The Kansas City Tarheels 2015 won the 2008 11/Under Division 1 USSSA Kansas State Basketball Championship. The Tarheels brought a stifling full court press and a full-tilt running game to bear on their opponents, and ended up dominating a field of10 competitive teams. With this championship, the Tarheels established themselves as the 5th grade D1 team to beat in the Kansas City/Metro area.

Pool Play

The Tarheels faced the Lawrence Kings in the first game of pool play. Both teams had a sluggish first half, and the score at half-time was mere 21-11 in favor of the ‘Heels. The second half would tell a different tale, though, as the Tarheels more than doubled their production in the second stanza, ultimately winning the game 48-23. The game MVP for the Tarheels was big man Kevin Puryear.

The second game of pool play pitted the Tarheels against the Fieldhouse Ravens, from Johnson County, Kansas. This game was closer, but the Tarheels ended up with a hard-fought 46-35 victory over the scrappy Ravens. The game MVP for the Tarheels was guard/forward Anthony Bonner.

Bracket Play

Coming in first in their pool earned the Tarheels a bye in the first round of bracket play, advancing them directly to the semifinal against the Kansas Bulls.

The Tarheels won the semifinal game convincingly, sending them to the championship game against the fighting Irish, who had beaten the Lawrence Kings in a nail-biter in the other semifinal game.

The Tarheels came out strong in the championship game, quickly wearing down the Irish with their full court press and with the speed of their running game. The Tarheels completely dominated the game, winning the championship by a score of 50-26.