The Third Annual Catholic School's Winter Classic at Chabot College in Hayward featured primarily Bay Area programs and one from Nevada. The schedule had five boys games with the final two games featuring four of the top seven teams in the most recent NCP Boys Basketball Top 20.
Here is a summary on those two games and some of the highlight players.
Game 1: St Francis 59 Clayton Valley 38
Game 2: James Logan 74 Stellar Prep 32
Game 3: St Patrick's St Vincent 59 Bishop Manouge 52
Game 4: Archbishop Mitty 70 El Cerrito 61 OT
Both El Cerrito and Mitty played turnover prone and poor shooting basketball in the first half. The Gauchos had leads of 8-6 and 21-17 after each of the first two quarters. Mitty had improved guard play and the Gauchos had foul trouble in the third quarter as the Monarchs took a 34-28 advantage into the final quarter. Three Gaucho starters fouled out late in the final quarter but a buzzer beater 3-point field goal by junior Nyima Sherab sent the game into overtime at 56-56. But the Monarchs dominated the extra time with their size by winning 70-61.
Archbishop Mitty stays undefeated at 4-0 as they travel to Rancho Mirage for the Maxpreps Holiday Classic. The Monarchs are the clear favorites in the West Catholic Athletic League. El Cerrito drops to 5-1 as they go to the Modesto Christian Tournament next. The challenging preseason schedule should make the Gauchos the favorites in the Tri County Rock League.
Game 5: Moreau Catholic 59 Modesto Christian 51
The finale turned into a battle of the committed players as Cal commit Oscar Frayer led his Mariners to victory over Modesto Christian's duo of Anthony Townes (Pacific) and Jeff Wu (Sacramento State). The game was tightly contested in the first half as the Crusaders had a 26-25 advantage. Moreau Catholic led 43-39 after the third quarter but Modesto Christian scored the first ten points to lead 49-43 midway into the final quarter. The Crusaders got outscored though 16-2 to end the game as they had several turnovers to self-destruct during that scoring drought.
Moreau Catholic had lost their last three games to out of state opponents but now stand at 2-3. They have a matchup with Castro Valley before making the trip to Rancho Mirage for the Maxpreps Holiday Classic. All the teams in the Mission Valley League have at least three losses each but the Mariners are still the prohibitive favorites. Modesto Christian falls to 5-1 as they had many turnovers that cost them this game. The Crusaders will get a chance to rebound at their Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Tournament next week.
Players of Note
Ben Kone 6-foot-9 Post Archbishop Mitty (2016): Kone was held scoreless in the first half, but ended with 17 points. He was the most physically dominant player on the floor, especially after El Cerrito got into foul trouble. According to Kone, his most recent recruiting activity includes offers from Cal and San Diego State while Oregon State is very interested.
Riley Grigsby 6-foot-4 SF Archbishop Mitty (2018): The lone freshman on the Monarch roster, Grigsby played significant minutes off the bench as he scored eight points and made the only Monarch 3-point field goal. He has a long body and played well from the perimeter. Grigsby will be a key bench player as he played most of the final quarter before fouling out in overtime.
Cameron Korb 6-foot-1 G Archbishop Mitty (2015): Corb also had 17 points as he is deceptively crafty and quick. Korb did not display much of a perimeter game but found his scoring chances on layups in the paint to keep the defense honest. He could be a lower division prospect.
Carlos Johnson 6-foot-4 Wing El Cerrito (2016): Johnson played in foul trouble through the night but still tallied 13 points. The transfer from Arizona played aggressively on both ends but that may have led to his foul trouble. He has plus strength and athleticism but his ball handling, perimeter shooting, and height will be factors in his recruiting ceiling.
Tyrell Alcorn 6-foot-1 PG El Cerrito (2015): The senior floor leader was basically invisible for the first three quarters as 17 of his 19 points came in the fourth quarter and overtime. After three Gauchos started to foul in the fourth quarter, Alcorn basically took over from the offensive side with strong drives to the basket.
Oscar Frayer 6-foot-6 SF Moreau Catholic (2016): The Cal commit had 22 points to help rally the Mariners. As the tallest player for his team, Frayer was often found battling in the paint against more physical opponents. He looked most comfortable with a dribble start and in the perimeter where he had more space to utilize his length and athleticism.
Terrell Brown 6-foot-3 G Moreau Catholic (2016): Brown is a wiry guard who had 15 points on a combination of drives to the basket, floaters in the paint, and a few perimeter shots. The Mariners will often be running three guard sets and Brown is a good addition to that rotation.
Anthony Townes 6-foot-5 F Modesto Christian (2015): The Pacific commit had all 11 of his team's first quarter points and had 25 overall points. Townes was definitely the most physical player in the paint in the game. He plays active and aggressive but will his height and perimeter game be enough at the college level.
Jeff Wu 6-foot-1 G Modesto Christian (2015): The Sacramento State commit had 13 points and three 3-point field goals. The overall Crusader guard play was at times frenetic and sloppy. Wu was the most calming presence and probably should be the primary ball handler for the team.
Tyler Williams 6-foot-0 G Modesto Christian (2018): The lone freshman listed on the Crusader roster, Williams had six points. His athleticism and size make him an interesting prospect to watch. In addition, he played significant minutes for a Crusader team that seems thin as the listed roster only had ten players.
Additional Notes
Cal Head Coach Cuonzo Martin and two of his assistant coaches arrived for the final two games. Frayer is a Cal commit while Kone has a Cal offer.
Former Cal forward Al Grigsby was in attendance. His son, Riley, is a 6-foot-4 freshman on Mitty.
Moreau Catholic's Damari Milstead will make his season debut at the Maxpreps Holiday Classic next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment