D&D Mountain Elite scored a huge win by capturing the title at the 2nd Annual Thin Blue Line Classic at Wesley Christian.
The event is held to raise money for the families of officers killed in the line of duty during a mass shooting in Allen, KY last year. The officers were Deputy Sheriff William Petry, Prestonsburg Police Captain Raplh Frasure, Prestonsburg Police Officer Jacob R. Chaffins and Prestonsburg K-9 Officer Drago.
D&D Mountain Mountain Elite won the double-elimination tournament after placing second a year ago. They defeated Wesley Express in the title game.
“This tournament continues to grow,” said D&D Sports Network Co-Owner Darryl McCoy. “It’s for a great cause that is near and dear to everyone’s hearts in the community to try and reach out to these officers’ families.
“As far as D&D Mountain Elite goes, this our fourth tournament that we have played in and our first championship as a team,” added McCoy. “It really means a lot for the program and gives us a lot of confidence as we head into our July AAU run. Where we will be playing all Big Shot tournaments, including one NCAA Live even in Charleston, SC.”
The D&D Mountain Elite squad consists of:
#23 Ethen Ferrell- 2025 SF/SG (Martin County)
#24 Jake Slone- 2025 SG (Pike Central)
#10 Jacob Breeding- 2025 SG (Johnson Central)
#0 Jaxon Estridge- 2025 SF/SG (Prestonsburg)
#1 Sackey Sefa- 2026 PF/SF (Wesley Christian)
#34 Cade Nairn- 2025 PF/SF (Prestonsburg)
#15 Jaden Stewart PF/SF (Pike Central)
#3 Matt Hatfield- 2025 SG (Mingo Central)
*(IR) Connor Napier- 2025 C/PF (Prestonsburg)
*(IR) Peyton Davis- 2025 PG/SG (Martin County)
*(DNP) EB Walters- 2025 C/PF (Pikeville)
* Dakota Dalton- 2028 SG (Chapmanville)
Coaches: Ashley Dalton/Brian Hatfield/Sean Ferrell
Members of the All-Tournament team were:
Tolsia- Parker Watts/Bryson Muncy
Westside- Parker Lambert/Branden French
Betsy Layne- Carter Parsons/Tanner Hall
D&D Blue- Braxton Davis/Brody Buck
Wesley Express- Jaylan Rigdon/Chris Spriggs/Braden Moore
D&D Mountain Elite- Matt Hatfield/Jaden Stewart/Jake Slone
If you would like to donate to the Thin Blue Line Classic or purchase one of the t-shirts to support the event, message Shawn Ward or Kelly Slone at Wesley Christian or message the D&D Sports Network page. Proceeds will go to the families of the fallen officers.
“This was such a heartfelt event today,” said McCoy. “You had the very best of the best in the mountains coming together and hooping on Wesley Christian’s floor to support a great cause. There were college athletes here all day long on each team. Not only did we raise money for the families of the fallen police officers, we were also able to showcase these athletes. During the games, we noticed six collegiate coaches who tuned in to watch.”
If you would like to watch any of the event, you can go to D&D Sports Network Facebook page, danddsports.com or D&D Sports Network on YouTube to watch all of the games.
