five and six points, respectively. Guard Elijah Landrum helped by scoring seven of his 11 points early in the first half.

This was Mokan Elite’s year to capture their first-ever Peach Jam title after a dominant tournament run. The team averaged a 21-point margin of victory in elimination games; Porter Jr. averaged 26.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game; and Young averaged 28 points and 7.3 assists per game through eight Peach Jam contests.