The 12th MaxPreps Holiday Classic started its Open Division competition on Friday at Rancho Mirage High School near Palm Springs, California. Four teams from Northern California are participating in the most competitive bracket at this event. Here is a summary on their games and some of the highlight players.
Sierra Canyon 62, Sacramento 55
Sierra Canyon is the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament even without sophomore forward, Ira Lee (shoulder injury). The Dragons jumped out to a 15-13 first quarter advantage as junior guard Christian Terrell connected twice from 3-point range. Sierra Canyon used pressure defense that led to several fast break opportunities to help them take the 28-23 halftime advantage. Sierra Canyon held double digit leads during the second half as they led 46-36 after the third quarter before finishing off the Dragons.
Sierra Canyon features two other touted sophomores in point guard Remy Martin and post Cody Riley as they outplayed their Sacramento counterparts in the second half. The Dragons battled against an elite team that has a very complete roster.
Listed at 6-foot-7, Solomon Young usually dominates against most high school opponents in the paint. He had to face a taller and longer defender in the 6-foot-8 and 240 pound Riley who limited Young to one made field goal. The lack of depth in the post after Young may cut short the Dragons later in the postseason. Sacramento's leading scorers was Terrell and fellow guard Sayvon Hines with 13 and 15 points respectively. But the two also combined for eight turnovers.
Sacramento drops to 6-2 and into the loser's bracket. They face next Saddleback Valley Christian which has three players listed at 6-foot-8.
Etiwanda 68, Archbishop Mitty 49
Etiwanda had a superior post presence with Wyoming commit Jordan Naughton who is 6-foot-10. Etiwanda had bigger and more physical players at each position to give them a distinct advantage. As a result, the Monarchs lost every quarter and could never stage a serious threat in the game.
For the average high school program, Mitty has good size in Ben Kone and Sebastian Much. Much is a face up forward who hit several perimeter shots with a quick and smooth release. The guard play is composed mainly of Dakari Monroe and Cameron Korb. Monroe is a slasher while Korb is a spot up shooter, but neither seems to be pure point guards to direct the team. Archbishop Mitty drops to 4-1, as they will face against a formidable Wisconsin program in King High who lost in double overtime to Oakley College, a Spanish program.
Moreau Catholic 67, Issaquah (WA) 56
Issaquah is a top program from the state of Washington but the team has no listed player taller than 6-foot-5. Issaquah jumped out to a 9-0 lead but the size and quickness of Moreau Catholic swung the momentum of the game. The Mariners would rally to take a 19-16 first quarter lead and win every subsequent quarter en route to their victory.
The game was the return of point guard Damari Milstead who was finishing a school violation suspension. Prior to this game, he had been part of three team practices. Milstead was rusty early on with some turnovers but settled down in the second half with his attacking offense and aggressive defense. He did not start and came in as the sixth man.
Moreau's size and quickness was the difference, especially that of Oscar Frayer. He altered a few opposing shots in the paint and also went strong to the basket several times. Moreau now has won three straight games to go to 4-3 and will now face Mater Dei who is the overall Np. 2 seed in the winner's bracket.
Prestonwood (TX) 77, Folsom 51
Folsom faced a Prestonwood program that really came onto the scene this decade, as current Los Angles Laker rookie, Julius Randle, is an alumnus. The current program has two 6-foot-11 players in Djery Baptiste and Schnider Herard who are both athletic back to the basket post players.
Prestonwood jumped out to a 20-10 first quarter lead and extended the advantage to 38-23 at the half. Folsom had connected on three 3-point shots midway in the third quarter but still trailed 61-43.
Folsom lost the battle in the paint on both sides of the ball, as they looked tentative in their interior offensive plays. Jordan Ford hit multiple 3-point shots as the perimeter game had its moments. Folsom drops to 9-1 and will face Damien in the loser's bracket.
Players of Note
Sebastian Much 6-foot-7 F Archbishop Mitty (2017): Much returned to action as he was battling a flu virus previously. The sophomore has good height and length as he hit several perimeter shots with a quick release. Opposing teams will have trouble defending the inside-outside combination of Kone and Much.
Christian Terrell 6-foot-5 SG Sacramento (2016): Terrell has a smooth release from the perimeter as he connected on three 3-point shots. He has good length and a long wingspan to help on rebounding and passing lanes. He was sloppy with the ball as he made careless turnovers in the backcourt.
Sayvon Hines 5-foot-10 G Sacramento (2017): The undersized sophomore was fearless in his perimeter looks as he connected on three 3-point shots including two that was at least a few feet from the arc. Hines is an attacking, scoring point guard as he led his team with 15 points. His development of his point guard skills and of his height will be key to watch in his recruiting the next few years.
Damari Milstead 6-foot-2 PG Moreau Catholic (2017): The sophomore made his season debut and looked rusty early on with several turnovers. But as the game wore on, Milstead settled down and scored in the double digits and was aggressive going to the rim. He had a tendency of gambling on steals in the open court which he got away with against a smaller, slower team.
Jordan Ford 6-foot-0 G Folsom (2016): The wiry guard hit several 3-point shots and looked comfortable creating with the dribble or pulling up. Ford is an attacking, scoring point guard but also guides the offense well.
Remy Martin 5-foot-11 G Sierra Canyon (2017): Martin played in another gear, as he was a step quicker than the opposing Sacramento defenders. He created several fast break opportunities and was also fearless in attacking the rim. Martin and teammate, Ira Lee, played with Oakland Soldiers program this past summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment