By Jordan Divens

Day 1 of the Nike EYBL Peach Jam was filled with thrilling finishes, monster performances, and a packed venue in North Augusta, South Carolina. After one day of play, 12 teams headed back to their hotels happy with huge first-game wins, and the other 12 teams went back to the drawing board. There weren't any major surprises on Day 1, as each regular-season division winner won their opening matches. College coaches were scattered throughout the venue, and are looking forward to three more days of action. Stay tuned for more high-flying competition from the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Peach Jam.

Pool A

PSA Cardinals were impressive in their opening game. They recovered from a hot start from Nike South Beach to win 89-79 behind their trio of stars, Quade Green, Mohamed Bamba, and Brandon Randolph. Playaz Basketball Club also took home a close win over CIA Bounce behind a balanced effort from five players who scored in double figures. The final team tied atop Pool A is Meanstreets, which took down Spiece Indy Heat 77-58 in blowout fashion.

Pool B

Team Penny handled Phoenix Phamily 90-77 despite big nights from Cody Riley and Marvin Bagley. Jordan Goodwin paced the St. Louis Eagles in a tight win over Pro Skills, whose star, Mitchell Robinson, was saddled by foul trouble. A late three from Reggie Crawford put St. Louis Eagles over the top 69-65. California Supreme also took home a big win on Day 1 as they easily blew past Albany City Rocks with a 75-56 win behind another big night from DeAndre Ayton.

Pool C

Team CP3 showed why they are the heavy favorite to finish at the top of Pool C as they hammered Houston Hoops 84-54 despite resting their star big man Wendell Carter Jr. The Rens pulled out a tight overtime win behind a strong push at the end from their guard tandem of Jose Alvarado and Hamidou Diallo to take down E1T1 United despite impressive play from Kevin Knox. BABC was victorious over Team Final due to a late 10-3 run that put them over the top 66-65.

Pool D

All three winning teams from Pool D were extremely impressive in their opening games as Mokan Elite and Howard Pulley handled their opponents without much trouble and Expressions Elite was pushed to the brink in its overtime win. Mokan Elite throttled King James 105-74 behind monster efforts from their star tandem of Michael Porter Jr. and Trae Young. Howard Pulley was able to pull away late against the talented Las Vegas Prospects, and Expressions Elite won a back-and-forth thriller with Team Takeover 74-71 in overtime thanks to strong play from their key contributors.

Top Day 1 Performers: (No Order)
Jordan Goodwin (St Louis Eagles) 29 points, 10 rebounds
Kevin Knox (E1T1 United) 28 points, 13 rebounds
Michael Porter Jr. (Mokan Elite) 28 points, 16 rebounds
Trae Young (Mokan Elite) 26 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds
Gary Trent Jr. (Howard Pulley) 22 points, 13 rebounds
Mohamed Bamba (PSA Cardinals) 21 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks
Chaundee Brown (Nike South Beach) 24 points, 9 rebounds
De’Andre Ayton (California Supreme) 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks
Nick Richards (Expressions Elite) 16 points, 17 rebounds
Chris Lykes (Team Takeover) 28 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists