Nightrydas Elite, Oakland Soldiers meet for Peach Jam title

NORTH AUGUSTA — They’ve been on a collision course all week at North Augusta, and on Championship Sunday, the Peach Jam game many hoped for will come true.

Nightrydas Elite and Oakland Soldiers will meet at 11:30 a.m. at Riverview Park Activities Center after each quarterfinal and semifinal win on Saturday, and the winner will have truly earned the right to call themselves the kings of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

The two star-studded teams have identical records – 7-0 this week, 21-1 overall – heading into the final, and both have posted double-digit wins in the semifinals to reach this stage.

Nightrydas Elite booked their spot in the championship game by producing the kind of performance against Team Takeover, which came into the semifinals with the same overall record as Nightrydas and Oakland, that teams simply don’t deliver to the defending EYBL champions.

Nightrydas scorched the nets with a team-high 58.1% shooting percentage, earning an 83-65 victory over a Team Takeover squad that had held its previous six opponents this week to an EYBL-low 48 points per game.

Forward Caleb Wilson, the fifth-ranked player in the Class of 2025, tormented Team Takeover with a game-high 14-of-18 shooting performance for 29 points. Teammate Cameron Boozer, the No. 2 overall pick in 2025, had another double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, twin brother Cayden, the No. 17 overall pick in 2025, had seven points and 11 assists, and Dante Allen made three three-pointers for 14 points.

It’s not that Team Takeover wasn’t in a defensive position, it’s just that it didn’t matter where the five players in white were on the court. That’s how much of a night Nightrydas, the EYBL’s most prolific offense, had against a program known for routinely crushing opponents defensively.

Team Takeover showed that they were capable of matching Nightrydas at times, but trying to do so for the entire game was too daunting a task. Derek Dixon led the way with 18 points, Nykolas Lewis scored 11, and Jordan Smith, Jr. scored 10, and Team Takeover shot a respectable 44.4% from the field that was nowhere near enough to keep pace.