MaxPreps Holiday Classic: Jackson taking title back to Washington

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The list of past champions at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic is lined by some of the heavyweights in California's rich high school basketball scene.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana), Westchester (Los Angeles), Etiwanda, De La Salle (Concord) and Harvard-Westlake (Studio City) are among the Golden State superpowers that have won the event dating back to 2003 (the Classic was known as the Desert Heat Invitational from 2003 to 2010).

But Monday night it was a relative unknown from the state of Washington emerging as the tournament champion as Jackson (Mill Creek) knocked off Capital Christian (Sacramento) 54-45.

The Timberwolves – who went 26-1 and reached Washington's 4A title game a year ago – received 18 points from senior guard Dan Kingma and 11 points, 14 rebounds and four assists from tournament MVP Jason Todd to become the first team from outside of California to win the Classic.

"We came down here with the goal to get better and I think we did that and a little more," said Todd, a 6-foot-5 senior who will continue his career at the University of Portland next season. "We got some great experience with some great teams down here and ultimately our goal was to gel together as a team not only on the court, but off the court as well. It's not every day that you get to play in an event like this."

Kingma sparked Jackson (6-0) early, hitting four 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes of the contest. The 5-11 guard then took a steal end-to-end for a bucket to give the Washington squad a 22-11 lead midway through the second quarter.

"Last game (against Long Beach Poly in the semifinal) they kind of pressured me. I think they kind of scouted me a little bit and took away my 3-point shot," Kingma said. "Tonight they came out in a softer 2-3 zone and I had some space and when I have space I'm going to take the shot. They kept falling so I kept shooting."

Kingma, who is averaging over 20 points per game this season, also erupted for 31 points in a quarterfinal win over Columbia Christian (Portland, Ore.).

The game unraveled for Capital Christian (14-2) in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter. Todd had a hand in back-to-back threes, assisting on a corner shot by sophomore Sam Saufferer then hitting the dagger at the buzzer himself to help Jackson build a 43-24 lead.

But the Sacramento squad, which got a game-high 20 points from senior guard Tyler Jennings, didn't fade away quietly.

Using full-court pressure, Capital Christian launched a furious comeback in the final quarter. The Cougars cut the lead to 50-45 in the final minute of the contest but Kingma and Todd closed things out at three free throw line to give Jackson the title.

Todd averaged 18 points, 14.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in four outings at the event en route to MVP honors, displaying the talent that made him Washington's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012-13 as a junior.

While Jackson proved it belonged in a national-level, 24-team field loaded with top outfits from nine different states, big goals closer to home are still ahead for the Timberwolves.

"I don't want to sound like a wet blanket, but we do have bigger goals at the end of the year," Johnson said. "This certainly should give us a lot of confidence that we can play on a big stage and be successful against really good teams. I think the guys would agree that our goals are two months down the road with districts and our league and hopefully at the state level."

It was a big night for Washington teams in other major tournaments around the country, as well. Class 3A power Rainier Beach (Seattle) crushed Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 95-67 in the final of the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon and Garfield (Seattle), a potential foe of Jackson's in the 4A ranks, emerged victorious at another event in Las Vegas.

"We have really good teams up there," Kingma said. "I think coming down here, a lot of teams don't know about us but it's good to see other teams from the Seattle area or Washington winning against great teams from other areas."

Stewart lifts Westchester to third place

Loyola Marymount signee Elijah Stewart tallied 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots as Westchester (Los Angeles) beat Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 68-65 in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic Invitational Division third-place game.

Stewart changed the game with a key sequence in the final minute of the third quarter. The 6-4 guard went coast-to-coast for a powerful dunk after a steal, then beat the clock moments later with a 3-pointer to give the Comets a 51-44 heading into the final stanza.

Westchester (12-4) also received 18 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Cameron Young and 16 from senior guard Akil Hall-Reese.

Long Beach Poly (8-5) was paced by juniors Ke'jhan Feagin and Jordan Dallas, who finished with 22 points apiece. The 6-10 Dallas also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Other MaxPreps Holiday Classic champions

Qwixcore Division
Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo, Calif.) 66, Thousand Oaks (Calif.) 58

Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Division
El Camino (Oceanside, Calif.) 62, Dana Hills (Dana Point, Calif.) 38

Gatorade Division
Pleasant Grove (Utah) 60, Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.) 54

iHoop Gear Division
Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) 64, King (Riverside, Calif.) 55

Gear to the Max Division
J.W. North (Riverside, Calif.) 61, Foothill (Henderson, Nev.) 49

Nike Division
Brentwood School (Los Angeles) 70, Bellarmine-Jefferson (Burbank, Calif.) 42

Fairfield Inn Division
Viewpoint (Calabasas, Calif.) 70, Torrance (Calif.) 54

The Slice NY Style Pizzeria and Ristorante Division
Buckley (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 77, Cathedral City (Calif.) 37

Esmeralda Resort Division (Girls)
Bellevue (Wash.) 51, San Juan Hills (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 50