By the time Ponder reached the NIT Division finals at the Great American Shootout on Monday, the Lions were worn down and short-handed due to the prior commitments of a few members of the team and a long weekend’s worth of games.

DRC/Al Key

Ponder’s Dylan Ballard, right, drives to the basket while being defended by Quincy Russell of the Austin Ice during the championship game of the NIT division at the Great American Shootout on Monday. Ponder won the game 60-57 at the PEB building on the North Texas campus.

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None of that mattered due to Ponder’s depth and experience in a 60-57 win over the Austin Ice at the PEB building on the North Texas campus.

Dylan Ballard scored a team-high 23 points and hit the game-clinching shot for the Lions, who followed up their Class 2A state title with their first division title in Shootout history.

“This helps us gain confidence heading into the season after losing a few players from last season’s team,” Ballard said. “Winning this tournament is big, but winning state is huge.”

Ponder trailed by as many as 10 early against the Ice, a team of sophomores from schools in the Austin area, and appeared as if it might struggle in its final game without two key players. Forward Scott Gregg missed the title game because he was at a church camp, while guard Terrill Yeager was at the state FFA convention, where he is set to receive a college scholarship.

With those players out of action, Ponder dug deeper into its rotation to find the scoring punch it needed to overcome the Ice. Ballard provided a presence inside to help make up for the loss of Gregg, the team’s tallest player at 6-5.

Isaiah Boxell also finished in double figures with 13 points.

The duo helped Ponder pull through in a close game down the stretch. The Lions trailed 49-44 in the second half before Ballard scored seven of his points in a 14-3 run that put Ponder up 58-52.

The Ice cut its deficit to 58-57 on a 3-pointer from Josiah Monroe with a minute left. Ponder had a chance to try and run out the clock, but attacked the basket instead and extended its lead to three points when Joel Garza drove and found Ballard inside for a layup.

The Ice had a chance to tie the game on its final possession, but saw Monroe’s 3-pointer bounce away.

Ponder grabbed the rebound to secure the win and cap a memorable run through the tournament.

“We had a good draw and won our pool, which got us started,” Ponder coach Bruce Yeager said. “That was part of it, but we also have a good bunch of kids who fight and play well together.”

Summer events paying off for Dickerson

Argyle point guard Caden Dickerson saw his dream of a division title at the Great Amer-ican Shootout end after the Dal-las Heroes 09 blew a nine-point lead in the second half of a loss to Colorado Chaos 17 Blue in the finals of the NBA Red Division finals.

The setback was one of the few Dickerson has experienced in a summer that has helped raise his stock among colleges heading into his senior season.

Dickerson, who scored 12 points in the Heroes 52-49 loss in the title game at the Super Pit, recently picked up his first scholarship offer from Lafayette.

“It’s going good. Our team is doing real well,” Dickerson said. “We have won seven tournaments and got second here. We have had a great summer. Recru-iting has picked up quite a bit.”

Northern Colorado, Texas Tech and Wichita State have also shown interest in Dickerson, who said his goal for the summer is to improve and secure his status as a Division I recruit.

“Caden is one of our most improved players,” Heroes coach Collin Wade said. “He was a good player last summer. Now we think he is a great player. We have not seen a point guard all spring and summer that we would trade him for. He is a good floor general and works hard. The exposure he is getting over the summer is helping him.”

Walton leads Arkansas to win in NBA Blue Division

Some of the top college basketball prospects in the country are on display each season at the Great American Shootout.

Sunday, it was Anthony Walton’s turn on center stage. The Arkansas Wings Gold point guard helped lead Wings Gold to a 53-39 win over Rashard Lewis Southeast Texas Elite in the finals of the NBA Blue Division.

Walton scored 10 points and continued to solidify his standing among the top players in the country. Rivals.com has Walton rated No. 143 overall and No. 23 among point guards in the Class of 2009.

Arkansas, Baylor, Marquette, Kentucky and Oklahoma are among the teams that have offered Walton a scholarship.

“The summer tournaments have been big in helping me improve,” Walton said. “You get to play against other top-ranked players. It’s good training that can help you get to the next level.”

Briefly …

ProSkills Select beat Texas Phenoms 65-44 in the finals of the NCAA Blue Division, while the Louisiana Tarheels topped the Abilene Dawgs 55-52 in the finals of the NCAA Red Division.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .