19th Annual MaxPreps Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines
When: Friday Dec. 26 to Tuesday Dec. 30
What: National boys basketball team.
Where: Five different sites in San Diego County
Size: 77 teams, five divisions.
Division I commits: 30
National Division Final 4: Eisenhower, San Diego, Bishop O'Dowd, Bellevue (Wash.)
Previous stories: Tournament Preview, Friday.
Below: Full Saturday results, box scores, Monday schedule.
Note: All schools from California unless noted.
By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Without a big, Eisenhower’s formula for success is widely known with little room for error.
Relentless defense. Stellar point guard play. And lights out shooting.
The Eagles from Rialto showed off all phases once again en route to their 10th win in 11 outings with a 77-66 throttling over a very strong Rocklin squad in a National Division quarterfinal matchup at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines on Saturday.
Creighton-bound point guard Andrew Bock was better than stellar with 25 points, eight assists and four steals, and Eisenhower drilled 14 of 29 3-point attempts, including six from Nicholas Carter, who scored 22 points.
The Eagles harassed Rocklin (9-2) into 21 turnovers and limited entry passes to 6-10 UCLA-bound post Brendan Lane, who was effective when he got the ball with 22 points.
Without a player taller than 6-4, Eisenhower was pretty much defenseless in the block as it will be Monday when it tries to handle even longer 6-11 Jeremy Tyler of San Diego in a semifinal game.
But if the Eagles shoot like they did Saturday and how they have all season, little else really matters.
“We just have to do what we do really well and everything else should take care of itself,” said Bock, a 6-1 senior who drilled four 3-pointers himself and leads the team in that category this season. “We tried to front (Lane) and scrap and make him uncomfortable and that’s what we’ll have to do (Monday) as well.”
The Eagles always look comfortable with the ball in Bock’s hands. He orchestrates it all as he did last year when Eisenhower won the American Division of the Holiday Classic.
“That was great winning last year, but we wanted to see what we could do against the very best competition,” Bock said. “So far, so good, but we know it’s only going to get tougher.”
Eisenhower coach Steve Johnson, in his 16th season, likes tough and expects his players to be hard-nosed and disciplined. He runs a tight ship and it shows in the Eagles’ crisp and measured play.
It all revolves around Bock.
“He controls everything,” Johnson said. “We couldn’t do what we do without shooters so we spread them out and let Andrew break things down.”
The Eagles broke this one wide open with a 29-10 run in the third quarter to take complete control.
Rocklin, which got 13 points from Pat Stover and 12 by Cody Kale, used a quick 9-0 run late to close to 74-63 in the final minute, but three free throws by Bock sealed the victory. Kirby Gardner had eight for Eisenhower, which had five players between 5-8 points.
“The players know if we don’t bust our butt on defense, none of the rest matters,” Johnson said. “They’ve come a long way and we have to keep coming further.”
See box score from game.
SAN DIEGO 73, WEST VALLEY (Hemet) 59: For the second straight night in the late game, San Diego’s Tyler scored a career high 41 points and showed why many believe he’s the best junior in the country.
But what made the 6-11, 240-pound post’s performance so much different than Friday was the opponent he faced and the contributions he got from teammates.
On Friday, the Cavers simply lobbed the ball anywhere near the hoop against a much shorter Santa Rita (Tucson, Ariz.) squad and Tyler had little trouble putting in dunks and layups during a sloppy 60-58 victory.
On Saturday, Tyler was up against a longtime nemesis, 6-8, 250-pound Oregon State-bound Joe Burton, a savvy and bullish post who pushed and prodded and made the long and lean specimen earn every entry pass.
“We’ve played against each other on travel teams for the last four or five years,” Burton said. “I know everything he does and with all the skills he has I tried everything possible to make him uncomfortable and take him out of his game.”
Nothing really worked – not even a head butt in the final minutes. Tyler thrived on the challenge, kept his cool and responded by making 17 of 25 shots and all four of his free throws.
“Just kill them with kindness,” Tyler said. “Nothing is going to take me out of my game or make me let down my teammates.”
That was the other big difference in this one as his teammates, playing short-handed, sparkled and played fearlessly, especially down the stretch.
As much as Tyler dominated, the “other” Cavers (5-1) scored the final nine points after their talented post made three straight emphatic dunks to put San Diego up 64-52.
Martin Thomas Jr., a 5-9 junior point guard, made a driving layup and putback. Xavier Roy, a 6-2 sophomore and son of coach Kenny Roy, drove hard for a hoop and a free throw. And Cassie White, a 5-8 senior, made a steal and went coast-to-coast for another hoop to finish off a 9-0 non-Tyler run.
“I knew my guys could do it,” Tyler said. “They just have to have confidence in themselves and tonight they showed it.”
Said coach Roy: “I just tell the guys to play hard and good things will happen. (On Friday) they played tentative and tonight they got after it. While we’re down some players, we have to give Tyler some support. He got that and more tonight.”
They needed it against a very good West Valley team (6-4) that not only featured Burton (14 points, 12 rebounds), but 6-1 super smooth shooter Eric Lawton, who has signed to San Diego State. West Valley went 25-6 last year, won a Southern Section title but lost at San Diego 77-64 in the first round of the regional playoffs.
On Saturday, behind Lawton (21 points), the Mustangs were right where they wanted to be at halftime, down just 31-30, but San Diego began inching away. A 3-pointer and mid-range jumper by Jordan Ward late in the third quarter increased the Cavers lead to 48-39 and West Valley would never get within six the rest of the way.
“This was our best game of the year,” Tyler said. “I want to help my teammates get better and tonight you could see that we are. That was a real good team we beat and we did so handily.”
As much as West Valley coach Chuck Peebles wanted to credit the Cavers as a whole, he summed it up this way: “The difference was Jeremy Tyler. What else can you say? What else can you do? He’s in a class by himself.”
Box score.
BISHOP O’DOWD (Oakland) 62, NEWARK MEMORIAL 55 (OT): A night after a dream performance against defending national champion St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), the Dragons gutted one out against a familiar Bay Area foe.
In a game that lacked artistry or flow, the Dragons (7-2) moved into the semifinals by simply out-willing an equally talented, strong and well-coached team as freshman Brandon Ashley (18 points, nine rebounds) and senior Justin Brue (14 points, 10 rebounds) did the brunt of the work late.
Ashley, a 6-6 forward, scored all but four of his points after the third quarter, and with more interior contributions from Chris Martin and Jordan Barton (combined 17 points, 12 rebounds) and point guard Geoff Dold, the Dragons survived.
Newark Memorial (8-2), which led by as much as seven in the first half, got 12 points by Ifeanyi Ezefor and 10 from Khion Sankey.
“In some ways this was more impressive than last night because it was such a huge test for us in so many ways,” said O’Dowd coach Doug Vierra, referring to his team's 69-40 rout of St. Anthony. “A lot didn’t go right for us tonight but we found a way to pull it out.”
After Sankey missed a runner in the lane at the end of regulation, Newark Memorial took its last lead 53-51 on a steal and driving jumper by Bobby McCall to start the overtime. O’Dowd responded on a bank shot from Richard Longruss and turnaround jumper from Ashley, before Ezefor dunked it home to tie the game at 55-55 with 2:01 remaining in overtime.
Ashley then made a nice spinning move for a hoop and Dold threaded the needle to a cutting Brue for another inside hoop, giving the Dragons a 59-55 lead.
“Justin and I have played together so long I knew just where he was going,” Dold said of one of his six assists. “This was huge because (Newark) knew everything we were doing. We played like five or six times during the summer. We didn’t play our best but we found a way. It was a great win.”
Box score
BELLEVUE (Wash.) 57, WINDWARD (Los Angeles) 48: The most complete team of the top division just may be Bellevue (7-1), which got 21 points from 6-7 senior Colton Christian and 18 by 5-11 junior Aaron Bright.
Bright broke loose for 12 in the second quarter when the Wolverines took control with a 21-12 run.
The Washington 3A power – the Wolverines are ranked third in Washington behind Franklin (Seattle) and Rainier Beach (Seattle) – were in control throughout despite the efforts of Michigan-bound Darius Morris (18 points), Malcolm Washington (10 points) and 6-10 UCLA-bound post Anthony Stover (four points, six blocks).
Bellevue stepped up defensively and seemed to frustrate Windward (8-3), which was never in synch. The Wolverines took eight charges.
“We’re starting to jell,” Christian said. “We’re really playing as a team.”
Christian, a Division I talent, and Bright transferred into Bellevue the fall of 2007 and the Wolverines never quite worked last season despite a solid 19-7 record.
“We hadn’t played together during the summer and it took a full season to feel real comfortable as a team,” Bellevue coach Chris O’Connor said. “There was little offensive chemistry. We’re seeing that now.”
Box score.
CONSOLATION
BELLARMINE (Tacoma, Wash.) 65, PASADENA 60: Washington-bound Abdul Gaddy, ranked among the top 20 players in the country, had 27 points including a key 3-pointer in overtime to give Bellarmine the victory. Gaddy’s sophomore brother Donald added 13 points and Brandon Taft 10. Travis Fiye had 14 points for Pasadena, George Tayama had 13 and Steven Adams and Joseph Henson combined for 18. Box score.
SANTA RITA (Tucson, Ariz.) 68, RENO (Nev.) 59: Terrell Stoglin, coming off a 25-point effort on Friday, backed it up with 25 more and Andre Hatchett added 15 and Mark Simmons 10 leading Santa Rita to victory. It was a outstanding effort for Santa Rita, which played the late game Friday night and opened the tournament Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. Austin Morgan, a 5-11 senior guard, scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half for Reno. Box score.
BELLARMINE (San Jose) 76, CHRISMAN (Independence, Mo.) 64: Freddie Eberhardt had 24 points, Jordan Taylor 13 and Max Fodor 12 as Bellarmine pulled away with a 29-12 run in the third quarter. Chrisman got 22 points from Justin Clark and Jon Ekey added 14. The Bears made seven 3-pointers. Box score.
ST. ANTHONY (Jersey City, N.J.) 56, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 45 (El Cajon): Villanova-bound Dominic Cheek had 24 points, Jamee Jackson added 17 and the defending national champions rebounded from an embarrassing loss to Bishop O’Dowd on Friday by outscoring Foothill Christian 22-7 in the second quarter to win going away. Jyonte Brooks had 14 points, Troy Leaf 13 and Kaleb Hatcher 11 for Foothill Christian. Box score.
Monday’s National Division games at Torrey Pines HS
Chrisman vs. Foothill Christian, 9:30 a.m.
Santa Rita vs. Bellarmine (Wash.), 11:05
Bellarmine (San Jose) vs. St. Anthony, 12:40 p.m.
West Valley vs. Rocklin, 2:15 p.m.
MAYORS SEMIFINAL: Torrey Pines vs. Palm Desert, 3:50 p.m.
Windward vs. Newark Memorial, 5:25 p.m.
NATIONAL SEMIFINAL: Bellevue vs. Bishop O’Dowd, 7 p.m.
NATIONAL SEMIFINAL: San Diego vs. Eisenhower, 8:35 p.m.
AMERICAN DIVISION AT CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC
MAYFAIR (Lakewood) 71, DON BOSCO PREP (Ramsey, N.J.) 64: Mayfair exploded for 14 points in overtime to take the hard-fought winners-bracket game. Garrett Jefferson scored 26 points and made 12 of 15 free throws, including his last 11 in a row, for the winners. Teammates Sam Ferguson and Tim Douglas had 15 and 13 points, respectively. Don Bosco seemed to take control with a 26-16 run in the third quarter, but then Mayfair went on a 17-8 run in the fourth. Mike Dudas had 17 points to lead the Ironmen, Brandon Beckford added 14 and Vaughn Gray 12. Box score.
TESORO (Rancho Santa Margarita) 67, SIMI VALLEY 56: Brett Gudim led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points, Robbie Picazo 16, Chris Manresa 12, and Matt Bailey 11 as Tesoro jumped to an early lead and never relinquished it against Simi Valley (11-2), which got 22 points by Brad Lewis, 11 from Nick Kalui-Bruen and 10 by Jnathan Davis. Tesoro improved to 11-1. Box score.
More winners-bracket
Long Beach Poly 69, Ironwood Ridge (Ariz.) 52. Box score.
Bingham (Utah) 77, College Park (Texas) 73 (OT). Box score.
Consolation bracket
Cleveland (Reseda) 73, St. George’s (Canada) 47. Box score.
Leuzinger (Lawndale) 70, Xaverian (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 47. Box score.
Long Beach Jordan 70, Roosevelt (Seattle, Wash.) 57. Box score.
Top Scorer
29 – Ben Clifford (Bingham)
Monday’s American Cup Division at Cathedral Catholic
Leuzinger vs. College Prep, 9:30 a.m.
Xaverian vs. TBA, 11:05 a.m.
Roosevelt vs. St. George’s, 12:40 p.m.
MAYOR’S SEMIFINAL: Chaparral vs. Cathedral, 2:15 p.m.
College Park vs. Ironwood Ridge, 3:50 p.m.
Simi Valley vs. Don Bosco Prep, 5:25 p.m.
AMERICAN SEMIFINAL: Bingham vs. Long Beach Poly, 7 p.m.
AMERICAN SEMIFINAL: Tesoro vs. Mayfair, 8:35 p.m.
GOVERNER’S CUP DIVISION AT RANCHO BERNARDO
APPLE VALLEY 75, PALOS VERDES PENINSULA (Rolling Hills Estates) 65: Absalom Smith had 26 points, Kamam Lane 17 and Keauyon Fields 13 as Apple Valley won a high-scoring winners-bracket game. Apple Valley held off the one-man show that was Morgan Reese, who finished with 31 points, but only two in the fourth quarter. Box score.
RANCHO BERNARDO (San Diego) 56, BREA OLINDA (Brea) 49: Connor McClelland led four players in double figures as host Rancho Bernardo moved into the final four with a hard-earned win. Tanner Clayton added 12, Brian Hogan 11 and Steven Davis 10 for Bernardo, which broke a 36-36 tie with a 20-13 run in the fourth quarter. Kyle Caudill had 17 points to pace Brea. Box score.
More winners-bracket
Maranatha Christian (San Diego) 68, Villa Park 55. Box score.
Lincoln (San Diego) 38, St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 32. Box score.
Consolation bracket
San Bernardino 54, Huntington Park 50. Box score.
Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills) 49, Spanish Springs (Sparks, Nev.) 48. Box score.
Ponderosa (Shingle Springs) 53, Van Nuys 48. Box score.
San Marcos 61, Hercules 54. Box score.
Top scorers
28 – Chen Cai (Maranatha)
24 – Matt Meyers (San Marcos)
21 - Steve Lackey (Ponderosa)
Monday’s Governor’s Schedule at Rancho Bernardo
Hercules vs. Van Nuys, 9:30 a.m.
Spanish Springs vs. Huntington Park, 11:05 a.m.
San Marcos vs. Ponderosa, 12:40 p.m.
Bishop Alemany vs. San Bernardino, 2:15 p.m.
Brea Olinda vs. Peninsula, 3:50 p.m.
Villa Park vs. St. John Bosco, 5:25 p.m.
GOVERNOR’S SEMIFINAL: Rancho Bernardo vs. Apple Valley, 7 p.m.
GOVERNOR’S SEMIFINALS: Maranatha vs. Lincoln, 8:35 p.m.
SENATOR’S CUP DIVISION AT LA COSTA CANYON
MESA (Ariz.) 63, JAMES LOGAN (Union City) 47: Danny Powell had 16 points, Donte Madder 15, Blandy Baruti added 12 and Mohamad Soba 10 and Mesa used a tenacious defense to pull out the winners-bracket game. Mesa took control with a 20-7 run in the third quarter and held Dwight Abad (10 points) scoreless the second half. Box score.
More winners-bracket
Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) 68, Bakersfield Christian 54. Box score.
Folsom 64, Carlsbad 52. Box score.
El Toro (Lake Forest) 57, La Costa Canyon 45. Box score.
Consolation bracket
Pacific Hills (Los Angeles) 72, Birmingham (Lake Balboa) 51. Box score.
Arroyo Valley (San Bernardino) 71, Cienega (Vail, Ariz.) 51. Box score.
Reseda 88, Catalina Foothills (Tucson, Ariz.) 59. Box score.
Lutheran (La Verne) 70, Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo) 50. Box score.
Top scorers
37 – Ryan Watkins (Reseda)
29 – Alex Osbourne (Pacific Hills)
25 – Damon Moore (Arroyo Valley)
20 – Marcus Hall (Bakersfield Christian), Tony Johnson (Folsom).
Monday’s Senator’s Cup Division at La Costa Canyon
Cienga vs. Catalina Foothills, 9:30 a.m.
Birmingham vs. Mission Prep, 11:05 a.m.
Arroyo Valley vs. Reseda, 12:40 p.m.
Pacific Hills vs. La Verne Lutheran, 2:15 p.m.
Bakersfield Christian vs. La Costa Canyon, 3:50 p.m.
James Logan vs. Carlsbad, 5:25 p.m.
SENATOR’S SEMIFINAL: El Toro vs. Liberty, 7 p.m.
SENATOR’S SEMIFINAL: Mesa vs. Folsom, 8:35 p.m.
MAJOR’S CUP DIVISION AT WESTVIEW
TORREY PINES 54, BINGHAM (South Jordan, Utah) 35: In quarterfinal play, what the Falcons lacked in offensive artistry it made up for in defensive prowess as it held Bingham to single digits in three of the four quarters and got a combined seven three pointers from Max Heller and Nick Kerr and 11 points by Trevor Newquist. Heller and Kerr, son of former NBA standout Steve Kerr, made five of the 3-pointers in the second quarter when Torrey Pines (10-1) outscored Bingham 19-12. Sophomore Logan Parker led Bingham with 10 points. Box score.
More winners-bracket
Palm Desert 43, La Jolla 40. Box score.
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 58, J. Serra (San Juan Capistrano) 56. Box score.
Chaparral (Temecula) 76, Temecula Valley 60. Box score.
Consolation bracket
Otay Ranch (Chula Vista) 55, Westview (San Diego) 40. Box score.
Otay Ranch (Chula Vista) 56, Lakeside (Lake Elsinore) 50. Box score.
Rancho Buena Vista (Vista) 45, Francis Parker (San Diego) 41. Box score.
Vista Del Lago (Folsom) 64, St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 56. Box score.
Top scorers
29 – Mitchell Anderson (Chaparral)
25 – Swanson (Lakeside), Devon Dyer (Temecula Valley).
23 – Wesslyn (Vista Del Lago)
20 – Perez (Otay Ranch), Hall (Otay Ranch)
Monday’s Mayor’s Cup Division schedule at Westview
Francis Parker vs. TBA, 9:30 a.m.
Westview vs. St. Joseph, 11:05 a.m.
Rancho Buena Vista vs. Lakeside, 12:40 p.m.
Temecula Valley vs. J. Serra, 2:15 p.m.
Otay Ranch vs. Vista Del Lago, 3:50 p.m.
Bingham 2 vs. La Jolla, 5:25 p.m.
NATIONAL: Reno vs. Pasadena, 7 p.m.
AMERICAN, Long Beach Jordan vs. Cleveland, 8:35 p.m.
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
